Cisco, VMware collaborate to offer data center solutions

MUMBAI, INDIA: Cisco and VMware announced that they are collaborating to deliver joint data center solutions designed to improve the scalability and operational control of virtual environments.

The Cisco Nexus 1000V distributed virtual software switch is expected to be an integrated option in VMware Infrastructure. Cisco and VMware will also combine their expertise in networking and virtualization to introduce a new set of multidisciplinary professional services and reseller certification training in support of customers’ data center virtualization strategies.

In parallel, Cisco and VMware are collaborating on integrating VMware Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) solutions with Cisco Application Delivery Networking solutions to improve the performance of virtual desktops delivered across wide-area networks (WANs).

The Cisco Nexus 1000V distributed virtual software switch will simplify the operations of both physical and virtual networking infrastructures to help server, virtualization and networking administration managers accelerate data center virtualization.

The Nexus 1000V will extend Cisco’s security, policy enforcement, automated provisioning and diagnostics features into dynamic VMware environments that will be able to scale to thousands of live virtual machines.

The new Cisco Virtual Network Link (VN-Link) technology on the Nexus 1000V will integrate with VMware’s vNetwork Distributed Switch framework to create a logical network infrastructure that will provide full visibility, control and consistency of the network. 

The solution will help network, virtualization and server teams to gain efficiency in virtual environments and obtain accurate, real-time data for stronger collaboration in troubleshooting.

“We are embracing server virtualization to help us save energy for cooling and to increase the efficiency of our data center space and resources. MIT has a variety of computing needs that require a consistent IT management model throughout our data center,” said Theresa Regan, Director of Operations and Infrastructure Services, MIT. “Integrating the Cisco end-to-end data center networking capabilities into the VMware platform is a way for our customers to enjoy the Cisco networking, security, and storage services they have benefited from in our networking hardware,” said Soni Jiandani, VP—Marketing, Server Access and Virtualization, Cisco.

Cisco and VMware intend to work with alliance partners and customers to provide leadership in the use of virtualization technology for business advantage, and to scale this knowledge through industry-leading education and certification programs.