Storage memory specialist Fusion-io announced a partnership with networking giant Cisco to architect ioMemory into Ciscos Unified Computing System Server to amplify in-server performance in the UCS B-series blade server series. With ioMemory, the memory tier is designed to accelerate applications, allowing storage performance to be decoupled from the systems overall capacity. Fusion ioMemory products for Cisco UCS B-series blade servers will initially be based on the companys ioMemory2 platform and are expected to ship later this year.
The next wave of enterprise IT will be driven by productivity. In addition to demanding lower IT costs, customers also require elevated performance and flexibility. Cisco UCS is meeting these customer requirements through an innovative approach to computing systems, Paul Perez, chief technology officer of Ciscos data center group, said in a prepared statement. We are developing the next generation of fabric computing and customers recognize Fusion-io as a market leader in flash technology for the enterprise. With its strong track record of reliability and unique cut-through architecture, Fusion ioMemory will amplify the power of Cisco UCS blade servers to provide scalable application acceleration for Cisco customers.
Based on Intel Xeon 5600 series and the Intel Xeon processor E7 and E5 product families, Ciscos UCS servers work with virtualized and non-virtualized applications to increase performance, energy efficiency and flexibility, all growing necessities as organizations deal with a growing mountain of data.
Enterprises trust Cisco to provide extremely reliable, innovative solutions that meet their current computing needs while anticipating future growth, David Flynn, Fusion-io CEO and chairman, said in a company release. Ciscos outstanding engineering team will not accept any performance compromises for its blade server customers. Whether information technology professionals need to support enterprise applications or virtualization, were proud to help Cisco deliver on customer expectations of nothing but exceptional technology.
Fusions Virtual Storage Layer (VSL) software combines with ioDrive2, ioDrive2 Duo, and ioDrive Octal hardware to create the ioMemory2 platform. The NAND-flash based storage platform extends the memory tier to reduce latency. The company already counts industry heavyweights like IBM, HP and Dell among its original equipment manufacturing (OEM) partners. Fusion-io and HP partnered to create the HP IO Accelerator for their BladeSystem c-Class product line, while IBM and Fusion-io teamed up on IBMs xSeries servers.
