Cisco and NetApp Expand Data Center Infrastructure Solutions to Increase Market Coverage

Cisco and NetApp Expand Data Center Infrastructure Solutions to Increase Market Coverage ExpressPod Introduced to Deliver Small and Midsize Organizations IT Efficiency and Simplicity; FlexPod Adds Storage Clustering and Oracle RAC Support to Enable Scalable Operations for Enterprises

SAN JOSE AND SUNNYVALE, Calif., Oct. 10, 2012 - Expanding and extending their family of infrastructure solutions, Cisco and NetApp (NASDAQ: NTAP) today introduced ExpressPod, a prepackaged and tested solution for growing small and medium-sized organizations; the addition of new storage clustering capabilities to the FlexPod data center platform, and the release of a validated VMware solution for Oracle Real Application Cluster (RAC) on FlexPod.

Cisco and NetApp infrastructure solutions are on display this week at VMworld Europe at Cisco booth D200 and NetApp booth D206.

ExpressPod - Infrastructure Solution for Small and Midsize Organizations

For growing small and medium-sized organizations that are beginning to virtualize their networking, storage, and computing environments, ExpressPod offers prepackaged and tested solution bundles. Integrated and delivered by joint channel partners, ExpressPod integrates Cisco UCS C-Series servers, NetApp FAS2220 or FAS2240 storage, and Cisco Nexus 3048 switches with infrastructure management, into an affordable, easy-to-deploy infrastructure solution. ExpressPod supports an open ecosystem of management and hypervisor solutions.

FlexPod - Enhancements to Scalability, Capacity and Performance

Servicing the needs of large enterprise data centers, FlexPod now features support and validation for VMware vSphere on NetApp Data ONTAP 8 operating in Cluster-Mode. Now, organizations can drive growth by adding nodes to their storage cluster creating large storage pools that span storage devices and can scale almost infinitely. The storage pool resources can be dynamically allocated and securely isolated to support multi-tenancy. NetApp storage clustering also enables nondisruptive data migration of hundreds of virtual machines at a time to facilitate load balancing, system maintenance and device upgrades without interrupting the running applications.

Additionally, for companies that are virtualizing Oracle RAC databases with VMware vSphere and vCenter , Cisco and NetApp offer validated design support, including documented deployment best practices. The Oracle RAC on FlexPod solution, validated with VMware, features secure multi-tenancy, application and data mobility, integrated data protection, and automated provisioning. These features provide organizations with a prevalidated, virtualized production solution to manage more databases in less time and space.

In November, FlexPod celebrates its second anniversary. Today more than 1,300 organizations in 35 countries have accelerated their transition to the cloud with FlexPod, and more customers are evaluating the innovative benefits of storage cluster management, including Ignition Creative, a full-service multimedia entertainment marketing company. Founded in 2003, Ignition has created trailers, billboards, posters, television spots, and Internet and print ads for some of the most recognized Hollywood movies, hit TV shows, and blockbuster video games. The company is in the process of implementing FlexPod to consolidate operations onto a single platform.

Our agency was managing and maintaining three separate data center infrastructures, said Rich Oldfield, chief technology officer, Ignition Creative. We are working with Cisco and NetApp to converge our infrastructure onto the FlexPod data center platform and massively simplify operations. By deploying FlexPod, we're confident we'll be able to scale our infrastructure without limit, and without disruption to our business, as our needs grow.

Enabling an Ecosystem of Successful Channel Partners

Critical to the success of FlexPod and ExpressPod customers are the more than 660 certified FlexPod Partners, including 33 Premium Partners in EMEA and the Americas, who help them deploy their infrastructure faster and easier. In addition to a wide range of sales, and marketing resources designed to help partners grow their businesses and accelerate customer success, Cisco and NetApp offer a Plan, Design and Implement Help Desk that allows partners to collaborate with NetApp and Cisco on solving real world implementation challenges.

To support partners who are looking to deploy ExpressPod, Cisco and NetApp will offer readiness and enablement packages to help them play a critical consulting role with midsized customers. Clear deployment guidance and training, coupled with industry-leading support, marketing, and demand-generation resources from Cisco and NetApp, provide the tools to help partners build and extend successful infrastructure solution practices to IT departments globally. ExpressPod implementation guides will be available to partners beginning in November 2012.

Partner Quotes:

Darren Adams, general manager and vice president, Avnet Technology Solutions, Americas, Cisco Solutions Group

This new pre-packaged and tested ExpressPod solution is ideal for Avnet value added resellers with small-to medium-sized customers whose business could benefit significantly from a low-risk, cost-effective virtualization solution for their networking, storage and computing environments. As the only certified distributor in North America authorized to ship validated, pre-configured and tested FlexPods, our FlexPod Services by Avnet business has consulted, configured, integrated, and shipped more prevalidated and tested FlexPods to date than any other source. By combining the expertise Avnet has put into place the past 18 months with these exciting new offerings, the stage is set for resellers to offer a high-value solution that fills a market gap.

Mark Melvin, ch

LINK:	http://www.netapp.com/us/company/news/press-releases/news-rel-20121010...
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