Are you interested in how enterprises and service providers are making and saving money via cloud? Last week, Cisco hosted a live webcast featuring IT executives from CSC, Sprint, and Educational Testing Service (ETS) who discussed the economic benefits of cloud computing for their businesses and their customers.

This session provided real-world perspectives into the cloud adoption of major enterprises and service providers, as cloud computing continues to transform businesses through improved agility, better economics, enhanced security and a dynamic, assured experience.  The executives discussed the economic benefits derived from cloud business models and shared examples of how cloud computing is changing their industries.

Take a moment to hear how these businesses are revolutionizing their models through cloud adoption.

Tags: cloud_computing, private cloud, Public Cloud, security

As Jason Schroedl  announced, http://blogs.cisco.com/datacenter/announcing-the-new-cisco-intelligent-automation-for-cloud-starter-edition Cisco’s Intelligent Automation Solutions Business Unit, in conjunction with the Unified Computing System has just announced a solution for customers of UCS and vCenter that want a Cloud Automation system that can perform both Physical and Virtual server provisioning.  It is called the starter edition for a reason.  We find that many customers are not sure what they want from their cloud and are looking for a great place to start.   This is not what I call the “starship enterprise” of clouds.  It is the first step that a company will take on their cloud journey.

See my previous blog for some key concepts of success cloud deployments:  http://blogs.cisco.com/datacenter/five-things-that-successful-cloud-deployments-have-in-common/ and on my cloud owner manifesto for successful cloud builders: http://blogs.cisco.com/datacenter/cloud-owner-manifesto-12-habits-of-successful-cloud-builders/ .

Let’s look at typical cloud deployments.

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Tags: automated provisioning, Cisco CloudVerse, Cisco UCS, Cisco UCSM, cloud, data center provisioning, devops, devtest, intelligent automation, orchestration, private cloud, self-service, server provisioning, starter edition

Let’s face it, we live in an on-demand economy. As consumers, we expect instant gratification – whether booking a plane ticket online or downloading an app. And now that need for speed applies to IT infrastructure.

It’s what makes public cloud computing so compelling: users want self-service and IT resources delivered within minutes. But the legacy infrastructure and management systems in most internal IT departments weren’t designed for this new on-demand operating model.

If you’ve ever played Jenga, you know what happens when you remove the wrong block too quickly; it falls apart. That same complexity and fragility slows down most IT teams and their existing infrastructure: they have dozens of systems that don’t necessarily work all that well together. And when users request IT infrastructure resources, the end-to-end cycle time often takes several weeks.

At Cisco, we’re focused on helping our customers transition to a new IT-as-a-Service model with our Unified Data Center solutions while preserving their investment in existing systems. And that’s why I’m excited to announce a new product in our Unified Management software portfolio: Cisco Intelligent Automation for Cloud Starter Edition.

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Tags: CIAC, cisco IAC, Cisco Intelligent Automation for Cloud, Cisco UCS, cloud, Cloud Computing, Cloud Management, IaaS, intelligent automation, orchestration, private cloud, Unified Data Center

A cloud revolution is brewing, and it promises to radically transform the way we compete, collaborate, and consume business services.

Join the live webcast with Sprint, CSC and ETS on the impact of cloud computing on business models and bottom lines.

Wed. April 25, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. PDT – No registration required: www.ustream.tv/ciscotv2

What are the factors motivating businesses to rise up to the cloud opportunity? One key advantage is business agility: Cloud offers the ability to address unpredictable application events weighing on a company’s data center, meeting the challenge from sharp, sudden usage spikes. At the same time, cloud promises more efficient ways to address new products, customers, and selling situations.

In other words, cloud drives top-line growth and improves the bottom line.

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Tags: bottom-line benefits, Cisco, cloud, Computing, economics, Hybrid Cloud, IBSG, private cloud, Public Cloud, tco, top-line benefits

We’re pleased to announce that that Cisco’s and NetApp’s new FlexPod with Microsoft Private Cloud solution is the first design validated by Microsoft for their updated Microsoft Private Cloud Fast Track 2.0 program.

Built on Windows Server 2008 R2, Hyper-V, and System Center 2012 this new FlexPod offer helps customer reduce infrastructure and application deployment times from days to hours while helping them achieve greater utilization of their physical and virtual resource pools.

Various integration points of the solution were demonstrated for the first time this week at Microsoft’s Management Summit 2012 (MMS) in the Cisco booth as well as the NetApp booth.  Here MMS attendees learned about, and saw in real-time action, the extremely tight integration with System Center and Windows Server that both companies have engineered in the solution.

The Cisco UCS Management Packs and NetApp^® OnCommand™ plug-in to System Center 2012 allowing customers to monitor and manage FlexPod and any applications running on top—from a single interface. Customers can then comprehensively manage NetApp storage systems and Cisco UCS from within System Center 2012, and they can automate compute and storage workflows across their cloud infrastructure.

To learn more details on the FlexPod with Microsoft Private Cloud architecture, please visit:  http://www.cisco.com/en/US/solutions/collateral/ns340/ns517/ns224/ns1150/ns1154/ucs_flexpod_ms_netapp.pdf  

Tags: Cisco UCS, FlexPod, Hyper-V, Microsoft, nexus, private cloud, System Center