Cisco accelerates the transition of companies to the Cloud

The Cisco Cloud Connected solution transforms the WAN with new routing and optimization products so users connect to the Cloud with complete confidence.

According to the Cisco Global Cloud Networking 2012 survey, the majority of IT managers consulted consider a Cloud-ready network as the main requirement for migrating business applications to the cloud.

To respond to this need, Cisco This Tuesday, Cisco announced the Cisco Cloud Connected solution, which includes new Cloud-ready WAN (Wide Area Network) routing and optimization platforms, as well as new Cloud Connectors modules, providing an innovative open architecture that allows users to connect to Cloud services intelligently.

Cisco Cloud Connected is made up of three essential elements:

• Cloud Connectors, new software modules integrated into the ISR G2 platform that interact with Cloud services to optimize the performance, security and availability of Cloud applications. Cloud Connector software will enable service providers and channel partners to design third-party Cloud Connectors to offer differentiated services to their customers. Cisco also offers Cloud Connectors for Hosted Collaboration Services (HCS), security as a web service through Cisco ScanSafe, and the CTERA Storage Connector on Cisco UCS-E Series servers for proper voice and application processing.
• Platforms prepared for the Cloud. Cisco expands the Cisco Aggregation Services Router (ASR) family with the Cisco ASR 1002-X router and also announces Cisco AppNav technology, which intelligently integrates physical and virtual Wide Area Application Services (WAAS) devices into a single source of resources managed from a central console.
• Innovative Cloud services. Cisco has announced: Cisco Cloud Services Router (CSR), a virtual router that allows organizations to extend their virtual private networks (VPNs) to the Cloud; Cisco Application Visibility and Control (AVC), a technology integrated into the Cisco Integrated Services Router (ISR) G2 and Cisco ASR platforms that optimizes the distribution of Cloud applications over the network; and Cisco UCS E-Series Server Modules on the Cisco ISR G2 platform.

With more than 500,000 customers worldwide and a 78.6 percent global market share in enterprise routing, Cisco is uniquely positioned to lead WAN transformation with its enterprise routing platforms and new Cisco Cloud Connected solution.

The Cisco Cloud Connected solution is a foundational element of the Cisco Cloud Intelligent Network, an intelligent network that combined with Cisco Unified Data Center and Cisco Cloud Applications and Services facilitates a world of multiple interconnected Clouds. Additionally, Cisco has announced improvements to its existing WAN routing, security and optimization solutions, including both WAN innovations and new features and models in the ASR, ISR G2 and WAAS platforms.

The most notable new products of the Cisco Cloud Connected solution are:

• Cloud Services Router (CSR) 1000v, which provides complete network and security services virtually for deployment in Cloud environments. This allows organizations to extend and control various facets of their enterprise network even in the cloud, while providing cloud service providers with a new revenue generation opportunity through an on-demand and flexible 'network as a service' model.
• Cisco WAAS 5.0 with AppNav, which allows customers to virtualize their WAN optimization resources by integrating them into a single flexible, on-demand source that respects corporate policies, all combined with the best data transfer rate performance. Cisco WAAS 5.0 with AppNav provides highly secure application delivery and cloud connectivity, along with a scalable deployment model that facilitates application acceleration and greater visibility across the enterprise. Cisco AppNav can be installed as a hardware module on existing Cisco Wide Area Virtualization Engine (WAVE) appliances or as a software module on the new Cloud Services Router (CSR) platform.
• Cisco ASR 1002-X router, which enables organizations to increase their WAN performance up to seven times and improve deployment agility through a simple pay-as-you-grow upgrade model, offering performance up to 36 Gbps with services available for WAN, Internet and Managed Services environments. Cisco has also introduced ESP-100G, a processor designed for the ASR 1000 family in Cloud deployments, as well as FlexVPN on ASR 1000, a highly secure solution for cross-site access and remote access via IPSec VPN.

All products are now available, with the exception of CSR 1000v, AppNav on CSR and Cisco UCS E-Series on ISR G2, which will ship in the fourth quarter of the year. The ASR 1002-X router will be available from July 2012.

According to Praveen Akkiraju, senior vice president and general manager of the Cisco Services Routing Technology Group at Cisco, "as organizations embrace the growing adoption of Cloud services, routing platforms and the WAN network have become strategic control elements capable of providing an optimal user experience in the Cloud. The Cisco Cloud Connected solution redefines the WAN architecture with key innovations that leverage network intelligence as a critical link in Cloud deployments by expanding the functionalities of traditional routing platforms and enabling “organizations connect with the Cloud through an optimal user experience.”

For his part, Bjarne Munch, Principal Research Analyst at Gartner, points out that "network infrastructure must adapt quickly to fully support the next enterprise communication systems, which will be highly virtualized, intelligent and application-dependent. To prepare for these changes, the corporate network must be modernized, and companies must plan for the retirement of obsolete technologies" (IT Market Clock for Enterprise Networking Infrastructure, March 2012).