Cisco unveils next-gen switch

 

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By Reuters

Posted on 28 Jan 2008 at 16:27

Cisco has launched a new switching product aimed at large data centres.

Cisco says that the Nexus 7000, which combines ethernet switching and storage capabilities into a single product, is aimed at helping large corporate data centres handle and store increasing amounts of internet traffic more efficiently.

The company claims that improvement in airflow and design in the Nexus 7000 could help reduce energy consumption by around 8%, should organisations undertake a data centre wide upgrade from conventional switching products. It's also claiming potential speeds of around 15Tb/sec.

"IT's challenge is to maximise the workload within a given power budget," says Doug Gourlay, a senior director for Cisco's data center business unit.

While Gourlay declined to give sales forecasts for the product, available from the second quarter of 2008, he predicts strong demand despite worries of a slowdown in US technology spending.

"If a budget is trimmed or curtailed, the data centre is the last place that gets cut because it's the area that's most critical to keep a business running," he argues.