They said we were crazy.
Back in 2009, when we unveiled the Cisco Unified Computing System, industry pundits – namely our competitors in the server market – said we’d overreached in a technology arena we knew little about.
What we introduced was an innovative solution that unified compute, network, storage access, management and virtualization into one integrated platform designed to fundamentally eliminate complexity and increase business agility. We changed the game by engineering a high-performance, highly secure and flexible computing system, not just another server like everyone else.
Today, we are pleased to announce that we now have 60,000 active UCS customers. Starting from almost nothing just eight years ago, we’ve built a business that is now consistently ranked in the top-two in blade server shipments worldwide, nearly doubling the number of customers over the past three years alone.
UCS has become a primary building block in the world’s most advanced data centers, delivering the benefits of a converged infrastructure in ready-to-deploy stacks. Consider these achievements:
- No. 1 converged systems server revenue in 2016 through major partnerships with companies like NetApp, Dell|EMC, IBM and PureStorage (source: IDC’s 4Q2016 WW Quarterly Converged Systems Tracker, March 23, 2017)
- No. 1 platform of choice for SAP HANA among 300 respondents in a N. American IDC survey. (source: IDC, Infrastructure for Business Analytics – SAP, Doc #US42198216, Dec 2016)
- HyperFlex, our hyperconverged solution based on UCS, has attracted nearly 1,500 customers in just over a year. ESG Lab validated that Cisco HyperFlex delivered higher, more consistent performance than other similarly configured HCI solutions. (source: ESG Lab Validation, Cisco HyperFlex: Hyperconverged Infrastructure with Consistent High Performance for Virtual Machines, March 2017).
- Named a leader in both the May 2016 Magic Quadrant for modular services and the October 2016 Magic Quadrant for integrated systems for servers status in the Gartner Magic Quadrants for servers and converged infrastructure, respectively.
To this day, no other technology solution has been able to match the architectural superiority and sustainable differentiation of UCS. We have continuously added innovations to the portfolio and will be introducing our fifth-generation UCS next month.
And in the coming months, Cisco and our world-class data center partner ecosystem, which includes new partners like Docker and Turbonomic, will introduce a series of UCS innovations on multiple levels. At Cisco Live U.S. in Las Vegas, June 25-29, we will demonstrate new system, software, orchestration and management solutions that will allow our customers to foster innovation, reduce risk, and eliminate complexity within their data center environments.
Cisco has never been more committed to our UCS customers’ success. We will continue to innovate and create new value and business opportunities for UCS customers around the world.
While other vendors mimic our message while delivering their same tired technology, we want to thank our customers who’ve placed their confidence in Cisco’s “crazy” vision of a Unified Computing System.
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UCS team success story continues bringing in more innovations.
we will eliminate competition from the minds of customers !!
Being a Cisco TAC engineer, I have never come across a customer more satisfied with other servers than UCS.
Its GUI, ability to withstand heavy traffic makes it stand above other rival servers.
Glad to support UCS customers!
UCS has and WILL continue to have the clout against our competition.
We will “Believe while others are doubting”!
Liz adn team, that’s awesome!!! Let’s get “crazier”. Looking forward to learn more about 5th Gen UCS, while we continue to sell what we have now.
Charles
China Commercial Sales
That’s awesome and let’s focus on solutions-business like Big Data Analytics, SAP, Microsoft and others – solutions are driving the growth of UCS – the CVDs make the difference….!
I can say “I was there at the beginning”as the first Cisco Advanced Services engineer providing support for the UCS API. UCS engineering’s superior API first commitment ensures the ability for complete Automation and Orchestration. Now with a plethora of API tools including UCS PowerTool and UCS Python SDK, and Configuration Management support via Ansible, Puppet, MicroSoft DSC and more UCS continues to be the industry leader in Compute Technology!
Yesterday I met with Deloitte Canada and they reminded me why UCS is their preferred platform for SAP deployments – infrastructure matters!
The value-add that we engineer into our “crazy” systems makes a meaningful difference for both the Deloitte consultants practicing their craft, and for their clients running SAP.
Complex applications require sophisticated infrastructure that simplifies & secures one’s operations. The unique engineering we undertake more than pays for itself on the very first deployment of SAP – let alone in the ongoing operations and management. To paraphrase the famous Lee Iacocca line, “You can buy a cheaper system, but why would you want to?”
It is incredible that other vendors have not come out with anything comparable even after all these years. Many buzzwords continue to try and grab attention….Stateless, API Driven Architecture, Infrastructure as Code, even Composable. All variations of a theme that UCS started with in 2009. Everyone should be comfortable laying out what makes UCS different. It is a compelling story. Congratulations Liz and team.
Great progress from where we started. I have been through this journey from the very start at Cisco AS for UCS, helping customers deploy their solutions.
Proud moments for all, much more to come…