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See How FlexPod Is
First Validated Data Center Infrastructure for Private Cloud Enabled by System Center 2012
Customers Gain
Fast Speed and Flexibility With Microsoft Private Cloud Fast Track 2.0
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 (NASDAQ: NTAP) 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 CloudSolution 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 PrivateCloud.
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 datacenter 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.
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.
NetApp,
the NetApp logo, Go further, faster, Data ONTAP, FlexClone, FlexPod, and OnCommand are trademarks or registered trademarks
of NetApp, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. 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" or "partnership"
does not imply a legal partnership between NetApp and any other company.
Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other
countries. A listing of Cisco's trademarks can be found at www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.
The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company.
As I was sitting in London’s Heathrow Airport this morning catching up on RSS feeds before boarding my plane
back to the United States, an article headline caught my eye: Why NetApp Must Seek Acquisition.
I can’t
tell you how glad I am to see this article published, because it gives me the opportunity to share something I’ve been
thinking about for a while, even before I joined EMC. I’m sure that everything I have to say about NetApp will be colored
by the fact that I now work for EMC, and—whether I like it or not—all comments about any other storage vendor
or technology are immediately suspect. Recent comments to our VPLEX article proved that point;
it will take time to re-establish objectivity and prove to my readers that I’m not an EMC shill.
But I digress; back to the
article. In the article, the author (“secretcto”) states why he believes that NetApp must seek acquisition in
order to survive. The crux of his article is this:
Now lets take a look at the market cap of each of these players. A company’s market
cap is a good place start in order to identify which of these companies will have money to invest in tomorrow. I am not saying
that ‘cloud’ is the IT of tomorrow, but if it is the direction of tomorrow, then one thing is certain, the folks
in that list that have more of the necessary ‘cloud’ pieces (or the money to invest in building out a portfolio
of integrated cloud components) will be the most successful competitors.
The author states that NetApp has a
few key problems:
NetApp only owns one component (storage) of the multiple components (the others being servers, networking, software,
and security) necessary to continue to be a key competitor moving forward.
NetApp doesn’t own any software that drives customers to its products.
NetApp lacks the bankroll to acquire the technologies necessary
to build out their portfolio in order to compete with more “full-featured” competitors.
NetApp has a history of difficulty integrating their acquisitions. Even if the
bankroll was present, there is no indication that additionsl to their portfolio could be successfully integrated into the
company.
I
would add an additional weakness. Being on the outside—and not only on the outside, but working for a competitor that
NetApp fiercely detests—I lack any inside knowledge of what might be going on at NetApp. I know they have a ton
of very smart, talented folks over there, and those smart folks have engineered the heck out of their WAFL and snapshot technologies.
But the reality is that NetApp is a one-trick pony. Look at their products: every single one is in some way based on the same
underlying technologies. Kudos to them for getting as much mileage about of these technologies as they have; that’s
a huge testament to the skill of their engineering staff.
However, it appears to me (again, lacking any inside knowledge I could be completely wrong)
that they have reached the end of the road. I get the feeling that NetApp has done everything they
possibly could do with WAFL and snapshots, and now that they have no more mileage with this pony and no more ponies in the
stable, where does that leave them?
Again, I’m sure that everyone will take these comments as me bashing NetApp. My intent here is most definitely
not to bash NetApp, but to simply state my observations. I’d love to hear others’ thoughts on the matter; my only
request is that you fully disclose your affiliations. Speak up in the comments and let me know what you think! All courteous
comments are welcome.
