NetApp and Cisco have announced the FlexPod XCS, an automated platform for modern applications, data, and hybrid cloud services. FlexPod is composed of pre-validated storage, networking, server technologies from Cisco and NetApp. The two technology companies have been partners on the FlexPod platform evolution for over 10 years.
FlexPod XCS is a hybrid cloud solution that is natively integrated into AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. The new FlexPod XCS extends the capabilities of Cisco Intersight and NetApp Data Fabric to support cloud-native apps, simplify workload and data management, and improve hybrid cloud operations. Additionally, organizations will have the option to use FlexPod-as-a-Service, a pay-as-you-grow pricing model offering financial and operational flexibility.
FlexPod XCS was designed to simplify hybrid cloud operations by increasing accessibility and scalability, extending the infrastructure from an on-premises and edge standard to the hybrid cloud.
Key Pillars of FlexPod XCS
To help customers accelerate the migration to a hybrid cloud environment, FlexPod XCS focused on delivering four core capabilities.
- Visibility: An enhanced and unified view of Cisco compute and NetApp storage through Cisco Intersight featuring a new FlexPod dashboard within Intersight that provides a single, detailed view of all components and enables more intelligent resource decisions.
- Automation: Improved automation across customers’ infrastructure. Using Cisco Intersight Cloud Orchestrator and NetApp automated scripts and workflows, customers can simplify day-to-day IT operations including configuration, deployment, expansion, and infrastructure consumption/optimization.
- Hybrid Cloud Services: Cisco Intersight and NetApp ONTAP storage and data services deliver a greater level of hybrid cloud operations and cloud-native services support. Extending an organization’s data fabric, customers gain an operational certainty of putting the right apps and data in the right place when needed.
- Flexible consumption: FlexPod-a- a-Service allows customers to lower initial costs and tailor purchasing options based on budget and usage.
According to Cisco’s VP, Cloud & Compute Product Management, Siva Sivakumar:
“Our strategic relationship with NetApp continues to create value for businesses through deep technology integration aimed at solving our customers’ biggest challenges. FlexPod XCS powered by Cisco Intersight delivers key new capabilities for our customers such as automation, visibility, and hybrid cloud operations into a single unified platform for modern apps, data, and hybrid cloud services.”
Mike Arterbury, Vice President, Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure & OEM Solutions at NetApp, added:
“We are proud of our continued innovation with Cisco as we expand FlexPod’s capabilities that solve for organizations’ unique business challenges. Building on our twelve-year partnership with Cisco, FlexPod XCS combines our best-in-class technologies to simplify the delivery of data and applications, enabling enterprises to run new services more efficiently at the edge, core or in the cloud.”
As with all previous FlexPod models, the FlexPod XCS will be available through the ecosystem of channel partners and other solutions providers. FlexPod® XCS is in preview for partners and customers and is expected to be generally available globally in mid-2022.