Connect. Secure. Manage.
Cisco Virtual Cloud Routers
Assess and deploy supported Cisco virtual routers in public cloud environments, with sizing, image compatibility, licensing and routing defined.
Devices supported
across the UK
Client locations
supported
Traffic handled
at peak time
Average
response time
Average response is not a resolution time or a contractual guarantee. Support scope and response commitments are agreed for each engagement.
Cisco virtual cloud routers provide supported routing functions within virtual or public-cloud platforms. We plan instance resources, interfaces, routes and ownership around the surrounding cloud network. Devices such as Catalyst 8000V must also use the right supported software mode. Tests check the complete path needed by the apps that will use the connection.
The whole path
Understand how sites, providers, cloud networks and security controls fit together.
Resilience that can be tested
Separate a second circuit from genuine end-to-end service resilience.
Provider coordination
Keep addressing, routing and escalation ownership clear across organisations.
Establish the routing function required
We identify whether the virtual router is intended to provide a WAN extension, VPN endpoint, SD-WAN edge or another supported routing role. Those needs can lead to different rollout modes and setup models. A familiar Cisco command set does not make every feature or topology available in every cloud setup.
The assessment records the connected sites, cloud networks and external services. We distinguish routing engineering from workload administration and app support. The proposal states which boundaries MCI will configure and test, rather than implying that deploying a router makes the wider cloud service fully managed.
Standards & partnerships
Confidence in the team behind your network.
Cisco Partner
Cisco Meraki
Cyber Essentials
Cyber Essentials PlusMCI Network Services is operated by Proxar Ltd. Certifications apply to the certified legal entity and the scope of its certificates. View accreditation information
Select a supported platform and image
The hardware-equivalent resources, software release, licence and marketplace or customer-managed image need to fit the intended use. We check current Cisco and cloud-provider guidance for the actual combination. Legacy virtual-router arrangements are reviewed on their merits rather than assumed to be the right starting point for a new rollout.
Capacity depends on more than a virtual CPU count. Interface limits, encryption, routing scale and hosting resources can influence performance. We assess the expected traffic and feature use, then identify the tests needed to confirm that the chosen instance can support the customer's workload under normal and degraded conditions.
A useful starting point
Not sure where to start?
Bring the requirement. We will help you define the engineering work.
Design interfaces and surrounding cloud routes
A virtual router's interfaces sit within a cloud networking model that has its own forwarding and security behaviour. We map subnets, route tables, gateways and the supported settings needed for traffic to pass through the appliance. The guest operating system having a correct route is not enough if the cloud platform sends traffic elsewhere.
Return paths are checked clearly. Stateful security devices, translation and multiple gateways can produce asymmetry between branches and workloads. We document which component owns each route and how changes propagate, including any addressing conflicts that require resolution before the design can operate reliably.
Different environments. The same care.
Built around the work
your network supports.
Finance, banking and the wider private sector. We start with the systems and people that depend on your connections.
Finance & banking
Market-data paths, routing and provider coordination on clients’ behalf.
Financial-market services ↗Offices & multi-site teams
Reliable access between people, workplaces and business applications.
Office network design ↗Data centres & cloud
Network boundaries, workload connections and operational ownership.
Data centre networks ↗Control routing and management access
Static routes, BGP or other supported protocols are configured according to a defined prefix policy. We identify authorised advertisements, expected received routes and any exchange with other routing domains. Broad redistribution is not introduced simply to make a proof of concept connect quickly.
Administrative access is restricted to the approved management paths and roles. Cloud permissions and router credentials both matter because either can affect the service. We establish secure access, logging and recovery ownership, avoiding a rollout that exposes management interfaces publicly without a justified and controlled need.
Plan resilience in the hosting environment
Virtual routers need a supported availability design that considers instances, zones or regions, provider paths and route changes. Two instances sharing one failure domain may not meet the customer's aim. We check what happens when a router stops forwarding and how surrounding networks select an alternative.
The design also accounts for capacity after failure and the behaviour of established sessions. A replacement instance starting successfully is not proof that routing, VPN identity and app reachability have recovered. We set out the state and setup that must be restored and how the result will be checked.
Automate only with controlled permissions
Infrastructure automation can make rollout repeatable, but its inputs and privileges need governance. We agree who owns templates, variables, credentials and approvals. The process should make the intended resources and routes reviewable before production changes occur, rather than allowing an opaque script to alter the cloud network without oversight.
We also consider how the deployed state is reconciled with later manual changes. A setup that drifts from its automation source can be overwritten unexpectedly during an update. Exceptions are recorded and incorporated into the approved model through a controlled change, not left as undocumented dependencies.
Validate and hand over the complete path
Acceptance checks include route policy, tunnels where used, security permissions and representative app workflows. Failure and restoration tests are scoped safely and documented with their limitations. The handover connects router setup with cloud resource ownership, monitoring, licences and the escalation route for provider or platform issues.
MCI can deploy supported Cisco virtual routing as part of a hybrid cloud network design or review a current appliance that has become difficult to maintain. Share the intended role, cloud setup and traffic needs. We can establish a supported rollout without assuming that virtualisation removes the need for capacity planning, security controls or tested recovery.
Technical references
- Catalyst 8000V Edge Software data sheet — Cisco / Cisco Meraki
- Catalyst 8000V deployment in AWS — Cisco / Cisco Meraki
Talk to a specialist
What does your network need next?
Tell us what you are planning, changing or trying to improve. We will help define a practical next step and the engineering scope.
+44 203 196 6566Choose option 1
sales@proxar.co.ukUK-wide service.
Most of our engineers are based in Kent, with a focus on London, Sussex, Essex and Berkshire.
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