IK Imran KhanSenior Network Engineer | Data Center Fabric & Network Architecture
Data Center Fabric & Network Architecture

Enterprise networks built to stay reliable, secure, and fast — at scale.

I help Financial and Global Enterprise teams design, migrate, implement, deploy and modernize data center networks — Cisco Nexus, Arista, spine-leaf fabrics, VXLAN EVPN, ACI, SD-WAN and hybrid cloud connectivity — without risky downtime. I take responsibility for end-to-end connectivity, from design through implementation and deployment, and hand over every project with RCA, documentation and SOPs.

Request a consultation View engagements
ExperienceOver 18 years of senior network engineering in enterprise environments
Cisco / AristaSpine-leaf, VXLAN EVPN, Cisco-to-Arista migrations
Financial & GlobalHigh-availability, regulated, multi-site estates
Spine–Leaf Fabric — Live Fabric Live · ECMP Active

Non-blocking Clos fabric · Every leaf to every spine · Lossless RoCEv2 for AI / storage traffic

SPINE TIER LEAF / ToR TIER SERVER TIER 400G FABRIC LINKS · ECMP Utilization 38–46% · Latency 1.4 µs · 0 drops SPINE 01 Cisco Nexus 9364C-GX · 400G SPINE 02 Cisco Nexus 9364C-GX · 400G SPINE 03 Arista 7800R · 400G 100G QSFP28 2× 25G Breakout 100G QSFP28 100G Uplink RoCEv2 · PFC / ECN 25G SFP28 to hosts RoCEv2 · Lossless BGP · Border Leaf LEAF 01 · ToR Cisco Nexus 93180YC-FX3 LEAF 02 · ToR Cisco Nexus 93180YC-FX3 LEAF 03 · ToR Arista 7050X · Storage LEAF 04 · BORDER Border Leaf · WAN / Cloud GPU / AI TRAINING 8× H100 · RDMA 100G · Lossless RoCEv2 COMPUTE CLUSTER VMware · KVM Hosts 25G · VXLAN VTEP STORAGE ARRAY NVMe All-Flash 100G · RoCEv2 / NVMe-oF MGMT / CLOUD GW Azure · AWS · WAN OOB Mgmt · BGP EVPN Lossless Ethernet: PFC · ECN · DCB / ETS — tuned for RDMA, no packet loss under load
RoCEv2 / RDMA Lossless Ethernet PFC ECN / DCQCN DCB VXLAN EVPN BGP EVPN
Fabric throughput2.84 Tbps
Avg latency · leaf–leaf1.4 µs
Packet loss0 drops · PFC on
ECMP active path Full-mesh fabric link Live status Non-blocking · redundant by design
Certifications CCNP ENCOR CCNP ROUTE CCNP SWITCH CCNA CCNA Security Cisco ISE

Services for data center and enterprise networks

Focused consulting — not general IT support. Each engagement is scoped around uptime, security, and a clear migration or design outcome.

01 — FABRIC DESIGN

Data Center Design, Refresh & Architecture

Spine-leaf design and refresh planning for Cisco and Arista estates — capacity, redundancy, and growth built in from the start.

Cisco Nexus 9K / 7K / 5KArista EOSCisco NDFC · Nexus DashboardArista CloudVision (CVP)
02 — MIGRATION

Cisco-to-Arista & Legacy Migrations

Phased migrations with rollback planning, validation, and cutover support — so modernization doesn’t become an outage.

Migration planningCutover supportValidation
03 — FABRIC & ROUTING

VXLAN EVPN, ACI, BGP & Routing

Modern fabrics — VXLAN EVPN and Cisco ACI — with an MP-BGP control plane, plus BGP, OSPF and EIGRP design, optimization, and troubleshooting. FabricPath estates covered for legacy migration planning.

VXLAN EVPNCisco ACIBGP / MP-BGPOSPF · EIGRPFabricPath (legacy)
04 — WAN TRANSPORT & SECURITY

WAN Transport & Secure WAN Connectivity

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN design and deployment for multi-site enterprises — resilient transport, secure WAN connectivity, and consistent policy across branches, data centers, and cloud on-ramps.

Cisco Catalyst SD-WANWAN TransportSecure ConnectivityMulti-site
05 — CLOUD

Hybrid Cloud Connectivity — Azure / AWS

Secure, resilient connectivity between data centers and cloud — routing, segmentation, and performance for hybrid workloads, including RDMA / RoCEv2 where it matters.

AzureAWSRoCEv2
06 — SECURITY & ACCESS

Cisco ISE, AAA & Network Security

802.1X and ISE design, AAA hardening, and firewall integration across Palo Alto, Check Point, ASA / Firepower, Zscaler, and F5 environments.

Cisco ISE / 802.1XAAAFirewalls · F5

Not sure where to start?

Pick the closest description — I’ll point you to the right engagement. No obligation, just a clearer starting point.

Recommended starting point

Fabric Assessment & Design

Start with an assessment of your current fabric, risks, and refresh options — then a phased design you can actually deliver against, whether you stay with Cisco or move to Arista.

Best for: Teams planning change in the next 3–9 months
Engagement: Fabric Assessment — sample from $4,500
Discuss this engagement

Depth where it counts

Over 18 years of experience is only useful if it’s the right experience. This is the stack I work in every week.

