Cisco has introduced Cisco InterCloud, a software platform that will support hybrid clouds by allowing organizations to combine and move workloads – including data and applications – across different public cloud hosting environments or private clouds as needed.
Cisco InterCloud, part of the Cisco One platform, is infrastructural software that would provide secure cloud workload portability, while maintaining associated network and security policies.
“This cloud workload portability will deliver immense benefits to cloud hosting providers and cloud customers, paving the way toward an open and highly secure cloud ecosystem that delivers greater levels of agility, transparency, and speed of deployment,” said Robert Lloyd, Cisco president of development and sales. “It helps organizations shape their own unique cloud journeys.”
By deploying Cisco InterCloud, enterprises and cloud hosting providers would be able to create an interoperable and highly secure hybrid cloud environment across multiple public and private clouds and between premises-based applications and public clouds while maintaining associated network and security policies. On-demand flexibility and workload portability will allow organizations to cost-effectively select their optimal cloud strategy.
AWS and Windows Azure
An extension of Cisco’s commitment to openness, Cisco InterCloud is expected to be able to move workloads to and from participating cloud hosting providers with Cisco Powered services, such as BT, CSC/ServiceMesh, CenturyLink Technology Solutions, and Virtustream. The adoption of Cisco InterCloud by other cloud hosting providers through the InterCloud Provider Enablement Platform would give users even more choice and flexibility. In addition, Cisco InterCloud has been designed to move workloads to and from multiple public clouds, including Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Windows Azure.
Cisco InterCloud is intended to integrate with cloud management solutions such as Cisco IAC, as well as CSC/ServiceMesh’s Agility Platform, Red Hat CloudForms, and other products from Cisco’s ecosystem partners. Other technology partners supporting Cisco InterCloud include EMC, Citrix, Denali Advanced Integration, Microsoft, NetApp, Rackspace, VCE and Zerto.
