As a business grows, so does its networking requirements. Businesses rely on the network infrastructure to provide mission-critical services. Network outages can result in lost revenue and lost customers. Network designers must design and build an enterprise network that is scalable and highly available.

This chapter introduces strategies that can be used to systematically design a highly functional network, such as the hierarchical network design model, the Cisco Enterprise Architecture, and appropriate device selections. The goals of network design are to limit the number of devices impacted by the failure of a single network device, provide a plan and path for growth, and create a reliable network.