Summary: Cisco announced that the company will resell VMware View(TM) 5 software as part of an integrated desktop virtualization solution that is based on Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) to simplify the secure and scalable deployment of virtual desktops across the enterprise.
The Cisco UCS and Citrix XenDesktop solution aims to help desktop and data center IT managers accelerate desktop virtualization, while lowering costs with a simplified, secure and scalable solution. Cisco will provide IT admins with access to kits for Citrix XenDesktop user scenarios that work to speed up deployment times on Cisco’s UCS.
Recognizing the rising tide of the mobile Relevant Products/Services workforce, Cisco announced that the company will resell VMware View(TM) 5 software as part of an integrated desktop virtualization solution that is based on Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) to simplify the secure and scalable deployment of virtual desktops across the enterprise.
Cisco wants to make it easier to deploy Relevant Products/Services high-definition virtual Relevant Products/Services desktops and applications to users across the enterprise Relevant Products/Services as part of a complete virtual workspace. The new solution is one of the core modules of Cisco Virtualization Experience Infrastructure, or VEI, which includes voice and video to offer a flexible, secure, virtual work environment.
The Cisco UCS and Citrix XenDesktop solution aims to help desktop and data Relevant Products/Services center Relevant Products/Services IT managers accelerate desktop virtualization, while lowering costs with a simplified, secure and scalable solution. IT admins will get access to customized kits for Citrix XenDesktop user scenarios that work to speed up deployment times.
Tapping the BYOD Trend
Zeus Kerravala, principal analyst at ZK Research, said the Citrix partnership makes good sense for Cisco, in part, because of the explosion of the Bring Your Own Device trend. BYOD is one of the hottest topics among CIOs — and Cisco needs a solution, Kerravala said.
“One could look at the world Relevant Products/Services and say, ‘If every app was in the cloud Relevant Products/Services maybe you wouldn’t need VEI. But the fact remains that it’s probably a decade or more before that happens,” Kerravala said. “You can use it now and ‘cloudify’ the apps Relevant Products/Services that you can and for the rest of the apps use VEI. VEI is almost a bridge to the cloud.”
A Mobile Workforce
With the Citrix partnership, Cisco has the present — and the near future — in mind. By 2015, IDC predicts 37.2 percent of the total workforce will be mobile. The Americas region, which includes the United States, Canada, and Latin America, will see the number of mobile workers grow from 182.5 million in 2010 to 212.1 million in 2015.
North America has the largest number of mobile workers. But the most significant gains will again be in the emerging economies of the Asia/Pacific region thanks to continued strong economic growth in this region, with 75 percent of the workforce mobile in 2010.
“Despite recent market turmoil, mobility continues to be a critical part of the global workforce and we expect to see healthy growth in the number of mobile workers,” said Stacy Crook, senior research analyst for IDC’s Mobile Enterprise Research program. “Our forecast shows that the worldwide mobile worker population will increase from just over 1 billion in 2010 to more than 1.3 billion by 2015.”
Will Cisco Acquire Citrix?
Cisco is clearly making a strong push, rolling out VEI and VXI endpoints and partnering with Citrix on the HDX side for multimedia quality. Kerravala said the Citrix partnership gives Cisco an end-to-end solution that’s attractive for companies that want a one-stop shop.
“Citrix would make a great acquisition for Cisco because Citrix deals with app infrastructure Relevant Products/Services and it’s becoming closely tied to the network Relevant Products/Services,” Kerravala said. “VEI is almost like having a mainframe except instead of using dedicated terminals that are connected over cables, you are using different endpoints and a combination of wired and wireless Relevant Products/Services networking passing multimedia traffic. So the network has a big role in the performance of VEI. It’s a very natural market for Cisco to play in.”
Key Facts / Highlights: Cisco and VMware Help Accelerate Virtual Desktop Deployments
–The Cisco UCS and VMware View integrated desktop virtualization solution provides customers with:
–Simplified physical and virtual infrastructure and management associated with virtual desktop deployments, providing an excellent user experience, coupled with a foundation optimized for performance and availability.
–A streamlined operational model that enables the deployment of virtual desktops to users in minutes.
–A lower cost per seat realized through greater hosted desktop density, fewer components to purchase and manage, and reduced storage costs.
–Scalability to meet customers’ business needs and regulatory requirements, while reducing risk and total cost of ownership (TCO).
–Consistent security policy implementation and administration through UCS Manager and VMware View integration.
–Consistent access to the desktop environment across locations and devices, with exceptional application responsiveness and graphics performance.
–Cisco VXI builds on Cisco’s network-based architectures from Collaboration to Borderless Networks to the Unified Data Center, combined with services and support to deliver a comprehensive virtual workspace solution that simplifies deployment, reduces overall costs and minimizes implementation risk.
–By the end of the first quarter of 2012, distributors, channel partners and customers will be able to purchase Cisco and VMware integrated virtual desktop solutions directly from Cisco.
–Cisco is also introducing new channel enablement resources, such as playbooks and tool kits, to help channel partners to accelerate their customers’ journey to the cloud.
–Through this agreement, customers can take advantage of Cisco Capital financing offerings when purchasing the integrated Cisco and VMware desktop virtualization solution which can reduce capital expenditures and spread out the cost.
Supporting Quotes:
Phil Sherburne, vice president of Enterprise Systems and Architectures for Cisco
“This solution combines the innovation of Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) with VMware View(TM) to help our customers quickly benefit from the operational savings of desktop virtualization. By Cisco reselling VMware View, we are simplifying and accelerating the purchasing process to meet the demands for Cisco and VMware integrated desktop virtualization solutions.”
Vittorio Viarengo, vice president, End-User Computing, VMware
“We are thrilled to see strong customer adoption of VMware View(TM) with Cisco solutions across businesses of all sizes. VMware View continues to be a simple and very cost effective desktop virtualization solution running on VMware vSphere(R). With View 5, we delivered WAN bandwidth enhancements, advanced 3-D graphics and scalable unified communications. This resell agreement with Cisco and new channel enablement resources can help our partners and customers accelerate their virtualization and cloud journey, and deliver highly secure, centrally managed virtual desktops with advanced multimedia capabilities.”
More resources:
Cisco Desktop Virtualization Solutions: Providing Scalable, Secure, Cost-Effective Access to Server-Hosted Virtual Desktops
More Cisco News: Cisco CTO: Software is becoming a Core Competency for Us
