# Cisco Catalyst 8000V (SD-WAN/Edge Platform)
> The Cisco Catalyst 8000V is a virtualized edge routing platform designed to provide software-defined networking (SD-WAN) and traditional routing capabilities across multi-cloud and enterprise environments. It serves as a software-only router that runs on standard x86 servers and various public cloud providers. It is the virtual successor to the widely used Cisco Cloud Services Router (CSR) 1000V.
- URL: https://optimly.ai/brand/cisco-cisco-sd-wancatalyst-8000v
- Slug: cisco-cisco-sd-wancatalyst-8000v
- BAI Score: 92/100
- Archetype: Challenger
- Category: Networking Technology
- Last Analyzed: April 10, 2026
## Competitors
- Palo Alto Networks (Prisma SD-WAN) (https://optimly.ai/brand/palo-alto-networks-prisma-sd-wan)
## Also Referenced By
- Aviatrix Systems, Inc. (https://optimly.ai/brand/aviatrix-systems-inc)
## Buyer Intent Signals
Problems: Standard Hardware Routing: Using physical routers and standard IOS-XE features without virtualization. | Legacy MPLS Maintenance: Maintaining existing legacy MPLS circuits without migrating to software-defined architectures.
Solutions: best virtual router for AWS and Azure | enterprise SD-WAN virtual appliance | Cisco software defined routing for cloud edge | Cisco 8000V performance specs | Open Source Virtual Routing: Using open-source tools like VyOS or pfSense on generic hypervisors.
Comparisons: Cisco Catalyst 8000V vs CSR 1000V