Cisco and NetApp Expand Data Center Infrastructure Solutions

Expanding and extending their family of infrastructure solutions, Cisco Systems, Inc. and NetApp, Inc. introduced ExpressPod a prepackaged and tested solution for growing small and medium-sized organizations; the addition of new storage clustering capabilities to the FlexPod data center platform, and the release of a validated VMware solution for Oracle Real Application Cluster (RAC) on FlexPod.

       
ExpressPod – an infrastructure solution

Cisco and NetApp infrastructure solutions were on display at VMworld Europe at Cisco and NetApp boothes.

ExpressPod:
Infrastructure Solution
for Small and Midsize Organizations
For growing small and medium-sized organizations that are beginning to virtualize their networking, storage, and computing environments, ExpressPod offers prepackaged and tested solution bundles. Integrated and delivered by joint channel partners, ExpressPod integrates Cisco UCS C-Series servers, NetApp FAS2220 or FAS2240 storage, and Cisco Nexus 3048 switches with infrastructure management, into an affordable, easy-to-deploy infrastructure solution. It supports an open ecosystem of management and hypervisor solutions.

FlexPod:
Enhancements to Scalability, Capacity and Performance
Servicing the needs of large enterprise data centers, FlexPod now features support and validation for vSphere on NetApp Data ONTAP 8 operating in cluster mode. Now, organizations can drive growth by adding nodes to their storage cluster creating large storage pools that span storage devices and can scale almost infinitely. The storage pool resources can be dynamically allocated and securely isolated to support multi-tenancy. NetApp storage clustering also enables non disruptive data migration of hundreds of VMs at a time to facilitate load balancing, system maintenance and device upgrades without interrupting the running applications.

Additionally, for companies that are virtualizing Oracle RAC databases with vSphere and vCenter, Cisco and NetApp offer validated design support, including documented deployment best practices. The Oracle RAC on FlexPod solution, validated with VMware, features secure multi-tenancy, application and data mobility, integrated data protection, and automated provisioning. These features provide organizations with a pre-validated, virtualized production solution to manage more databases in less time and space.

In November, FlexPod celebrates its second anniversary. Today more than 1,300 organizations in 35 countries have accelerated their transition to the cloud with FlexPod, and more customers are evaluating the benefits of storage cluster management, including Ignition Creative, a full-service multimedia entertainment marketing company. Founded in 2003, Ignition has created trailers, billboards, posters, television spots, and Internet and print ads for some of the most recognized Hollywood movies, hit TV shows, and blockbuster video games. The company is in the process of implementing FlexPod to consolidate operations onto a single platform.

"Our agency was managing and maintaining three separate data center infrastructures," said Rich Oldfield, CTO, Ignition Creative. "We are working with Cisco and NetApp to converge our infrastructure onto the FlexPod data center platform and massively simplify operations. By deploying FlexPod, we’re confident we’ll be able to scale our infrastructure without limit, and without disruption to our business, as our needs grow."

Enabling an Ecosystem of Channel Partners
Critical to the success of FlexPod and ExpressPod customers are the more than 660 certified FlexPod Partners, including 33 Premium Partners in EMEA and the Americas, who help them deploy their infrastructure. In addition to a range of sales, and marketing resources designed to help partners grow their businesses and accelerate customer success, Cisco and NetApp offer a Plan, Design and Implement Help Desk that allows partners to collaborate on solving real world implementation challenges.

To support partners who are looking to deploy ExpressPod, Cisco and NetApp will offer readiness and enablement packages to help them play a consulting role with midsized customers. Deployment guidance and training, coupled with support, marketing, and demand-generation resources provide the tools to help partners build and extend infrastructure solution practices to IT departments globally. ExpressPod implementation guides will be available to partners beginning in November 2012.

Darren Adams, GM and VP,  Avnet Technology Solutions, Americas, Cisco Solutions Group, said: "This new pre-packaged and tested ExpressPod solution is ideal for Avnet VARs with small- to medium-sized customers whose business could benefit significantly from a low-risk, cost-effective virtualization solution for their networking, storage and computing environments. As the only certified distributor in North America authorized to ship validated, pre-configured and tested FlexPods, our FlexPod Services by Avnet business has consulted, configured, integrated, and shipped more prevalidated and tested FlexPods to date than any other source. By combining the expertise Avnet has put into place the past 18 months with these exciting new offerings, the stage is set for resellers to offer a high-value solution that fills a market gap."

Mark Melvin, CTO, ePlus, Inc., a FlexPod Premium Partner, said: "Our customers are looking to invest in the growth of their organizations, but not at the expense of adding further complexity to their IT environment. FlexPod is enabling these customers to deploy a low-risk, proven solution. As a FlexPod Premium Partner, we’ve developed a close relationship with Cisco and NetApp, accessing resources, training, and enablement packages that help us build a successful business around converged infrastructure deployment."

Bob Olwig, VP of business strategy, World Wide Technology, Inc., said: "ExpressPod provides systems integrators like WWT with a critical solution that our midsized customers want now. It combines best-of-breed computing, networking, storage, and management products into an easy-to-deploy architecture. Additionally, sales, technical, and professional services support from Cisco and NetApp enable us to build a successful business that capitalizes on the migration to the virtualized environments our customers are undertaking."

Brian Allison, director, Business Development, Cisco, said: "Cisco and NetApp are committed to constant innovation to our joint portfolio that helps address the business needs of our mutual customers. Critical to our success is our strong solution offerings that enable our partners to add value and grow their business. We provide architectural test beds and technical resources that help our channel partners design flexible and efficient shared infrastructures that meet a customer’s needs today, yet scale to anticipate and address future growth."

Brendon Howe, VP, Product and Solutions Marketing, NetApp, said: "With the introduction of ExpressPod and feature enhancements in FlexPod, NetApp and Cisco offer end-to-end infrastructure solutions for midsized businesses to large enterprises. These solutions simplify data center infrastructure deployments and accelerate the move from fragmented application silos to shared, virtualized, and cloud environments."

Gary Green, VP, Global Strategic Alliances, VMware, said: "VMware continues to partner with Cisco and NetApp to simplify the deployment of virtualized environments on their new and existing data center infrastructure platforms. VMware is pleased to be the first cloud infrastructure partner to support FlexPod and ExpressPod. As more desktops and applications move to the cloud, we will continue to partner with Cisco and NetApp across the solution stack."

Availability
FlexPod is available now and ExpressPod will be available in November from Certified and Premium Cisco and NetApp partners.