Cisco Delivers New Solutions for Enterprise Data Centers and E-Business Applications

Business Wire, Jan 14, 2003

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 14, 2003

New Content Switching Gear Helps Customers Maximize Data Center and

Application Performance and Availability for Greater Productivity

Cisco Systems, Inc. today introduced two new products, as well as new certified architectures, to its content networking portfolio for data centers. The additions allow customers to build virtual, distributed data centers that more efficiently delivery of mission-critical applications to all users; help protect network availability and performance during times of system stress or site failures -- even as sites and their content increase. The distributed-data-center model can increase employee productivity and improve online service quality.

The two new content switching devices are the Cisco GSS 4480 Global Site Selector, an appliance that balances Web traffic across distributed data centers and the entry-level Cisco CSS 11501 Content Services Switch, which supports the increasing need to bring content switching to small-scale, application server farms that support Internet, intranet and extranet users.

Cisco also unveiled certified reference architectures with BEASystems, Inc. (Nasdaq:BEAS), and Siebel Systems, that can optimize application performance and availability throughout the enterprise. These architectures make deployment of Cisco content switching solutions easier, help ensure optimal use of existing software and system resources, and improve the reliability of complex e-business systems. Cisco has also made enhancements to its appliance-based Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) acceleration hardware to comply with the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) criteria for greater security during Web transactions.

Cisco Extends the Benefits of Content Switching Throughout the Network

As the repository for business applications and information, the data center is critical to everyday business operations and productivity. To protect these operations, enterprises are distributing information and network applications across multiple geographic locations as part of their business-continuance and disaster-recovery strategies. The new Cisco GSS 4480 appliance acts as a centralized command and control device: it works with Cisco's content switches to offload current Domain Name System control functions and direct user requests to the best available resource across the distributed, data center infrastructure. This enables companies to use multiple data center sites to improve performance and scalability, and maximize return on investments across all sites simultaneously.

"Our data centers represent a point of convergence for a myriad of technologies ranging from business applications to security to storage," explained Diana Raghoonanan senior network engineer at Commerzbank. "We understand the need to maximize the flexibility and adaptability of our data center network infrastructure to drive business productivity throughout the enterprise. The Cisco GSS 4480 is a key enabler behind our virtual-data center infrastructure strategy with its support for transparent fail-over within seconds in the event of a data center failure."

Cisco has extended the content switching functions of the Cisco CSS 11500 Series into an entry-level, fixed-configuration content switch for small-scale data center configurations. Operating with WebNS Software, the same control software used on the existing Cisco CSS 11506 and 11503 switches, the new Cisco CSS 11501 provides a cost-effective content switching solution for those enterprises that want intelligent data center traffic management in a small form factor and at a lower price point.

To further improve the performance of applications within the data center, Cisco has completed technical certifications with Siebel Systems, a leading provider of eBusiness applications software, and BEA Systems, the world's leading application infrastructure software. These certifications provide laboratory-tested architectures that customers can follow to maximize infrastructure performance and end-user productivity.

Tested Security for Web-based Applications

For U.S. government customers and those requiring the most robust solutions for SSL termination and acceleration, Cisco's SCA 11000 Series Secure Content Accelerator II appliance, which offloads Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) processing from back-end Web servers, now meets FIPS 140-2 standards and has been submitted for formal certification by the National Institute of Standards and Technology for Federal computer systems. The SCA II is also recognized and documented as a secure element within Cisco's SAFE blueprint for e-commerce environments. Through rigorous lab testing with the Cisco content switches and the Siebel 7.0 application, Cisco now provides customers with a proven blueprint for scaling performance of secured SSL-intensive applications.

Pricing, Projected Availability and Additional Information

The Cisco GSS 4480 appliance is available immediately for $19,995 and the Cisco CSS 11501 Series will be available this month for purchase as an individual unit for $10,995. The Cisco CSS 11501 will also be available for purchase in pairs for a limited time for $19,995.