Government Abstract
What started as a DevNet-led initiative to allow safe, compliant e-commerce for DevNet certification collateral and preparation supplies has since developed right into a foundational framework benefiting Cisco at giant. Over two years, the DevNet staff navigated complicated authorized, safety, and procurement processes to onboard world cost distributors like Stripe and VeriFone (2Checkout and VeriFone used interchangeably since VeriFone acquired 2Checkout), set up pricing methods, and safe compliance with worldwide tax rules. Including context, learners internationally want a simple method to subscribe to programs utilizing bank cards, making such capabilities essential for accessibility and world attain. Whereas the unique e-commerce performance was retired, the authorized frameworks, vendor approvals, and contract buildings remained—forming a ready-made basis for different Cisco groups. Studying at Cisco group, which conducts CCNA, CCNP, and CCIE certification and so forth., dealing with a essential deadline, was capable of seamlessly leverage these present approvals and agreements—not the platform itself—to combine VeriFone directly, making certain enterprise continuity. This effort demonstrates the strategic worth of laying scalable, reusable groundwork far past the wants of a single staff.
What to Count on from the Weblog
This weblog outlines how a focused DevNet e-commerce effort matured into an enterprise-ready framework used throughout Cisco. It explores the technical structure behind the unique platform, the challenges of onboarding world cost and tax distributors, and the practically two-year means of securing authorized and monetary approvals. It additionally highlights how Cisco Studying benefited from these foundational components with out utilizing the DevNet platform itself. Readers will achieve insights into how doing the arduous work early—round compliance, vendor technique, and authorized enablement—can create lasting worth and agility for future enterprise wants.
Enterprise Affect
Bringing Stripe and Quaderno into the Cisco ecosystem was removed from simple. Every required approval via Cisco’s CASPR (Cisco Authorized Provider/Accomplice Registration) course of, involving rigorous safety critiques, compliance validations, and cross-functional collaboration with Cisco’s safety and procurement groups. Pricing negotiations with cost distributors have been equally demanding, requiring a transparent understanding of volume-based pricing fashions and the long-term worth proposition for Cisco.
Because the platform matured, it transitioned to VeriFone—a worldwide cost processor that not solely dealt with transactions but additionally embedded tax providers, simplifying the structure. This shift eradicated the dependency on exterior tax instruments and consolidated monetary operations. Establishing VeriFone as an permitted Cisco vendor meant going via comparable rigorous compliance and safety hurdles, together with complicated contractual negotiations. The end result was a strong, enterprise-grade cost gateway with negotiated per-transaction pricing underneath a Cisco Grasp Providers Settlement—streamlined, scalable, and prepared for broader use.
After two years of profitable manufacturing, throughout which clients from over 130 nations accessed the DevNet market, the e-commerce platform was gracefully retired. As a part of this transition, DevNet additionally concluded its position in curating content material to help customers getting ready for DevNet certifications—obligations that now totally reside with Cisco Studying, which has all the time managed the certification program itself. Nevertheless, the infrastructure, agreements, and course of frameworks remained—a silent however highly effective asset.
Within the months that adopted, a number of enterprise items—together with Cisco Outshift and the Collaboration BU—evaluated leveraging this established system. Whereas constraints prevented integration in some instances equivalent to Outshift, the Collaboration BU efficiently adopted the answer. The groundwork proved its true worth when Cisco Studying confronted a essential deadline. With solely three days emigrate from a legacy e-commerce vendor, they turned to the already-approved VeriFone-based course of. As a result of the muse was already in place—from vendor approvals to contract phrases—they have been capable of onboard seamlessly with none lack of enterprise continuity or income. Transactions started instantly, uninterrupted, and with full compliance.
As we speak, Cisco Studying transacts over $50M yearly via this course of—a determine anticipated to develop to $150M. Simply as importantly, any Cisco enterprise unit can now undertake this method with minimal friction. The Grasp Settlement with VeriFone helps amendment-based onboarding, permitting every staff to tailor utilization to its particular wants whereas benefiting from a standardized, vetted, and enterprise-ready basis.
The Origin: A DevNet Initiative with a Scalable Imaginative and prescient
In at the moment’s enterprise panorama, enabling safe, scalable, and globally compliant e-commerce platforms is not any small feat—particularly when it entails navigating intricate vendor approvals, cost programs integration, and regulatory compliance throughout greater than 130 nations. What started as an initiative to help the sale of DevNet-curated collateral for Cisco DevNet certifications ultimately laid the groundwork for a Cisco-wide e-commerce infrastructure now poised to deal with over $150M in annual transactions.
At its inception, the e-commerce platform launched underneath the Cisco DevNet umbrella was constructed to run on AWS with Kubernetes orchestration, offering resilience and suppleness. The preliminary cost gateway was powered by Stripe, built-in with an exterior tax calculation service, Quaderno, to make sure compliance with worldwide tax necessities—notably in areas just like the EU and US.
