Cisco Nexus 7000 Design Manual page 9

Customer Challenges
As customers transition toward shared infrastructure or cloud computing, they face a number of
questions, such as:
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The FlexPod architecture is designed to help you answer these questions by providing proven guidance
and measurable value. By introducing standardization, FlexPod helps customers mitigate the risk and
uncertainty involved in planning, designing, and implementing a new data center infrastructure. The
result is a more predictive and adaptable architecture capable of meeting and exceeding customers' IT
demands.
FlexPod Program Benefits
Cisco and NetApp have thoroughly validated and verified the FlexPod solution architecture and its many
use cases while creating a portfolio of detailed documentation, information, and references to assist
customers in transforming their data centers to this shared infrastructure model. This portfolio includes,
but is not limited to the following items:
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Cisco and NetApp have also built an experienced support team focused on FlexPod solutions, from
customer account and technical sales representatives to professional services and technical support
engineers. The support alliance provided by NetApp and Cisco provides customers and channel services
partners with direct access to technical experts who collaborate with multiple Vendors and have access
to shared lab resources to resolve potential issues.
FlexPod supports tight integration with virtualized and cloud infrastructures, making it the logical
choice for long-term investment. The following IT initiatives are addressed by the FlexPod solution.
Integrated System
FlexPod is a prevalidated infrastructure that brings together computing, storage, and network to simplify,
accelerate, and minimize the risk associated with data center builds and application rollouts. These
integrated systems provide a standardized approach in the data center supports staff expertise,
application onboarding, and automation, as well as operational efficiencies that are important for
compliance and certification.
How do I start the transition?
What will my return on investment be?
How do I build a future-proof infrastructure?
How do I cost-effectively transition from my current infrastructure?
Will my applications run properly in a shared infrastructure?
How do I manage the infrastructure?
Best practice architectural design
Workload sizing and scaling guidance
Implementation and deployment instructions
Technical specifications (rules for what is, and what is not, a FlexPod configuration)
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Cisco Validated Designs (CVDs) and NetApp Validated Architectures (NVAs) focused on a variety
of use cases
VMware vSphere 5.1 on FlexPod with Nexus 7000 Using FCoE
FlexPod Solution Overview
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