NetApp Inc. : Cisco and NetApp Help Customers Accelerate Transition to Microsoft Private Cloud
02/24/2012| 09:07am US/Eastern
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Avnet Technology Solutions Expands Its FlexPod Services to
Offer Custom Configuration of the Validated Cisco,
Microsoft, and NetApp Solution to Resellers
SAN JOSE AND SUNNYVALE, Calif. - February 23, 2012 - As
data center virtualization becomes more pervasive, IT
functions are increasingly seeking to lower cost of
ownership and improve manageability by unifying silos of
information with shared IT infrastructures and
multi-hypervisor environments. To meet growing customer
demand for choice and flexibility, Cisco and NetApp
(NASDAQ: NTAP) are announcing the availability of a Cisco®
Validated Design (CVD) for the FlexPod™ shared
infrastructure and Microsoft private cloud. The new
FlexPod solution validated with Microsoft private cloud
builds on a reference architecture that
was announced last year and is designed to reduce
infrastructure and application deployment time from days to
hours while helping achieve greater utilization of physical
and virtual resource pools. Part of a series of innovative
joint solutions that Cisco and NetApp are bringing to
market with support from Microsoft, the FlexPod solution is
currently available for demonstration in select Microsoft
Technology Centers (MTCs) around the world, allowing
partners and customers the opportunity to see firsthand the
many benefits of the solution.
To help channel partners further accelerate and simplify
customers' transitions to private clouds, Cisco and NetApp
are working with Avnet Technology Solutions, an operating
group of Avnet, Inc.
(NYSE: AVT), to
expand its FlexPod Services to provide partners in the
United States and Canada with the validated, pretested data center
solution for the cloud.
Key Facts / Highlights:
New FlexPod solution validated with Microsoft private cloud
Validated by Microsoft as part of its Private Cloud Fast
Track program, the new FlexPod validated shared
infrastructure features the Cisco UCS™ server, Cisco
network switches, NetApp® unified storage systems running
on Data ONTAP® software, and the Microsoft Private Cloud
Fast Track architecture with Windows Server 2008 R2 and
System Center.
FlexPod is a pretested architectural design guide that
combines networking, computing, and storage in a shared
infrastructure and supports multiple applications and
workloads to help customers accelerate and simplify their
transition to the cloud. The flexible, scalable shared
infrastructure is pretested to lower deployment risk,
increase data center efficiencies, and create a flexible
information technology (IT) environment to build a
Microsoft private cloud.
The FlexPod solution validated with Microsoft private
cloud goes beyond virtualization to drive real business
value through deep insight into applications and to
simplify the evolution to IT as a Service (ITaaS). The
platform allows customers to orchestrate IT resources so
they can deliver applications as services, rapidly
resolve problems, increase application uptime, and meet
desired Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
The FlexPod solution validated with Microsoft private
cloud is deployed at select MTCs worldwide, allowing
customers to see the power of Microsoft System Center
with Windows Server Hyper-V on the FlexPod shared
infrastructure. Partners and customers have direct
access to FlexPod deployments and can engage with Cisco,
Microsoft, and NetApp technology experts through
briefings, architectural design sessions, and
proof-of-concept engagements.
Avnet Support for the FlexPod solution validated with
Microsoft private cloud
As part of its
FlexPod Services, Avnet will now provide its channel
partners with a single source for delivery of the
Microsoft private cloud built on FlexPod solution. Avnet
will offer multiple configurations to help channel
partners meet different customer requirements, especially
for those working with customers in the high-growth
vertical markets of energy, finance, government,
healthcare, and retail.
Avnet's expanded FlexPod Services are designed to help
channel partners deliver the FlexPod solution validated
with Microsoft private cloud quickly and easily. They
include pre-sales support, consolidated quoting, single
order capability, assembly and testing, ship complete,
and tracking. Additionally, channel partners will be able
to work hand in hand with a dedicated Avnet team to
support all of their FlexPod needs, as well as draw upon
additional support and expertise from Avnet's
dedicated Cisco and NetApp teams.
FlexPod Services from Avnet allow channel partners to
focus their resources on core business strategies while
Avnet handles the complexities of solution development
and supply-chain management.
