The Catalyst 4000/4500 Access Gateway Module is a modular Cisco IOS® routing engine that integrates into the Catalyst 4000/4500 Series of switches. The Catalyst 4500 Access Gateway Module may be deployed in a wide-range of applications where WAN connectivity or integrated IP Telephony services are required. As an ideal solution for medium to large integrated branch office deployments, the Access Gateway Module can be deployed with combined WAN interfaces and IP telephony services including Voice Gateway, Telephony services as well as WAN connectivity and services. In the wiring closet, the Access Gateway Module enables the deployment of IP telephony services at the network edge boosting scalability and enhancing availability.
The key benefits of deploying the AGM include:
- Reduced Network Complexity - Deploying the Access Gateway Module in the Catalyst 4500 provides a complete integrated branch-office solution combining robust intelligent LAN switching with WAN routing, and comprehensive IP telephony support. Consolidating the infrastructure for LAN switching, WAN routing, and telephony improves deployment times and reduces network complexity and administration overheads, resulting in enhanced productivity of the IT staff. Integrated voice gateway services enable toll bypass with header and payload compression over the IP WAN to reduce WAN costs, offering an economical alternative to PSTN telephony while the modular interfaces shared with the Cisco 1700/2600/3700 routing families reduces the cost of sparing and network support. Centralized MGCP and H.323 call control with the Cisco Call Manager (CCM) and Survivable Remote Telephony Services (SRST) reduces network administration costs.
- Employee Productivity - Availability of consistent Cisco Call Manager and Unity services across branch and campus sites enhances the productivity of remote employees. The built-in audio conferencing bridge reduces the cost of this essential business productivity application while WCCP support enables deployment of cache engines to enhance the effective WAN download speeds.
- Investment Protection - The Catalyst 4500 Access Gateway Module is Cisco IOS Software based and provides a suite of multi-protocol routing services to protect investments in IPX, AppleTalk and SNA equipment while providing a migration path to IP or IPv6. The Catalyst 4500 Access Gateway Module also supports analog fax machines, speakerphones, and PBXs, providing a migration path to IP telephony.
- Enhanced WAN Security - Integrated Cisco IOS routing software with firewall, intrusion detection, network address translation, as well as software and hardware accelerated VPN encryption services increase network security.
- High-Availability Design - Integrated Survivable Remote Site Telephony (SRST), ISDN dial backup, and HSRP support enhance the resiliency of the telephony and WAN routing services.