System Structure
1.1 Core Parts:
Fee Processor Abstraction Layer: This layer abstracts the complexity of interacting with a number of cost processors like Stripe and 2Checkout. It supplies a unified interface for processing funds, making certain that the upstream programs don’t want to pay attention to the particular nuances of every cost processor.
Quaderno Tax Engine Integration: Built-in with the cost system, Quaderno handles real-time tax calculations for over 130 nation/area combos, catering to each digital and bodily items. It additionally automates report era, together with month-to-month VAT filings and annual 1099 varieties.
Product Catalog Microservice: This microservice manages the product catalog, dealing with operations like including, updating, and deleting merchandise. It integrates with the cost system to make sure that merchandise are accurately represented and priced through the checkout course of. Moreover, the service allows automated provisioning of person subscriptions based mostly on the chosen plan. Upon affirmation of cost, customers are immediately granted entry to the course all through their subscription. This automation reduces the necessity for handbook intervention, a limitation in lots of legacy programs, and ensures a seamless expertise for learners.
Transaction Reconciliation Module: This module is accountable for reconciling each day transactions, making certain that every one funds are accurately processed and accounted for. It additionally supplies automated backup to chilly storage for knowledge integrity. Moreover, it might embody reporting capabilities on a each day, weekly, and month-to-month foundation, offering complete insights into transaction traits, cost standing, and total monetary well being.
Integration Stream:
The combination circulation entails the consumer app interacting with the Fee API, which then communicates with the cost processors. The Product Administration system and Quaderno Tax Engine are additionally built-in into this circulation, making certain that the proper merchandise and taxes are utilized through the checkout course of.
1.2. Fee Processor Abstraction Implementation
Fashionable e-commerce platforms usually require integration with a number of cost processors to maximise world attain and decrease transaction failures. A well-designed cost abstraction layer permits companies to seamlessly change between suppliers like Stripe and 2Checkout/VeriFone whereas sustaining a constant API interface.
Stripe Integration:
- Consumer-Facet: PCI-compliant Parts.js is used for gathering cost data securely on the consumer aspect.
- Server-Facet: The PaymentIntent affirmation circulation is dealt with server-side, making certain that funds are processed accurately.
- Webhook Handlers: Webhooks are used to deal with occasions like payment_intent.succeeded and cost.refunded, making certain that the system is up to date in real-time.
2Checkout(VeriFone) Necessities:
- Order API: The Order API is used with HMAC-SHA256 signing to make sure the integrity and authenticity of the requests.
- IPN Listener: An On the spot Fee Notification (IPN) listener is ready as much as deal with cost notifications from 2Checkout.
- Fraud Detection: Fraud detection parameters are configured to reduce the danger of fraudulent transactions.
1.3. Quaderno Tax Automation
Quaderno’s tax engine supplies real-time tax calculation for a variety of nation/area combos, catering to each digital and bodily items. It additionally adheres to VAT/GST/Gross sales tax guidelines, making certain compliance with native rules. Automated report era, together with audit trails for all calculations, additional enhances the system’s robustness.
1.4. Product Onboarding
Product onboarding is simplified with CSV bulk import and auto-mapping, permitting directors to shortly add merchandise to the catalog. REST API endpoints present programmatic entry for extra superior use instances. The admin dashboard presents multi-language help, tax class task, and stock synchronization, making certain that the product catalog is all the time up-to-date and correct.
1.5. Safety & Compliance
Safety and compliance are paramount in any e-commerce system. Cisco’s cost system adheres to PCI DSS Stage 1 by way of tokenization, making certain that delicate knowledge is protected. AES-256 encryption is used for delicate knowledge, and each day transaction reconciliation ensures that every one transactions are precisely recorded and reconciled. Automated backup to chilly storage supplies an extra layer of information integrity and safety.
Conclusion: A Basis That Scales
This journey displays greater than a single venture’s success. It’s a testomony to the worth of doing the arduous work upfront—navigating compliance, safety, pricing, and engineering of a scalable structure past rapid wants, not only for a single staff, however for the broader Cisco ecosystem. What began with DevNet has turn out to be a scalable asset for the whole firm.
Acknowledgments
This venture succeeded because of the devoted DevNet engineering staff and robust help from senior management. Many of those leaders have since moved to different Cisco enterprise items, however their early imaginative and prescient laid the groundwork for a scalable and compliant e-commerce framework.
Particular recognition goes to Ming Zhu, Sr. Supervisor, DevNet, for important contributions to this weblog and the initiative’s success. We additionally thank Cisco’s safety, authorized, finance, procurement, tax & customs, and vendor onboarding groups. Their partnership was essential for navigating approvals, compliance, and world operations. Their efforts ensured the platform’s long-term success.
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