A photo shows Cisco's new modular data center
(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Networking hardware developer Cisco (www.cisco.com) announced on Monday that it has launched the Cisco Containerized Data Center, a modular data center that offers an open architecture for quick deployment and ease of integration into existing infrastructure.
This launch comes nearly a month after Cisco opened its new data center in Allen, Texas. This brick-and-mortar facility will support Cisco’s internal private cloud efforts and will showcase its data center technology.
Modular data centers have become a popular solution in the past couple of years, with designs from companies including Microsoft, Google, HP, i/o Data Centers, IBM, SGI, Sun Microsystems, and Data Center Resources. Most recently, data center operator Digital Realty Trust launched its updated POD Architecture, its modular design approach. The convenience of deployment and energy efficiency of the modular design seem to be the unanimous selling features.
According to the press release, other benefits of the Cisco Containerized Data Center include disaster recovery and support in remote areas. The company says its new solution can take 12 weeks to deploy and can be placed in harsh environments.
Cisco says it has partnered with VMware, EMC and NetApp to provide cloud computing, storage, virtualization and data center capabilities based on the Cisco Unified Computing System.
“Cisco is committed to offering innovative data center solutions for our customers,” Brad Boston, senior vice president, global government solutions group, Cisco said in a statement. “In conjunction with our extensive partner base, Cisco is able to offer the industry’s most comprehensive standards-based data center portfolio. The Containerized Data Center delivers the scalability, agility, efficiency and productivity that our customers require.”
At 40 feet long, each container can house up to 16 racks with up to 25kW of power per rack. A 3D model of the modular data center can be seen here.
The design of Cisco’s CDC offers a closed cooling system that cools inside the rack, and not the entire container. A rack controller adjusts air temperature, fan speeds, water flow and temperature to optimize the load.
CDC has a PUE of less than 1.25, according to the press release. In comparison, other data center solutions range from 1.6 to 3.0.
“Many of our federal government customers find value in moving from fixed facilities to a modular alternative that can be transported, redeployed, and easily modified to suit changing data center needs in the field,” Mark Weber, president of US public sector, NetApp said in a statement. “With NetApp as its storage infrastructure, the Cisco Containerized Data Center is an ideal solution for organizations requiring a flexible, efficient, rapidly deployable modular solution that helps optimize resources, reduce complexity, control IT costs, and most importantly, maintain a high level of service delivery.”
In a YouTube video, Brad Boston talks about the benefits of Cisco’s CDC.
About Nicole Henderson
Nicole Henderson writes full-time for the Web Host Industry Review where she covers daily news and features online, as well as in print. She has a bachelor of journalism from Ryerson University in Toronto, and has been writing for the WHIR since September 2010. You can find her on Twitter @NicoleHenderson.
No related posts.
