Cisco, NetApp Count 150 FlexPod Data Center Customers Since Last November

Cisco Systems Inc. and NetApp Inc. recently said that to date more than 150 customers have deployed data center solutions based on the FlexPod design, a pre-tested architecture combining networking, computing and storage infrastructure.

The founders also said that they have added a design guide for the FlexPod architecture--which is based on Cisco’s Unified Computing (UC) servers, Nexus switches and NetApp’s unified storage, and includes a solution with VMware Inc.—to support SAP AG cloud applications.

Cisco and NetApp said that to date more than 150 customers have deployed the FlexPod design.

In addition, some 120 channel partners now sell and support the FlexPod solution worldwide, officials said. Distributor Avnet Technology Solutions last week said that it has begun offering pre-bundled FlexPod solutions for its resellers in the U.S. and Canada, including products, assembly, testing and technical support.

The new, scalable SAP FlexPod design enables customers to move existing or new SAP applications to a cloud-based environment, supporting virtual and physical configurations, the companies said.

"FlexPod, now available in support of SAP applications, brings the power of the Cisco and NetApp FlexPod solution to our customers, providing them with a proven, flexible IT infrastructure that enables them to build secure private clouds,” said Kevin Ichhpurani, SAP senior vice president, Business Development and Strategic Alliances.

Cisco and NetApp identified Dominion, Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold Inc. and Radiant Communications among the recent FlexPod customers.

"As a global natural resources company, the latest economic downturn provided us with a unique opportunity to focus on business process transformation in preparation for the eventual recovery in our business,” said Bert Odinet, Freeport-McMoRan vice president and chief information officer.

“We turned to SAP, Accenture, and NetApp to help us create a strong and flexible application platform better aligned to our evolving business requirements,” he said. “There were crucial differences in the capabilities of the innovative stack approach they offered with their other partners that couldn't be matched by alternative solutions we evaluated.”

Cisco, NetApp and VMware also said that they have built a Unified Support Lab where engineers can reproduce customer environments, diagnose issues, and rapidly resolve customer cases related to the FlexPod architecture designs.