Sunnyvale, Calif. and San Jose,
Calif. -April 16, 2009-NetApp (NASDAQ: NTAP) and Cisco
today announced that 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. Cisco and NetApp are working together to
certify the combined solution, and the companies will also
collaborate on customer support and marketing activities.
The Cisco Unified Computing System unites
compute, network, storage access, and virtualization resources in a
cohesive new data center architecture. This allows customers to
reduce the complexities often associated with data center
virtualization, lower costs, and improve asset utilization. Through
Cisco Validated Design, NetApp will provide
flexible and powerful storage solutions for the Cisco Unified
Computing System that will be tested for interoperability in
virtualized data center environments. Customers benefit from 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. As a result, customers can take advantage of NetApp's
unique advanced storage efficiency capabilities to drive down raw
storage requirements, lower costs, improve utilization in
virtualized environments, and simplify administrative tasks.
Additionally, NetApp's leadership in Ethernet storage technology
complements the Cisco Unified Computing System, which is based on a
10Gb per second Unified Fabric that supports Fibre Channel over
Ethernet (FCoE).
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. NetApp will also participate in Cisco's Data
Center of the Future program. Both of these programs will focus on
educating customers about NetApp and Cisco data center
offerings.
"As more and more customers move to a
virtualized infrastructure, they require the necessary storage,
compute, and network solutions needed to transition to a truly
dynamic data center," said Tom Georgens, president and chief
operating officer for NetApp. "Through our long-standing
collaboration with Cisco, we are enabling customers to tap deep
into the power of their virtualized environment through a unified
and scalable platform for a more efficient and streamlined
experience."
"Customers, especially in today's current
economic environment, are always looking for ways to simplify,
reduce costs, and increase efficiencies in their data centers.
These attributes become increasingly important with the shift
toward the virtualized data center," said Mario Mazzola, senior
vice president, Server Access and Virtualization business unit,
Cisco. "We are committed to working with NetApp to deliver
to customers the foundation for a truly virtualized and unified
data center. 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 announced that NetApp is a
participant in Cisco's open ecosystem of partners for the Unified
Computing System, which is focused on stimulating innovation,
enhancing service delivery, and accelerating the market adoption of
Unified Computing. In addition, Cisco and NetApp have a long
history of collaboration and 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, located at
NetApp's campus in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, which
was announced in February. The center features Ethernet-based
protocols running on a Cisco 10 Gigabit Ethernet backbone.
Learn more about NetApp's collaboration with
Cisco:
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About NetApp
NetApp creates innovative storage and data management solutions
that accelerate business breakthroughs and deliver outstanding cost
efficiency. Discover NetApp's passion for helping companies around
the world go further, faster at www.netapp.com.
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 http://www.cisco.com. For
ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com.
Cisco, the Cisco logo, Cisco Nexus and
Cisco Systems are registered trademarks or trademarks of Cisco
Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and
certain other countries. NetApp, the NetApp logo, Go further,
faster, and SnapManager are trademarks or registered trademarks of
NetApp, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other
trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their
respective owners. All other brands or products are trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective holders and should be
treated as such. The use of the word partner does not imply a
partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. This
document is Cisco Public Information.
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