Cisco Announces Global Cisco Powered Cloud Ecosystem,Intercloud

Cisco has announced the creation of a global cloud platform,brand InterCloud.Also named some of its original members,which include a variety of players in cloud computing Telstra ,Canopy,Ingram Micro , Logicalis Group,MicroStrategy,Onx Managed Services,SunGard Availability Services and Wipro .Although not a large group,which includes a mixture of telephone companies,providers of managed IT services , dealers,resellers and service.As expected,they all have relationships with Cisco and cloud services in the developed independently before this announcement longstanding.

Cloud services will become part of Cisco Powered program,Cisco plans to sell through distribution partners and customers of the company.These cloud services are more complex than that Cisco sells today.This is not the first attempt by Cisco to offer cloud services globally or creating an ecosystem of cloud,but it is one of the first to reach a large investment ($ 1 billion over two years) and assemble a variety of cloud infrastructure players.

The intention is to provide an OpenStack cloud enabled platform for all partners used to provide private ,public and hybrid cloud solutions. Ovum provides more information on the availability of the overall solution ,the addition of several partners,and how to balance the challenges Cisco channel to market with the opening  elements of this platform.Cisco has certainly made a big bet on the global movement to be an actor in the network infrastructure and IT infrastructure Cloud Player now.It is an aggressive and ambitious agenda,and it depends on the ability of Cisco partners to sell and manage highly complex IT services.It will be a long journey-and a section of many partners.

Cisco’s offer will test its partnerships

Many integrators and global telecommunications systems have already established global platforms in the cloud with different sets of InterCloud partners.Cisco to have an alternative approach to the program,but may conflict with players around the world who use Cisco products,with a different combination of hardware ,software,services and partner ecosystem Cloud.This ensures some of the strongest associations with global players Cisco,and can create pressure to use alternatives. 

Global availability will take some time

 InterCloud announcement underlines its availability and use of data centers and facilities for global partners ,but the initial partners provide coverage and infrastructure,and not the overall availability of the region.Cisco partners will expand the program to rapidly increase the number of locations for data centers,and/or invest in their own infrastructure to provide global availability.WebEx has become a global service,but it took a while to create the necessary global infrastructure.There is no doubt that Cisco can InterCloud available worldwide ,but the question is how long it will take especially because their competitors also create cloud computing ecosystem programs.Cisco will have to act quickly to set the global scope of the program and provide the necessary support.

More partners will be needed to create scale and complete the offer

The list of initial partners InterCloud includes a wide range of types of partners,but it will not be sufficient to achieve the objective of a scalable global offering.Cisco will improve and expand the list of partners to ensure complete coverage of the program,adding the main regions and countries and a comprehensive portfolio of services;should approach data center operators already investing in the cloud infrastructure.Cisco will also recruit new partners to create a comprehensive portfolio of services to public and private hybrid cloud services.Some improvements in the program will need professional services and pre-sales support to create an attractive offer.Provide a global cloud platform and suite of cloud computing services will be much more difficult and competitive than entry into the Cisco UCS servers

The cloud openness requirement might test the Cisco Powered program definition

The Cisco Powered program was a key element in the provision of services and channels of Cisco network-centric and Ovum believes has become a part of the added value of an important supplier.However Cisco network infrastructure,the transition to the computer and more cloud services and related support this program will be to test OpenStack Cisco promotes its platform (the requirements of the certification Cisco Powered).current cloud providers and potential partners will test the translation of the opening of Cisco and compare the requirement for certified Cisco Powered.Cisco can be creative in your InterCloud platform to reach the opening that customers require.