Cisco and NetApp FlexPod Shared Infrastructure
Since Cisco and NetApp's FlexPod was announced in
November 2010, both channel partners and customers have
embraced the benefits of the solution. To date,
approximately 500 joint channel partners worldwide are
certified to sell FlexPod and more than 600 customers
have deployed FlexPod in their data center
infrastructure, representing more than 400% growth in
customer adoption since May 2011.
To provide greater flexibility and customer choice,
FlexPod currently offers 13 Cisco Validated Designs
supporting multiple hypervisors, business applications
and workloads. Cisco and NetApp will sponsor Microsoft
Management Summit (MMS) 2012, where these and other
private cloud solutions will be demonstrated.
NetApp and Cisco offer programs to support FlexPod to
give channel partners access to a wide range of unique
tools and resources to help partners differentiate their
services, speed time to market, and grow their revenues.
The channel programs include technical trainings and
service benefits, as well as marketing and sales support.
Supportive Quotes:
Brad Anderson, corporate vice president, Management and
Security, Microsoft
"Customers find unique value in Microsoft's private cloud
because of our cross-platform approach-you can build one
private cloud for your heterogeneous workloads and
platforms. The FlexPod solution validated with Microsoft
private cloud implements best practices for effectively
integrating server, storage, and network elements with
Windows Server, Hyper-V, and System Center. By combining
Cisco and NetApp solutions with Windows Server Hyper-V
and System Center, we can give our joint customers an
integrated, agile, and efficient data center
environment."
Carol Kinney, vice president for FlexPod Services, Avnet
Technology Solutions, Americas
"Working collaboratively with Microsoft, Cisco, and
NetApp, Avnet focused on streamlining the development and
delivery of Microsoft private cloud built on FlexPod
solutions for our channel partners. Avnet also created a
suite of services to shorten and simplify the sales
cycle, making it easier for our channel partners to go to
market with this new solution. Avnet's FlexPod
Services and our single-resource capabilities allow us to
ensure that our channel partners, and their customers,
have a consistent and positive experience."
Satinder Sethi, vice president, Server Access
Virtualization Technology Group, Cisco
"The FlexPod validated with Microsoft private cloud
reinforces Cisco's commitment to offering a range of data
center solutions that enable our channel partners to
offer customers more choice and flexibility. Microsoft
customers can now use shared infrastructure and
integrated management to complement Microsoft's deep
application insights, along with the ability to
automatically orchestrate resources from the FlexPod, to
enable customers to deliver applications as services and
meet demanding business service-level agreements."
Phil Brotherton, vice president of the Enterprise
Software Group, NetApp
"The strong market demand for Microsoft private cloud
solutions built on NetApp and Cisco technologies further
reinforces the importance of this strategic three-way
partnership. Together, we are bringing compelling,
innovative solutions to market that enable our joint
partners and customers to build secure private clouds
optimized for efficiency, flexibility, and fast time to
value. NetApp's ongoing and proven integrations with
Cisco UCS and Windows Server, Hyper-V, System Center, and
applications underscore our commitment, and we look
forward to much more to come at the Microsoft Management
Summit in April."
Other Cisco tested and validated designs for key
Microsoft applications, such as Exchange, SharePoint, and
SQL Server--are also available at www.cisco.com/go/microsoft.
Customers and channel partners interested in purchasing
the FlexPod solution validated with Microsoft private
cloud should contact Avnet at 1-855-GO-FLEXPOD
(1-855-463-5397).
About Cisco
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO), is the worldwide leader in networking
that transforms how people connect, communicate and
collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at www.cisco.com. For ongoing
news, please go to newsroom.cisco.com.
About NetApp
NetApp creates innovative storage and data management
solutions that deliver outstanding cost efficiency and
accelerate business breakthroughs. Our commitment to living
our core values and consistently being recognized as a
great place to work around the world are fundamental to our
long-term growth and success, as well as the success of our
pathway partners and customers. Discover our passion for
helping companies around the world go further, faster at www.netapp.com.
Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered
trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and
other countries. NetApp, the NetApp logo, Go further,
faster, Data ONTAP, and FlexPod are trademarks or
registered trademarks of NetApp, Inc. in the United States
and/or other countries. The word "partner" or "partnership"
does not imply a legal partnership relationship between
Cisco and NetApp, or any other company. All other brands or
products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective holders and should be treated as such.
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