(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Data management solutions provider NetApp (www.netapp.com) and networking solution provider Cisco (www.cisco.com) announced on Thursday they are teaming up to provide customers with unified, dynamic data center solutions that are based on Cisco’s Unified Computing System and NetApp Unified Storage Architecture.
The two companies are collaborating on the combined solution, and will also work together on customer support and marketing activities.
The Cisco Unified Computing System brings together compute, network, storage access, and virtualization resources in a cohesive new data center architecture, helping to simplify data center virtualization, lower costs, and improve asset utilization.
Through Cisco Validated Design, NetApp will provide flexible storage solutions for the Cisco Unified Computing System that will be tested for interoperability in virtualized data center environments.
Customers will be provided with access to the unified storage model across the entire NetApp product portfolio, application integration technologies such as the NetApp SnapManager product suite, and advanced storage efficiency features.
NetApp’s advanced storage efficiency capabilities will help lower storage requirements and costs, improve utilization in virtualized environments, and simplify administrative tasks.
Cisco and NetApp will also collaborate on joint marketing efforts, such as the multi-city “Virtualized Dynamic Data Center Roadshow” with VMware and other select solution integration partners.
Additionally, NetApp will participate in Cisco’s Data Center of the Future program.
Both of these programs will help to educate customers about NetApp and Cisco data center offerings.
“We are committed to working with NetApp to deliver to customers the foundation for a truly virtualized and unified data center,” says Mario Mazzola, senior vice president of server access and virtualization business unit at Cisco. “With its Unified Storage Architecture, NetApp will complement the Cisco Unified Computing System, helping many of our customers realize all of the benefits of the dynamic data center.”
In March, Cisco revealed its Unified Computing System data center strategy. With an open ecosystem of partners, which includes NetApp, Cisco is striving towards advancing technology, enhancing service delivery, and accelerating the market adoption of Unified Computing.
Cisco and NetApp have collaborated many times in the past and the two share many common customers that have deployed Cisco and NetApp technologies and solutions in their data centers.
NetApp supports and resells the Cisco Nexus 5000 and MDS data center switching products, and in 2008, Cisco and NetApp announced support for the industry’s first native FCoE storage array.
The two companies have also worked together on an Ethernet Unification Center of Excellence at NetApp’s campus in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park, which features Ethernet-based protocols running on a Cisco 10 Gigabit Ethernet backbone.
Cisco and NetApp have posted a few YouTube clips that outline their collaborations. In the first video, NetApp’s Jay Kidd and Cisco’s Paul McNab discuss the NetApp and Cisco relationship and how it contributes to the Cisco Unified Computing System.
The second video shows NetApp’s Rich Clifton and Cisco’s Ed Bugnion discuss joint product activities between the two companies.
Finally, the last video shows NetApp’s Dan Warmenhoven discuss NetApp’s collaboration with Cisco.
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