Las Vegas - Microsoft Management
Summit 2012 - April 19, 2012 - For customers who are
looking to benefit from the latest version of System Center 2012
and the technologies that enable Microsoft's private cloud, Cisco
and NetApp today announced that the FlexPod™ shared
infrastructure is the first data center solution to be validated by
Microsoft for the updated Microsoft Private Cloud Fast Track 2.0.
Through the Microsoft Private Cloud Fast Track 2.0 program, Cisco
and NetApp have collaborated with Microsoft to help customers
reduce infrastructure and application deployment time from days to
hours while helping them achieve greater utilization of their
physical and virtual resource pools.
Additionally, for desktop virtualization
deployments, Cisco and NetApp released a new validated design
architecture running Microsoft private cloud with Citrix
XenDesktop® software on the FlexPod shared infrastructure. By
delivering desktops, applications, and data as a cloudlike service
with XenDesktop, enterprises are able to quickly support existing
and new applications, migrate to new operating systems, and deliver
corporate resources to billions of new devices coming into the
workplace.
Key Facts and
Highlights:
FlexPod with Microsoft Private Cloud
Solution Supports New System Center 2012
- FlexPod with Microsoft Private Cloud builds on Windows
Server 2008 R2 and System Center 2012 and is the first design
validated by Microsoft for the updated Microsoft Private Cloud Fast
Track 2.0 program.
- The Cisco UCS™ Management Packs and NetApp®
OnCommand™ plug-in for Microsoft allow customers to monitor
and manage FlexPod and any applications running on top-from a
single interface. Customers can comprehensively manage NetApp
storage systems and Cisco UCS from within System Center 2012, and
they can automate compute and storage workflows across their cloud
infrastructure.
- Cisco offers comprehensive infrastructure management under the
control of Windows PowerShell by providing a user-friendly
command-line-interface-based UCS management tool, called Cisco UCS
PowerTool. Operations teams can use the UCS PowerTool to more
easily tie together the management of storage components, compute
components, and software applications into a custom, end-to-end
management solution that is easy to use and easy to script.
- The validated design combines the recently announced Microsoft
System Center 2012 with NetApp FlexClone® technology and
Windows PowerShell automation to provision desktop virtual machines
at scale as much as 25 times faster than VDI designs built with
traditional storage solutions. The validated design also takes
advantage of NetApp Flash Cache to support simultaneous booting of
desktop virtual machines at a scale unmatched by traditional
storage technologies-up to 2,000 in less than 25 minutes.
- Additionally, for desktop virtualization deployments, Citrix
XenDesktop on Windows Server Hyper-V is the first workload
validated by Cisco and NetApp to run on top of FlexPod with
Microsoft Private Cloud. This combined solution helps
customers embrace mobile work styles for their employees, allowing
anywhere, anytime access to Windows desktops, applications, and
associated data.
About FlexPod:
- The FlexPod solution features the Cisco UCS compute platform,
Cisco® network switches, and NetApp unified storage systems
running on Data ONTAP® software.
- FlexPod is a pretested architectural design that combines
networking, computing, and storage in a shared infrastructure,
which helps organizations increase speed of deployment, reduce
risk, and lower the cost of ownership.
- FlexPod supports multiple applications and workloads to help
customers and partners 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 shared infrastructure.
- Cisco and NetApp collaborate with partners to enhance their
success in accelerating FlexPod business by providing extensive
training to help them grow their business, increase profits, and
help their customers succeed.
Supporting Quotes:
- Satinder Sethi, vice president, Data Center Group at
Cisco
"We are pleased to be the first private cloud to take advantage of
the new private cloud capabilities of System Center 2012. This
comprehensive management integration on the FlexPod shared
infrastructure helps our customers more easily deploy and manage
private cloud infrastructure, resulting in lower operational costs
and higher ROI."
- John Fanelli, vice president of product marketing,
Enterprise Desktops and Applications at Citrix
"As organizations of all sizes are moving from the PC era to the
cloud era, they are looking for solutions that will enable them to
more rapidly and easily make this transition. The new Microsoft
private cloud validation for FlexPod combined with Citrix
XenDesktop helps these customers to build a private cloud desktop
infrastructure with greater manageability and scalability. By
delivering cloudlike desktops to employees, companies can enable
new mobile work styles by delivering centrally managed, secure
enterprise desktops, applications, and data anywhere and on any
device."
- Brad Anderson, vice president , Management and Security
at Microsoft
"Working together, Microsoft, Cisco, NetApp, and Citrix developed
the FlexPod with Microsoft Private Cloud solution, which
is built on Microsoft's proven virtualization platform and extended
by the Cisco UCS infrastructure, NetApp technology, and Citrix VDI
capabilities. The foundational Microsoft technology includes System
Center 2012, Windows Server, and Windows Server Hyper-V. We are
pleased to be able to give our mutual customers an integrated,
agile, and efficient data center environment based on the
FlexPod with Microsoft Private Cloud architecture."
- Phil Brotherton, vice president and general manager,
Microsoft Business Unit at NetApp
"As virtualization gains greater adoption, customers are
increasingly turning to multi-hypervisor environments to gain
greater efficiencies and keep pace with the demands of their
business. We've seen strong interest in the FlexPod with
Microsoft Private Cloud solution among attendees at the recent
Microsoft Management Summit. Working together, Cisco, Citrix,
NetApp, and Microsoft continue to innovate and bring differentiated
solutions that offer outstanding efficiency and flexibility to
customers as they implement Microsoft private cloud
solutions."
Additional Resources
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.
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