Cisco, IBM Team for Integrating Datacenter, Business Technologies

Enterprise Networks & Servers, May 2004

Cisco Systems and IBM are introducing a new solution designed to tightly integrate elements of Cisco's networking technologies and products with IBM's systems and software.

As part of their global, strategic alliance, the two companies have optimized Cisco's Business Ready Data Center for IBM's on demand operating environment and cooperated on a number of technology initiatives.

The new solution, Cisco Business Ready Data Center Optimized with IBM for the on demand operating environment, includes a series of new hardware and software products, including additions to IBM's BladeCenter system.

Working together, Cisco and IBM can now provide customers a comprehensive networking and systems solution specifically designed for the data center. The new solution can enhance data center server, network and storage deployment.

The new hardware, software and services offerings include the following.

* The Cisco Systems Intelligent Gigabit Ethernet Switch Module (IGESM) for IBM eServer BladeCenter. Integration of the Cisco Systems IGESM switch extends the Cisco Business Ready Data Center environment into the BladeCenter, helping to reduce infrastructure complexity and simplifying management.

The IGESM can provide customers with enhanced security, improved quality of service and multicast capability, as well as seamless integration with existing management tools. Cisco and IBM will jointly provide design guidance, practices and recommendations as part of the Business Ready Data Center blueprint.

* Enhanced application performance and response times through intelligent server load balancing. IBM eWorkload Manager and the Cisco Content Switching Module (CSM) now exchange application level load and health information via the new Server Application State Protocol, enabling optimized datacenter performance based upon real-time network, server and application conditions.

* Tivoli Provisioning Manager, a component of the IBM Virtualization Engine, has been enhanced to support automated provisioning for the CSM, Firewall and SSL acceleration services modules in enabled Cisco Catalyst 6500; Cisco IGESM; and Cisco MDS 9000 Family of Multilayer Intelligent directors and fabric switches.

* Enhanced Virtual Storage Area Networking management functionality of the Tivoli SAN Manager for the Cisco MDS 9000 Family with integrated IBM Total-Storage Volume Controller software.

* Extension of the IBM Autonomic Computing Readiness Engagement to include an assessment of the Cisco network. This can help accelerate deployment of the solution.

"Cisco is dedicated to helping its customers protect, optimize and grow their business by increasing the security, reliability and quality of service of their networks," said, Pierre-Paul Allard, vice president, Enterprise Marketing, Cisco Systems. "Our Business Ready Data Center solution, as integrated with IBM's on-demand operating environment, brings the network computing strengths of both companies together for the benefit of our mutual customers."

"This unique combination of IBM and Cisco technologies delivers a comprehensive solution to help customers transform their businesses," said Mark Shearer, vice president, strategy and marketing, IBM Systems and Technology Group. "By maximizing on our respective strengths, we will enable our customers to deploy state-of-the-art technology that can help increase productivity, reduce operating expenses and gain a competitive advantage."

As part of the solution, Cisco will provide a high-performance IP network comprised of Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Switches with its portfolio of Intelligent Virtualized Services Module addressing a security and data center requirements; Application Optimization; intelligent open systems and mainframe Storage Networking via the MDS9000 Family and Data Center Security solutions; Business Continuance Networking and Data Center Security solutions.

IBM will provide the eServer Blade-Center; Tivoli Suite of Management Products; IBM Storage Subsystems and Virtualization Engine software; WebSphere Internet infrastructure software; and the Lotus Application Suite.

In addition, IBM Global Services is launching a suite of service and support offerings customized for this new solution, including readiness assessment, design and integration.