Cisco today made a strong pitch to service providers keen to
provide web or "cloud"-based services with the launch today of
Unified Service Delivery (USD), a raft of tools designed to
eliminate location as a factor in service delivery.
Aimed at telcos and other large application service providers,
the USD combines Cisco's technology for data centre management and
Unified Computing architecture with the capabilities of the
Internet Protocol Next-Generation Networks (IP NGNs).
Together they enable a service provider to deliver data and
video services from the data centre. This allows service providers
to optimise resources, assure quality, cut operational costs and
deliver a better, more expansive and more secure online experience
for their customers, the company said.
Cisco said its research showed a projected 46% compound annual
growth rate in global internet traffic.
Unified Service Delivery incorporates four main elements:
Cisco's
Unified Computing System for data centres, the Nexus switch
with a new configuration of Cisco's flagship router optimised for
data centres, the new CRS-1 carrier routing system and Cisco's IP
NGN products.
The CRS-1, aimed at carrier network operators, consists of two
new 10-gigabit modules and a 40-gigabit forwarding processor. The
CRS software extends virtualisation from the data centre through
the IP NGN core to address peering and interconnect applications
for a service provider's data centres, the company said.
This allows telcos to virtualise traffic and network operations
on a per-service or per-customer basis with a smaller CRS-1
footprint.
The CRS-1 platform is built to run alongside the Nexus 7000 data
centre switch that combines Ethernet and IP traffic and storage
capabilities across a unified network.
This provides seamless management between the network and the
data centre, allowing telcos and other service providers to tune
their operations to improve users' online experience on the
site(s).