Cisco and IBM Announce Relationship to Simplify the Data Center and Accelerate Business Transformation

SAN JOSE, Calif. and ARMONK, New York, April 28, 2004 - Cisco Systems, Inc. and IBM today introduced a new solution designed to tightly integrate elements of Cisco's networking technologies and products with IBM's systems and software helping to enable business transformation.

As part of their global, strategic alliance, the two companies have worked to better optimize Cisco's Business Ready Data Center for IBM's on demand operating environment and cooperated on a number of technology initiatives, enabling customers to benefit from an interoperable IT and network infrastructure.

The new solution, Cisco Business Ready Data Center Optimized with IBM for the on demand operating environment, will include a series of new hardware and software products, including additions to IBM's industry-leading BladeCenter system * . Working together, Cisco and IBM can now provide customers a comprehensive networking and systems solution specifically designed for the data center. The new solution can enhance data center server, network and storage deployment which can help improve systems management, cost effectiveness and overall performance. These new hardware, software and services offerings will include:

• The Cisco Systems Intelligent Gigabit Ethernet Switch Module (IGESM) for IBM eServer BladeCenter. Integration of the Cisco Systems IGESM switch extends the Cisco Business Ready Data Center environment into the BladeCenter -- helping to reduce infrastructure complexity and simplifying management. This allows IBM's industry leading BladeCenter to take advantage of Cisco's leadership in intelligent switching technology. The IGESM can provide customers with enhanced security, improved quality-of-service and multicast capability, as well as seamless integration with existing management tools. Cisco and IBM will jointly provide design guidance, practices and recommendations as part of the Business Ready Data Center blueprint.
• Enhanced application performance and response times through intelligent server load balancing. IBM Enterprise Workload Manager and the Cisco Content Switching Module (CSM) will be able to exchange application level load and health information via the new Server Application State Protocol (SASP), enabling better data center performance based upon real-time network, server and application conditions.
• Tivoli Provisioning Manager, a component of the IBM Virtualization Engine, has been enhanced to support automated provisioning across the Cisco intelligent data center network with support for the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Content Switching, Firewall and SSL services modules; the Cisco IGESM; and the Cisco MDS 9000 SAN switch family. This can help lower administrative costs and better optimize resource utilization.
• Tivoli SAN Manager has been enhanced to support integrated management of virtualization services on the Cisco MDS SAN switch platform including Virtual Storage Area Networks (VSANs) and the IBM TotalStorage SAN Volume Controller virtualization software hosted on the Cisco MDS Caching Services Module. This can help reduce cost and complexity, better optimize storage performance/utilization, and ease storage consolidation.
• Extension of the IBM Autonomic Computing Readiness Engagement to include an assessment of the Cisco network. This can help accelerate deployment of the solution.

"Cisco is dedicated to helping its customers protect, optimize and grow their business by increasing the security, reliability and quality of service of their networks," said Pierre-Paul Allard, vice president, Enterprise Marketing, Cisco Systems, Inc. "Our Business Ready Data Center solution, as integrated with IBM's on-demand operating environment, brings the network computing strengths of both companies together for the benefit of our mutual customers."

"This unique combination of IBM and Cisco technologies delivers a comprehensive solution to help customers transform their businesses," said Mark Shearer, vice president, strategy and marketing, IBM Systems and Technology Group. "By maximizing on our respective strengths, we will enable our customers to deploy state-of-the-art technology that can help increase productivity, reduce operating expenses and gain a competitive advantage."

The solution will also be specialized to meet the needs of various industries such as education, financial services and banking with other industries to follow.

"Two years ago, we installed with the assistance of IBM Global Services an end-to-end Cisco network on our campus," said Harry Williams, Director of Technology and Systems, Marist College. "We are currently upgrading our network with key elements of the new IBM - Cisco data center solution that is being announced today and we are anticipating a significant improvement in customer service and a reduction in support costs."

Cisco Business Ready Data Center optimized with IBM for the on demand operating environment includes a full suite of solutions needed by customers to deploy a best-in-class data center.

As part of the solution, Cisco will provide: a high-performance IP network comprised of Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Switches with its portfolio of Intelligent Virtualized Services Modules addressing security and data center requirements; Application Optimization; intelligent open systems and mainframe Storage Networking via the MDS9000 SAN Family and Data Center Security solutions. IBM will provide: the eServer BladeCenter; Tivoli Suite of Management Products; IBM Storage Subsystems and Virtualization Engine software; WebSphere Internet infrastructure software; and the Lotus Application Suite.

In addition, IBM Global Services is launching a suite of service and support offerings customized for this new solution, including readiness assessment, design and integration.

Elements of the Cisco Business Ready Data Center optimized with IBM for the on demand operating environment solution are planned to be available starting in June 2004 from Cisco and IBM. New IBM Global Services offerings will be available starting in June 2004.

Today's announcement builds on the existing Cisco-IBM global strategic alliance which offers customers industry-leading, integrated e-business solutions.