Cisco unveils cloud connected router

SAN DIEGO, USA: Cisco announced Cloud Connected Solution, a new product solution that delivers cloud-enabled routing and wide area network (WAN) optimization platforms, along with Cloud Connector software and services, enabling users to connect to cloud services.

The Cisco Cloud Connected Solution is comprised of:

Cloud Connectors: new software embedded into the Cisco Integrated Services Router (ISR) G2 platform.

Cloud-enabled platforms: the new Cisco Cloud Services Router (CSR) is a virtual router that enables customers to extend their virtual private networks (VPNs) into the cloud. Cisco is also expanding the Aggregation Services Router (ASR) platform with the Cisco ASR 1002-X router, and introducing the Cisco UCS E-Series Server Modules on the ISR G2, delivering lean branch solutions by hosting multiple third party services on a single branch platform.

Innovative cloud services: new capabilities added to existing routing and WAN optimization platforms to better support cloud computing, including the new Cisco Application Visibility and Control (AVC) technology integrated into the Cisco ISR and ASR platforms to optimize the delivery and troubleshooting of cloud applications on the network; and Cisco UCS E-Series Server Modules on the ISR G2.

New Cisco AppNav technology intelligently clusters Cisco's Wide Area Application Services (WAAS) physical and virtual appliances into a single resource pool managed by a central controller.

Cisco is introducing enhancements to existing routing, security and WAN optimization solutions, as well as new features and models on the ASR, ISR G2 and WAAS appliances.

The following includes additional information on the featured new products in the Cisco Cloud Connection Solution portfolio:

Cloud Services Router (CSR) 1000v: This virtual router enables enterprises to extend and -control various facets of enterprise network to clouds while providing cloud service providers (CSPs) with "network-as-a-service" model.

Cisco WAAS 5.0 with AppNav: Enables customers to virtualize WAN optimization resources by pooling them together into a resource that includes the best latency performance. Cisco WAAS 5.0 with AppNav provides an elastic "scale-as-you-grow" application deployment model.

Cisco AppNav can be installed as a hardware module on existing Cisco Wide Area Virtualization Engine (WAVE) appliances or as software on the new Cloud Services Router (CSR).

Cisco is also introducing the ESP-100G, a forwarding processor for the ASR 1000 Series in cloud edge deployments, in addition to FlexVPN on ASR 1000, for IPsec site-to-site and remote access VPN.

Cisco is also introducing Cloud Connectors for Cisco Hosted Collaboration Services (HCS) survivability, Cisco ScanSafe Web security service and the third-party CTERA Cloud Storage Connector on the Cisco Unified Computing System (Cisco UCS) E-Series.

All products are currently available, with the exception of the CSR 1000v and Cisco UCS E-Series on ISR G2, which are scheduled to begin shipping Q4 2012.

The ASR 1002-X router is scheduled to begin shipping in September 2012.