Cisco Introduces Software for Cloud-Scale Networking

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Cisco today introduced software and developer tools for cloud-scale networking that enable service providers and web companies to deliver cloud applications with greater agility, automation and simplicity, while reducing the cost of operating the networks that support them. Innovations to the Cisco IOS XR network operating system will deliver these benefits by enabling traditional and web service providers to converge their data centers and wide area network (WAN) architectures, by making networks more programmable, and by facilitating tighter integration with popular IT configuration and management tools.

Developed in collaboration with some of the world’s leading web companies, and based on their operational best practices, the new Cisco IOS XR innovations will enable faster and simpler cloud-scale networking for all service providers. Cisco is also announcing the availability of three additions to the industry-leading Cisco Network Convergence System (NCS) Series routing portfolio.

Digital Transformation Drives Opportunity for Service Providers
Digital business transformation – the rapid and escalating value derived from the interconnectivity of people, processes, data and things – is placing unprecedented new demands on service provider networks, causing network operators to seek an alternate approach to their architectures that gives them more agility to innovate and compete. According to the Cisco Global Cloud Index (2014-2019), released last month, total global data center traffic is projected to triple by the end of 2019 (from 3.4 to 10.4 zettabytes), and 83 percent of total data center traffic will come from the cloud by 2019 (up from 61 percent in 2014). The proliferation of more business devices and machine-to-machine (M2M) connections, as well as more scalable services and applications with additional storage needs, will create new network and compute requirements, specifically a convergence of the data center and WAN.

Introducing New IOS XR Capabilities for Service Providers
Cisco is introducing powerful new capabilities to the Cisco IOS XR software, enabling service providers to run their networks at half the total cost of ownership (over five years) compared to the present mode of operation, and these solutions will essentially double network efficiency and performance. Additionally, customers can leverage their investments in IOS XR and seamlessly transition to cloud-scale networking with their current or new hardware platforms.

Cisco IOS XR, deployed across over 50,000 live network routers, now includes the following new capabilities: • Software Modularity and Extensibility to Enable Agility and Innovation

• Large-scale Automation for Greater Operational Efficiency

• Fine-grained Visibility and Control for Simplification and Enhanced End-user Experiences

Cisco NCS Series additions include:
• Cisco NCS 5000 Series, delivering up to 40-80 10GE ports and 4 100GE ports
• Cisco NCS 5500 Series, providing up to 288 routed 100GE ports for WAN aggregation
• Cisco NCS 1000 Series, supporting 100/200/250Gb wavelengths over distances exceeding 3000 km with existing fiber

Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO)