Cisco CloudVerse

In December, 2011 the Cisco company announced complex architecture of CloudVerse – a set of the solutions including in the structure the major elements necessary for the organizations for deployment and connection of public, private and hybrid clouds and also for management of them. Three crucial elements are a part of Cisco CloudVerse: the unified DPC (Unified Data Center), a cloud intelligent network (Cloud Intelligent Network), cloud applicaions and services (Cloud Applications and Services). They provide to customers all advantages of cloud computing at the expense of the increased flexibility, profitability, security and dynamic services with the guaranteed delivery. Being the leader of the industry of network technologies, the Cisco company stimulates development of the traditional industries using the innovation transformations of business. It is enough to remember 2009 when Cisco entered the server market with the unified environment of calculations (Cisco Unified Computing System, Cisco UCS) and the Nexus switches for data processing centers. The market competition brings considerable benefit to customers, accelerating innovative processes, creating new opportunities and helping to solve old problems by new methods. Besides, the competition induces market participants to development of better solutions.

Published the other day by Cisco "The Global Index of Development of Cloud Computing during the Period from 2010 to 2015" company predicts considerable changes in corporate and user information and technology services under the influence of cloud computing. It is expected that by 2014 more than a half of calculations in data processing centers will be executed through a cloud, and by 2015 the world volume of cloud traffic will increase more than by 12 times up to 1.6 zettabyte a year that is equivalent to continuous video transmission of corporate quality to each inhabitant of our planet within four days. In the mentioned document it is emphasized that rapid development of network clouds requires the solutions supporting the coordinated work of networks and data processing centers on safe delivery of cloud applicaions.

Now the majority of cloud computing works separately from each other that does not allow to organize the effective integrated management of them. Integration of three basic cloud components (Cisco Unified Data Center, Cisco Intelligent Network and Cloud Applications and Services) within architecture of CloudVerse provides quality of a corporate class for all services delivered in a cloud between clouds and between a cloud and the end user.

The set of the enterprises, telecom operators and public institutions already announced support of Cisco CloudVerse as a basis of the cloud strategy. Now the architecture of Cisco CloudVerse is used by more than 70 percent of the leading suppliers of cloud services.

New in architecture of Cisco CloudVerse

The Cisco company included in each of three basic elements of CloudVerse a number of new solutions.

The unified data processing center (Unified Data Center) increases profitability of cloud infrastructure using the matrix platform automating implementation of model "as service" (as-a-service) in physical and virtual environment. This platform is easily scaled in process of growth of requirements of business, flexibly throwing resources within DPC and between DPCs using the system of the unified Cisco calculations (Unified Computing System™, Cisco UCS™) and the unified switching matrix (Unified Fabric). Besides, Cisco added new features for the unified management (Unified Management) to this solution:

• Cisco Intelligent Automation for the Cloud (the solution Cisco for intellectual automation of a cloud) is intended for automatic selection of resources of a data processing center and management by them for delivery of cloud services within DPC and between DPCs.
• Cisco Network Services Manager (the manager of network services of Cisco) is developed for automatic creation, installation and modification of physical and virtual resources on demand.

The intelligent network of Cisco (Cloud Intelligent Network) supports the uniform, perfectly protected set of the user services irrespective of location of the user. High quality and security are maintained through a set of the clouds used for delivery of the application or service. From now on Cisco adds to this set of services new features of "intercloud connections" (Cloud-to-Cloud Connect) using the system of network positioning Cisco Network Positioning System on Cisco ASR 1000 and 9000 routers. Since 2012 dynamic resource identification and their optimum allocation between centers data processings and clouds will be supported.

Cloud applicaions and services (Cloud Applications and Services) support a delivery pattern "as service" (as a service) for cloud applicaions of Cisco and other companies. The new features added to the solution Cisco for a joint work hosting are listed below (Cisco Hosted Collaboration Solution, HCS):

• HCS for a private cloud (Private Cloud HCS) gives to the enterprises the chance to build own clouds for joint work using the checked and tested solutions of Cisco with exhaustive feature set of management;
• HCS provides for mobile devices (Mobile HCS) to mobile operators an easy and economic way of support of joint work in a cloud. It extends services which the fixed devices, on mobile phones use. For example, the operator can create virtual connection of thousands of mobile users to uniform official number of the company employer or allow employees to transfer a call from stationary on the mobile phone without communication loss.
• The solution for joint work (Customer Collaboration) increases availability and reduces the cost of services of contact center due to adding to HCS functions of joint work (Cisco Customer Collaboration).

All above-mentioned solutions are available already today (the truth, in limited scope). During 2012 they will become available to the order to everyone.

Cisco maintains architecture of CloudVerse by new services (cloud enablement services) which are making use of rich experience of Cisco in the field of professional and technical services and also the experience accumulated by a wide ecosystem of partners. Cloud enablement services will help the organizations to accelerate successful implementation of clouds and to take all advantage of cloud computing.

"Still cloud computing existed separately from each other that complicated deployment of clouds and management of them, as well as creation of intercloud connections because of what many organizations faced burning issues, - the senior vice president of Cisco company, the executive director for Padmashri Uorrior technologies (Padmasree Warrior) says. - Cisco has unique opportunities for support of the "multicloud world" integrating individual users, human communities and the organizations using cloud services of corporate quality and the Internet of new generation".

Cisco CloudVerse gives to customers essential economic advantages. This architecture gives to the organizations the chance to offer corporate services of ITaaS (IT as service) and dynamic services for small enterprises and individual subscribers. Transition from the traditional virtualized data processing center to a cloud of CloudVerse reduces cumulative (OPEX + CAPEX) the cost of ownership of IT infrastructure to 50 percent and reduces terms of an output of new cloud services to the market from several weeks to several minutes.

Popularity of architecture of CloudVerse

Many leading enterprises, telecom operators and public institutions already use architecture of Cisco CloudVerse as a basis of the cloud strategy. Here what was told about it by Ken Stephens, the senior vice president of ACS company (subsidiary company of Xerox corporation) who is responsible for cloud services: "As well as Cisco belonging to Xerox corporation ACS company considers that cloud computing can provide to business a set of advantages, including optimization of work and implementation of innovative methods of support of customers. As the basis of a cloud is formed by network technologies, our cloud services are based on Cisco technologies. The architecture of Cisco Cloudverse helps to provide to our customers on demand safe and flexible information and technology services. The cloud Cisco portal intended for self-service and automatic control allows customers to unroll quicker new IT services and to reduce IT infrastructure cost".

"We applied all the experience and wide network resources that together with Cisco to implement a new solution for a hosting of service of Fujitsu Cloud Connect which represents the flexible, reliable and attractive complete managed solution, - Andy Stevenson, the chief executive of department of a hosting and network services from Fujitsu company said. - This new service supports joint work of employees using any device more effectively. At the same time a uniform set of the Cisco technologies, best in the class, for joint work provided on demand is used".

"Customers of NWN company want to get access to applications for joint work which differ in simplicity of scaling, the affordable price and the high level of security, - the president, the chief executive officer of NWN corporation Mont Phelps says. - Using Cisco we met all these requirements".

"The Cisco ASR 9000 router helped LinkedIn company to expand quickly access to the DPC of new generation, to meet the growing demand for bandwidth and to provide availability of our services, - one of company executives of LinkedIn marks out Sonu Nayyar. - The relations with Cisco help us to uphold a reputation of the best company in the industry and to cut down infrastructure expenses. These relations became the most important condition of our permanent success".

"The Orange company considers cloud computing from the point of view of the end user, - the senior executive vice president of France Telecom-Orange company, the chief executive officer of Orange Business Services Vivek Badrinath reminded. - For us it is a data processing center and the network infrastructure providing free delivery of subscriber services. Acting as the network operator who developed the largest in the world seamless network and at the same time as the leading supplier of cloud and information and technology services, we offer customers complex and safe cloud experience. During old cooperation with Cisco we created a trusted network and a basis for cloud computing with support of such services as Hosted Collaboration Solution (the solution for a joint work hosting), Vblock and Scansafe. The flexible quadrilateral alliance with Cisco, EMC and VMware companies increases the value of our unique offers, laying a way to easier and wide circulation of cloud computing. We will and cooperate closely further with Cisco to offer the international companies of a cloud of different types for the mixed use".

"For cooperation with leading manufacturers of the modern devices working in quickly changing mobile environment flexible and intellectual information and technology infrastructure is necessary, - the senior vice president, the chief Chief information officer of Qualcomm company of Regulations Feldkhaym (Norm Fjeldheim) considers. - The intelligent Cisco cloud network provided us the high level of flexibility and performance, having allowed to meet successfully harder and harder requirements of the growing international Qualcomm group".

"Our private cloud is created to increase flexibility and efficiency of servers, networks and storage systems in physical and virtual environment, - the architect of infrastructure of Silicon Valley Bank Anthony Ong said. - We needed the solution for management of a cloud with self service features during the receiving and return of resources, approvals of transactions in the environment of Cisco UCS and other system environments existing at us and also a public cloud. For this purpose we selected Cisco technology for data processing centers, including the solution for intellectual automation of a cloud which allowed us to build the platform for cloud services. We are very happy with the received result".

"We closely cooperated with Cisco for the last year in definition range of ways of further development of our cloud strategy, - the vice president of Telecom Italia company for marketing Stefano Nocentini tells. - Our strategy focused on a cloud with network inside and the strategy of Cisco CloudVerse are perfectly combined. Packaging network connections and cloud solutions of different types: private, public, hybrid, - Telecom Italia will and develop further partnership with Cisco successfully to implement the strategy of Nuvola Italiana".

"The solution Cisco CloudVerse integrating the unified data processing center with a cloud intelligent network creates the most powerful basis allowing our company to bring new service to the market - a virtual data processing center, - Carlos Morales who is responsible in Telefónica Digital company for the solutions "machine machine", cloud computing and applications says. - CloudVerse integrates the technologies allowing our company to build and scale clouds and also to manage them and to guarantee to end users safe and high-quality delivery of services. We are sure that partnership with Cisco will allow to make Telefónica company the leading supplier of cloud services".

"Telstra and Cisco companies expanded the relations, having included in them cooperation in the field of cloud computing as this area offers good prospects of growth for both organizations, - Philip Jones who is responsible in Telstra company for data transmission, IP technologies and network applications and services noted. - Our investments and experience of large-scale delivery of network services have not equal in Australia. We use the best intelligent network in this market and the advanced cloud platform of Cisco for delivery of the innovative cloud services meeting the requirements of the Australian companies".

"We move by then when corporate customers aim to receive services in any place at any time and using any device, - the president of Terremark company (subsidiary company of Verizon corporation) Kerry Bailey said. - The architecture of Cisco CloudVerse will help to implement the potential of clouds due to unification of computing resources, storage systems and network systems and also a fast and safe regrouping of these resources on demand for satisfaction of requests of different customers and applications. These opportunities have fundamental value for a cloud. The intelligent Cisco cloud network is specially developed for support of information security, scalability and flexibility at the level necessary for us".

Testing of the solution CloudVerse

In total 25 tests on three primary partitions matching structure of the solution Cisco CloudVerse (Unified Data Center, Cloud Intelligent Network and Cloud Applications and Services) were carried out. For support of this testing the Cisco company selected 17 engineering divisions, 80 engineers and the equipment for the total amount of 75 million dollars, including the UCS servers, the Nexus switches and products from the CRS, ASR, MDS and ASA families.

During tests of the unified DPC automation functions, including capability of transfer of virtual machines using LISP were checked when preserving mechanisms of disaster recovery at the level of virtual machines. Also Cisco CloudVerse security policies directly tied to virtual machines and also reliability of isolation and protection of virtual machines were experienced. EANTC checked capability of components of DPC from Cisco company to be configured in the automatic mode for work with a great number of customers and to support for each of them the necessary quality level of services using a reliable cloud matrix and also to minimize unproductive costs.

According to the results of these tests EANTC noted that Cisco "did a great job on integration of the different server and network elements which are usually found in data processing centers to offer the market the single unified system", and confirmed justification of actions of customers of Cisco, having stated that "Cisco provides them all components necessary for support of cloud services". No wonder that more than 70 percent of the leading suppliers of cloud solutions already use Cisco CloudVerse in the work.