At Microsoft Management Summit 2013 in Las Vegas this week, Cisco is showing a host of new technology innovations and integrated solutions for the virtualized data center. By bringing Cisco virtual networking and UCS solutions together with Microsoft cloud solutions, we are expanding the market for our technology, while providing more technology options and flexibility for our customers.

Critical to our Microsoft infrastructure strategy is the Nexus 1000V virtual switch for the Hyper-V hypervisor in Windows Server 2012 and integrated with System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM). Cisco’s Microsoft-oriented data center architectures, rooted by UCS and Nexus 1000V are proven to save customers’ OpEx and CapEx.

Nexus 1000V for Hyper-V

Our new version of Nexus 1000V for Hyper-V has been in wide use for the last several weeks since we opened up the public beta to all volunteers. The availability of Nexus 1000V and these go to market initiatives with Microsoft are the culmination of 3 years of joint effort between the companies, including developing the ecosystem for completely integrated solutions. These fully integrated solutions include VSPEX, FlexPod (with EMC and NetApp) that enable channel partners to deliver value to end customers.

The feedback we’ve been getting from the beta users of the new Nexus 1000V has been really positive. If you missed the insights from Microsoft MVP, Damian Flynn, when he presented at one of our online webinars, you can hear him talk about his experiences here.

What we consistently hear from customers is the Cisco Nexus 1000V for Microsoft Hyper-V:

• Offers consistent operational experience across physical, virtual, and mixed hypervisor environments
• Reduces operational complexity through dynamic policy provisioning and mobility aware network policies
• Improves security through integrated virtual services and advanced Cisco NX-OS features

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Tags: EMC, FlexPod, Hyper-V, Microsoft, netapp, Nexus 1000v, SCVMM, UCS, Unified Data Center, Virtual Security Gateway, vPath, vspex, Windows Server 2012

If you missed our webcast on the upcoming Nexus 1000V release for Microsoft Hyper-V, you missed the announcement that we are now making available a beta version to the general public, as of March 6. (Note: Everyone asks, so, no, we haven’t announced the availability date for the GA version yet, but it’s coming soon). This should be great news for the large number of folks that we had to turn away that we couldn’t support in our earlier alpha and high-touch beta releases.

In the webcast, Damian Flynn, a 2012 Microsoft MVP for Data Center and Cloud, and IT Architect for Lionbridge Technologies in Ireland, who was one of the early beta-testers for the Nexus 1000V Hyper-V version, gave an outstanding overview of the Nexus 1000V in a Hyper-V and System Center environment. It’s worth listening to the webcast replay if you have the time. Damian had some really exciting things to say about his experiences. The webcast was admirably co-hosted by our own Appaji Malla, product manager for  Nexus 1000V for Hyper-V.

The new beta version is available to anyone with a valid email address, and who provide their company name and contact address. Beta users must be willing to test the product and provide constructive feedback. Beta users are also encouraged to participate in the discussion forums and contribute to the Nexus 1000V beta community site.

As described in this week’s webcast (download the slides here; or watch the replay here), the beta process starts with an email to: beta-n1kv-hyperv@cisco.com. A link to a beta site will be sent in an email invitation (you must have a userID on Cisco.com to access this site). You will then be prompted to accept the beta agreement, and then get access to the beta code and documentation. Please use the available discussion forums for support, questions and feedback.   Read More »

Tags: Microsoft Hyper-V, Nexus 1000v, Nexus 1000V InterCloud, SCVMM, vsg, Windows Server 2012