Cisco has unveiled a new architecture that, it says, “extends the data center to everywhere that data lives and everywhere applications are deployed”.
Making the announcement at the Cisco Live conference in Barcelona yesterday, the company declared that the data centre is no longer a fixed place: “It exists wherever data is created, processed and used.”
As part of a quest to bring this “data centre anywhere” vision to life, Cisco introduced a range of innovations across networking, hyperconvergence, security and automation. They include:
- The expansion of ACI into the cloud with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure environments;
- The extension of HyperFlex into branch offices and remote locations to power applications at the edge;
- Enhancements to CloudCenter to help customers manage the lifecycle of applications across multiple cloud environments;
- A rsimpler way for customers to buy and manage the technology across the entire data centre architecture, via a single Enterprise Agreement.
“Enterprises should be able to deploy applications based on the needs of their business, not the limitations of their technology,” said Roland Acra, senior vice president and general manager, Data Center Business Group, Cisco. “Customers want to deploy applications and manage data across a range of diverse platforms, from on-premises to cloud-based. That is why we are taking the ‘center’ out of the data center. Today, Cisco is helping our customers expand their reach into every cloud, every data center, and every branch.”
Said Adrian Comley, general manager, Dynamic Network Services, Global Services, BT, “BT adopted Cisco ACI as the basis for our newly launched SD-Fabric managed service to extend SDN capabilities into the data center. With ACI, we can offer customers full automation, central policy control and built-in security.
“We’re working with Cisco as it extends ACI policy to AWS and Microsoft Azure cloud services. With Cisco we’re enabling customers to rapidly deploy fabric extensions and provision applications anywhere with a repeatable, proven design for operational simplicity and better security.”
Click here to read about three ways in which Cisco says it is delivering on its new data centre vision.
New Data Center Innovation
Cisco says it is delivering on its new data center vision in three ways:
- ACI available in AWS and Azure: Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) is Cisco’s intent-based networking solution for the data centre. It delivers operational simplicity, application agility and protection in the data centre — all delivered in a uniquely open approach that integrates with all hypervisors and container frameworks on which applications are deployed. With ACI Anywhere, that journey extends ACI to any workload, any location, any cloud. Virtual ACI already supports clouds and remote edge locations. And now with the new Cloud ACI capabilities, Cisco extends automation, management, and security to AWS and Microsoft Azure by fully integrating with their Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) environments. Read the blog.
- HyperFlex for Branch: Deploying infrastructure to multiple sites in order to provide distributed computing at a global scale can be a complex task. HyperFlex with Cisco Intersight now allows customers to seamlessly extend computing and storage from their core data centres to the edges of their operations. It does this with flexible scalability and the unmatched ease-of-use of cloud-powered systems management. HyperFlex now delivers data centre-class application performance for digital innovation in branch offices and remote sites, enabling analytics and intelligent services at the enterprise edge. Read the blog.
- CloudCenter Suite: The operational complexity and burgeoning cost of managing applications across multiple public and private clouds is a growing challenge for IT teams. The new CloudCenter Suite now features full application lifecycle management, greater workflow automation, and significantly enhanced cost optimization and governance. Finally, the new suite is also much easier to consume, with simplified deployment, tiered pricing and a new SaaS offering. Read the Blog.
New Data Center Enterprise Agreement
Cisco says it is also making it easier than ever for customers to buy its data centre technology with the new Cisco Enterprise Agreement. Customers can now take advantage of a single standardized three- or five-year licensing agreement across seven suites, including ACI, HyperFlex, Intersight and Tetration. The Cisco EA provides customers with choice in deployment models and portability across physical, virtual or cloud deployments. It lets customers have access to what they need, when and where they need it, available from their preferred channel partner. (Read the blog).