Platforms, protocols & tools

Cisco Nexus9K / 7K / 5K, NX-OS, VPC, NDFC (Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller)
AristaEOS, CloudVision (CVP), spine-leaf fabrics
RoutingBGP / MP-BGP, OSPF, EIGRP — design & troubleshooting
FabricVXLAN EVPN, Cisco ACI, spine-leaf, FabricPath (legacy), RDMA / RoCEv2
WAN TransportCisco Catalyst SD-WAN, secure WAN connectivity
Security & ServicesISE, Palo Alto, Check Point, ASA/Firepower, Zscaler, F5
CloudAzure & AWS hybrid connectivity
AutomationNetwork automation & observability practices

Certifications

  • NP
    CCNP ENCOREnterprise core networking
  • R
    CCNP ROUTEAdvanced routing
  • S
    CCNP SWITCHEnterprise switching
  • ISE
    Cisco ISEIdentity, 802.1X & AAA
  • NA
    CCNARouting & switching foundations
  • SEC
    CCNA SecurityNetwork security foundations

Experience across financial services and global enterprise environments where downtime and audit risk are not theoretical.

How an engagement runs

1

Discovery call

A short, direct conversation about your estate, timelines, and what success looks like. No sales script.

2

Assessment

Current-state review — topology, configs, risks, and constraints — with findings in plain language.

3

Design & build

Phased design, migration plan, and hands-on implementation support with validation at each step.

4

Handover & support

Documentation your team can run from, plus optional advisory cover after go-live.

Engagements

Consulting engagements, scoped to outcomes — not hourly ticket work. Pricing below is sample / indicative while we draft; final scope is confirmed after discovery.

Start here

Fabric Assessment

From $4,500
Sample pricing · Fixed-scope assessment
  • Current fabric & routing review
  • Risk, capacity & lifecycle findings
  • Refresh / migration options with phasing
  • Written recommendations you can budget against
Request assessment
Most requested

Design & Migration Project

Contact for quote
Scoped project · Design through cutover
  • Spine-leaf / VXLAN EVPN design
  • Cisco-to-Arista or Cisco Nexus refresh delivery
  • ACI, SD-WAN, or hybrid cloud build
  • Cutover planning, validation & rollback
Discuss your project
Ongoing

Advisory Retainer

From $3,500/mo
Sample pricing · Monthly advisory & implementation support
  • Senior design review & decision support
  • Troubleshooting escalation for hard problems
  • Change & migration oversight
  • Direct access — no ticket queue
Ask about retainer

All pricing shown is sample / draft for discussion. Final fees depend on estate size, sites, and timeline — confirmed in a written scope before any work starts.

About Imran Khan

Senior Network Engineer with over 18 years of experience specializing in data center fabric and network architecture for Financial and Global Enterprise environments.

I help Financial and Global Enterprise teams design, migrate, implement, deploy and modernize data center networks — Cisco Nexus, Arista, spine-leaf fabrics, VXLAN EVPN, ACI, SD-WAN and hybrid cloud connectivity — without risky downtime. I take responsibility for end-to-end connectivity, from design through implementation and deployment, and hand over every project with RCA, documentation and SOPs.

My work centers on the networks everything else depends on: Cisco Nexus and Arista spine-leaf fabrics, VXLAN EVPN, BGP-led design, Cisco ACI, Catalyst SD-WAN, hybrid cloud connectivity to Azure and AWS, and Cisco ISE / AAA for secure access — managed and validated with Cisco NDFC (Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller) and Arista CloudVision (CVP).

I’m brought in when a refresh, migration, or persistent fabric problem needs senior judgment — someone who has done the cutovers, carries the risk properly, and leaves your team with a network they can actually operate.

Available for consulting engagements — assessments, design and migration projects, and advisory retainers. Remote delivery with on-site support arranged where a project needs it.

Common questions

Both, depending on the phase. Design, assessment, and most troubleshooting are delivered remotely. Cutovers and hardware phases can include on-site support by arrangement — we’ll agree that in the scope.
I work deeply in both — Cisco Nexus / NX-OS and Arista EOS / CloudVision — including Cisco-to-Arista migrations. Recommendations are based on your estate, team skills, and lifecycle, not a vendor preference.
Pricing on this page is sample / draft. After a discovery call and assessment of scope, you get a written proposal with fixed deliverables and fees before any billable work begins.
Yes — that’s the usual model. I provide senior design, migration leadership, and escalation support while your team or MSP handles day-to-day operations.
Best fit is enterprise and upper mid-market: multi-site, data center fabrics, regulated or high-availability environments. If your need is small-office Wi-Fi or break-fix IT support, I’ll say so honestly on the discovery call.

Request a consultation

Tell me a little about your estate and what you’re trying to change. Use the form to draft your inquiry — you can copy it and send it through your preferred channel.

What happens nextA direct reply to discuss scope, timelines, and whether an assessment is the right first step.
No obligationThe discovery conversation is about fit. If I’m not the right person, I’ll say so.
PhoneXXX-XXX-XXXX
ContactConsultation requests via this form draft — email will be on my own domain once it is set up.

This drafts your message on this page only — nothing is sent automatically. Copy the draft and send it via your preferred contact channel.