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2CEO John Chambers Introduces ACI
3Making the Case for Hardware
SDN may make it easier for organizations to build networks from relatively inexpensive commodity hardware, but Soni Jiandani, senior vice president of marketing at Cisco, said truly flexible, automated, secure, simple and easily manageable networks need proven hardware. “This is not going to be possible if you’re only focusing on software,” Jiandani said. “If you could do it only in software, we would have it a long time ago.”
4That Hardware Includes the Nexus 9000 Switches
Cisco’s new Nexus 9000 switches come with a range of features that will enable businesses to unify their physical and virtual infrastructures. At the same time, officials also talked about a new version of the NX-OS operating system optimized for ACI and the APIC, for central control not only of the network but of the entire data center infrastructure.
5Introducing the Nexus 9508 Switch
6Addressing the Growing Demand for 40GbE
7Cisco’s BiDi 40GbE Optics
Cisco is easing the transition to 40GbE with its 40GbE bidirectional technology that enables businesses to reuse 10G fiber for 40G connections. The technology is appearing first in the Nexus 9000 switches, but will be included in other systems in the future. Using Cisco’s 40G optics technology means 75 percent less fiber needed and 50 percent savings on 40G fiber optics, along with other savings.
8A Big and Growing Slate of Partners
There was no lack of big-name tech vendors at the Cisco event ready to endorse ACI. From Microsoft and F5 Networks to EMC, NetApp and IBM, officials praised Cisco’s vision and its possibilities for the future.