Cisco and NetApp Expand FlexPod Architecture to Smaller Users

To help customers accelerate their transition to the cloud, Cisco Systems, Inc. and NetApp, Inc. are announcing plans to extend the FlexPod with a series of pre-validated design architectures priced and sized for smaller workloads.  

            Announcement in Context Transitioning
                 from Virtualization to Cloud

This new FlexPod series is built on a flexible, scalable, shared infrastructure that combines computing, networking and storage solutions from Cisco and NetApp. Additionally, to simplify and accelerate implementation of cloud automation capabilities, the two companies have also validated several new management solutions from software management vendors for all FlexPod design architectures.

Entry-Level FlexPod Solution

• Offering price and scale that’s sized for business application workloads with 500 to 1,000 users, the entry-level FlexPod solution allows customers to invest only in the infrastructure they require and allow for simple and rapid scaling to meet demands as their business needs change.
• Customers gain investment protection with the new entry-level FlexPod solution, which scales to larger enterprises by adding incremental capacity as their needs grow for larger application workloads.
• It combines the NetApp entry-level FAS2240 and the Cisco UCS C-Series Cisco Nexus 5000 Switches, Cisco Nexus 2232 Fabric Extender, and Cisco UCS 6200 Series Fabric Interconnects.  
• Similar to other FlexPod pre-validated solutions, it provides flexibility and customer choice, supporting multiple hypervisors and business applications to help accelerate deployment of private clouds.

Since Cisco and NetApp first announced FlexPod in November 2010, it has grown to become a popular converged infrastructure platform. FlexPod is available worldwide through more than 500 FlexPod partners and more than 850 customers use it for their data center infrastructure – representing more than 400% growth in customer adoption in less than a year.
 
Flexible Management Options

• Validated FlexPod management solutions that provide unified, turnkey functionality for automation and orchestration. These solutions have passed testing in Cisco and NetApp labs against a set of functional and design requirements. Solutions available today include products from CA Technologies, Cloupia, Inc., and Gale Technologies.  
• In addition, customers can also maximise their investment in existing management tools by managing their solution via open APIs, Cisco Intelligent Automation for Cloud, VMware vCloud Director or VMware vCenter Server.

 Omer Mushahwar, senior associate at Torti Gallas and Partners, Inc., said: "As a global architecture, planning and urban design firm, our IT infrastructure is a vital foundation in enabling us to create the innovative residential, commercial, and institutional structures our clients rely on us for. When we began looking for a solution to replace a large part of our existing server infrastructure, we sought three things: storage, speed, and virtualization. FlexPod has freed us not only from aging equipment but a 100% physical environment, which has allowed our infrastructure to take a huge leap forward. Our FlexPod solution has helped us to prevent the loss of $45,000 per day during power outages, streamline IT management, improve service levels, position the company for growth, and empowers us to serve our clients and generate revenue without skipping a beat."

Satinder Sethi, VP, data center solutions, Data Center Group, Cisco, said: "As customers balance their need to scale for their future growth with simplified solutions that can be rapidly deployed, Cisco is continuing to work with partners like NetApp to deliver cost-effective pre-tested cloud infrastructure solutions to address these needs. With NetApp, Cisco is working to increase opportunities for partners to provide customers with the scalability, flexibility, and manageability of Cisco UCS with NetApp storage to achieve maximum return on investment."

Chris Cummings, VP, Products and Solutions Marketing, NetApp, said: "Since the initial announcement of FlexPod more than a year ago, the innovative stack approach leveraging best-of-breed technology has achieved strong adoption and proven highly successful in enabling partners and customers to simplify their transition to the cloud. With today’s announcement, Cisco and NetApp have evolved the FlexPod architecture to address growing demand and deliver greater value to an expanded range of customers."

Gary Green, VP, Global Strategic Alliances, VMware, said: "Our continued collaboration with NetApp and Cisco on the FlexPod architecture provides businesses of all sizes with trusted and simplified data center solutions as they accelerate their journey to the cloud. By utilizing the VMware cloud infrastructure on the new entry-level FlexPod solution, organizations are empowered with a greater level of flexibility and efficiency as their business needs evolve."