HP and Cisco Enhance HP BladeSystem

HP (www.hp.com) and Cisco Systems, Inc. (www.cisco.com) announced that they will integrate Cisco's industry-leading network switch technology into the HP BladeSystem architecture, enabling customers to optimize network and blade system performance, reliability and ease of ownership.

"By incorporating Cisco advanced switching technology into our blade offerings, HP continues to offer the industry-leading standards-based solution our blade customers demand, simplifying network and management integration while reducing complexity and cost," said Rick Becker, vice president and general manager, BladeSystem Organization, HP.

The enhanced HP BladeSystem with the new Cisco Gigabit Ethernet Switch Module can reduce overall costs by increasing efficiencies across customers' data center infrastructures.

With the integrated Cisco Gigabit Ethernet Switch Module, and alignment with the Cisco Business Ready Data Center network architecture, the HP BladeSystem delivers increased value through consistent network services including high availability, security, quality of service and manageability.

Expected to be available in February, only through HP and its reseller channels, the Cisco Gigabit Ethernet Switch Module integrated with the HP BladeSystem enclosure enables customers to extend the Cisco network from the server through the data center infrastructure to gain the benefits of advanced network services and features.

"Cisco is pleased to extend our long-standing strategic alliance with HP through this latest innovation," said Pierre-Paul Allard, vice president of enterprise marketing, Cisco.

The new Cisco switch for the HP BladeSystem will provide a wire-once, virtualized solution that can dynamically scale and re-provision resources without re-wiring individual components. The switch fits seamlessly into a customer's current Cisco network infrastructure without incurring additional operating expenses or the need to learn a new network operating system.

The integrated HP BladeSystem approach based on industry-standards delivers lower infrastructure costs - often 16 percent less expensive upfront than the company's traditional rack-mount infrastructures with automated control, and lower annual support costs.

"One of the hurdles facing large-scale growth in the blade market is the lack of standards around blade design," said Kelly Quinn, senior research analyst, IDC Research. "HP and Cisco's joint efforts to incorporate network switch standards into blade design should help lay the groundwork for further standardization, which, in turn, will help promote market adoption."