Cisco, NetApp, VMware Map Out Unified Data Center Architecture

Isn't this just a sophisticated marketing ploy, something positioned as something new and important but really only another way of packaging goods and services to sell? It could be read that way.

"None of these technologies are brand new; they have all been deployed individually in many environments," Kidd wrote. "And our three companies have been working together on technology integration and customer deployments for some time.

"What is new is the collaboration between Cisco, NetApp and VMware to document the best practice for using these technologies together. ... We have also lined up our respective support organizations to ensure resolution of an issue with a single call to any of the three companies."

The transformation of data centers is largely driven by virtualization and involves many disparate elements, and the three companies share the same vision about how to deploy these new hardware/software/services packages for various vertical markets, Ed Bugnion, vice president and CTO for Cisco's Server Access and Virtualization Business Unit, told eWEEK.

"The key thing to note about this partnership is the intelligent and judicious ways these technologies are combined," Bugnion said.
 
Fair enough. So if any of these products noted below are bought and installed in the same system, Cisco, NetApp and VMware will work together to make sure they all work correctly and will support them as one unit.

The new architecture covers the following hardware/software products:

• Cisco Nexus 7000, 5000 and 1000V Series switches
• Cisco Unified Computing System (in its entirety, including new Cisco network servers)
• NetApp FAS storage with MultiStore
• VMware vSphere and VMware vShield Zones
  

Servicewise, when a customer opens a case with Cisco, NetApp or VMware, that vendor will be considered the lead and will work with the other companies to service the customer issue, Kidd said.

The three companies are also working with their networks of channel partners, systems integrators and service providers to use the Secure Multi-tenancy design architecture. These partners include ePlus, Forsythe, INX, Lockheed Martin, Logicalis, Longview and Presidio.