Aug. 29 — Cisco announced today that they are investing in dedicated engineering teams and collaborating on deeper integrations across the VMware cloud infrastructure and management stacks associated with Cisco's Data Center Networking and Fabric Computing Platforms.

The investment signifies the dawn of a new level of collaboration, which will enable the software defined datacenter through an innovative coupling of virtual and physical infrastructure. Earlier in the year, Cisco announced a plan to release a new set of expansion tools, and have seemingly gone even further in that endeavor.

"Cisco and VMware have delivered incredible value to customers seeking to accelerate the deployment of private and public clouds," stated Executive Vice President of Cisco, Rob Lloyd. "The next-generation datacenter will enable customers to capture the value of VMware cloud hosted infrastructure and management stacks along with the next wave of Cisco innovations in hardware, ASICs, systems and network programmability to deliver unprecedented scalability, security, diagnostics and policy management. As the leader in networking, Cisco looks forward to continuing to lead the industry in partnership with VMware."

Joint engineering from Cisco and VMware, means unprecedented technological integration initiatives, along with a new set of solutions designed to improve computing and network services, workload and workspace mobility, end-to-end visibility, and ease of troubleshooting. To boot, Cisco will also be a reseller for VMware vCloud Suite 5.1, featuring enhanced interoperability with Cisco Nexus 1000V. Customer adoption of the industry-leading converged infrastructure platforms, promised to as strong as the partnership in which Cisco and VMware are strongly committed to, benefiting those who utilize VoIP and businesses as a whole.

Cisco has had a great history of innovative leadership, and is poised to create an even stronger future next to VMware's software-based virtualization and cloud infrastructure. In fact, many groundbreaking products and solutions have come about from the marriage of the two companies. In 2009, Cisco and VMware simplified network management with the Nexus 1000V, in which more than 6,000 customers have licensed the joint solution. In the same year, Cisco's Unified Computing System (UCS) radicially simplified the management of compute, storage access, along with networking and virtualization – reducing CAPEX and OPEX for expanding businesses in the realms of virtual and cloud infrastructures. In the same year, Cisco and VMware released Vblock Infrastructure Platforms, accelerating the migration of enterprise workloads to both private and public clouds.

Most recently, in 2012, Cisco and VMware cooperated to deliver a unified communications and collaborationsolution leveraging VMware cloud infrastructure. Cisco Wide Area Application Services and Unified Communications platforms have enabled customers to migrate to a more open, mobile and immersive workspace environment in the post-PC era. In conjunction with the recent innovations, Cisco will be developing (UCS)-based cloud solutions, which will bundle Cisco virtual networking, virtual services and management with VMware and VM Cloud Suite.

"The software-defined datacenter will deliver the next leap in software-based datacenter automation across server, storage and networking, but it requires equal hardware and systems-based innovation," added Pat Gelsinger, Incoming Chief Executive Officer of VMware. "We are very excited to further our partnership with Cisco, the industry-leading innovator in networking, as we believe it will bring significant value to our joint customers through the integration of the VMware cloud infrastructure platform with Cisco's intelligent network fabric." Combined with various business VoIP solutions, the developments from Cisco and VMware pave the way for unparalleled technological communications & advancements.

About Cisco

Cisco is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at Cisco.com.

About VMware

VMware is the leader in virtualization and cloud infrastructure solutions that enable businesses to thrive in the Cloud Era. Customers rely on VMware to help them transform the way they build, deliver and consume Information Technology resources in a manner that is evolutionary and based on their specific needs. The company is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the world and can be found online at VMware.com.

-----

Source: Cisco