The next product that we're going to talk about
is really a component of product.
What we're talking about here is pxGrid.
And this is basically an API programmability-based solution
that allows our Identity Services Engine or other threat
response platforms to communicate what's really going
on in our environment here.
This is a big deal, because this is the exact method
that something like DNA Center uses in order to integrate
with Cisco's ISE product.
This is how we can share identity and authentication WEBVTT X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000,MPEGTS:900000
This is how we can share identity and authentication
and authorization services all throughout our network
among other types of ways that we
can integrate security products, like AMP, into Cisco's ISE.
So let's talk more about pxGrid.
In yet another amazing offering with a DevNet sandbox,
they actually give us a pxGrid environment using Cisco ISE
that we can play with.
We can actually log into ISE and see how
pxGrid could interact with it.
We also can create our own automated scripts,
Python scripts, or so on, to interact directly
with the pxGrid environment. WEBVTT X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000,MPEGTS:900000
with the pxGrid environment.
That's if you want to explore this automation capability.
But keep in mind, again, the DNA Center
communicates to ISE using pxGrid and in our DNA Center content.
What we have here on CBT Nuggets,
implementing an SD Access with DNA Center,
we actually walk through how to integrate DNA Center with ISE
using pxGrid.
It's really easy.
It's basically just a couple of checkboxes
where you just turn it on and point the two appliances
to each other.
But that's the point of pxGrid, is now WEBVTT X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000,MPEGTS:900000
But that's the point of pxGrid, is now
we can share authentication, authorization,
and accounting information from Cisco ISE using pxGrid.
Let's log in to the front end and just
see what pxGrid can really do.
I'm already connected to the VPN for this specific environment.
So I'll pop out the info here, and we can see,
this is the username and password that we need to be
using, as well as the IP address 10.10.20.70.
So I'll go 10.10.20.70, of course over https,
I'll click forward, and we see the Cisco ISE log in comes WEBVTT X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000,MPEGTS:900000
I'll click forward, and we see the Cisco ISE log in comes
to life here.
Jumping back to the workspace, I want to just make sure
my credentials here are admin, and then capital C1sco12345!.
So we've got admin, capital C1sco12345!.
I'll click Provide later to this little pop up,
and I'll click Next.
We don't need to know what's new in 2.7,
and let's just accept and close this information
so we can get started having fun.
So to get to the pxGrid itself, what we want to look at WEBVTT X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000,MPEGTS:900000
So to get to the pxGrid itself, what we want to look at
is under Administration, and then over here
under pxGrid services.
It's all the way to the very right.
And this is where we can actually
see what pxGrid can do.
What we see here is a list of devices
that are allowed to connect into ISE programmatically.
This is for automation capabilities.
Now, we see things like the administrator, the MMT.
That's going to be built into it by default. In fact,
you basically see the groups here are internal.
This is so that ISE can use all sorts of different ways WEBVTT X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000,MPEGTS:900000
This is so that ISE can use all sorts of different ways
to, basically, communicate with itself, as well as other types
of device architectures.
But then we see the external users,
like John's MacBook, Mac O3.
And then John apparently has a couple
of other MacBooks, MacBook 1 and MacBook 2.
Now interestingly, you may be seeing this thing, this xmpp
right here.
This is kind of the older way that automated devices used
to communicate to Cisco ISE.
This is the Extensible--
I'm just going to put X there, even though it's E-X-- WEBVTT X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000,MPEGTS:900000
I'm just going to put X there, even though it's E-X--
extensible messaging and presence protocol.
And this is how pxGrid, grid the Platform Exchange Grid,
used to communicate to all of our different devices
that needed to know what's going on with ISE or identity
Services Engine.
So this could be a threat intelligence device,
like Stealthwatch, or just a network monitoring system.
This could even be an asset management system
so that we know which user is logging in to which device. WEBVTT X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000,MPEGTS:900000
so that we know which user is logging in to which device.
But because APIs and programmability
have evolved over time, sure enough, so has the API.
And now it can use just a plain old REST API.
And that's exactly how Cisco DNA Center
is going to be communicating to Cisco ISE.
It's going to be using this pxGrid,
and it's going to be using the REST API variant of it.
That way when authentication events happen,
Cisco DNA Center can track who is logging in to which
virtual network from which building where
in the environment.
And that's how it all streams and correlates this information WEBVTT X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000,MPEGTS:900000
And that's how it all streams and correlates this information
back to the Assurance platform.
And that's what makes it really easy to troubleshoot what's
going on with our end users.
It all starts right here with the pxGrid.
And basically, any platform can communicate into Cisco ISE,
as long as they're authenticated and whitelisted
right here in the screen that we're looking at.
And it can extract that information out and work
with it programmatically.
So that's how we can keep track of who
is in our environment, where they're authenticating,
what devices are they authenticating to, WEBVTT X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000,MPEGTS:900000
what devices are they authenticating to,
using Cisco's pxGrid as part of the Cisco ISE platform.
I hope this has been informative for you,
and I'd like to thank you for viewing.