Cisco Cisco Nexus 2224TP GE Fabric Extender Merkblatt
Challenge
Founded in 1999, Cbeyond is an Atlanta-based managed services provider that
focuses exclusively on small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Positioned as a
technology ally for SMBs, the company delivers cloud services and communications
through its enterprise network and data centers to nearly 60,000 customers. The
company has data centers in Norcross, Georgia and Louisville, Kentucky, and is
planning to expand its operations into the western portion of the United States soon.
focuses exclusively on small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Positioned as a
technology ally for SMBs, the company delivers cloud services and communications
through its enterprise network and data centers to nearly 60,000 customers. The
company has data centers in Norcross, Georgia and Louisville, Kentucky, and is
planning to expand its operations into the western portion of the United States soon.
Cbeyond has made significant investments in network and cloud upgrades as the
company experienced increasing customer demand for more competitive voice
and data services in addition to the need for cloud and data center services. In
2010, Cbeyond acquired a cloud services company called MaximumASP, which
helped to strengthen its market position and expand its cloud business. While
the MaximumASP services provided a good entry point into the cloud, Cbeyond
recognized that it needed to invest in a more robust cloud infrastructure. A new,
more comprehensive cloud service platform would encourage the adoption of cloud
services by its SMB customers while creating new revenue opportunities.
company experienced increasing customer demand for more competitive voice
and data services in addition to the need for cloud and data center services. In
2010, Cbeyond acquired a cloud services company called MaximumASP, which
helped to strengthen its market position and expand its cloud business. While
the MaximumASP services provided a good entry point into the cloud, Cbeyond
recognized that it needed to invest in a more robust cloud infrastructure. A new,
more comprehensive cloud service platform would encourage the adoption of cloud
services by its SMB customers while creating new revenue opportunities.
“Other service providers tend to offer SMB customers a commodity-grade or an
exclusively self-service type of offering,” says Chris Ortbals, senior vice president of
product marketing at Cbeyond. “We wanted to offer an end-to-end cloud solution
that would support production applications in the cloud on a platform that was
secure and affordable. We knew we would need to revamp our cloud infrastructure
from the ground up to deliver that kind of solution.”
exclusively self-service type of offering,” says Chris Ortbals, senior vice president of
product marketing at Cbeyond. “We wanted to offer an end-to-end cloud solution
that would support production applications in the cloud on a platform that was
secure and affordable. We knew we would need to revamp our cloud infrastructure
from the ground up to deliver that kind of solution.”
To find the most suitable vendor for the service platform that would become
Cbeyond’s TotalCloud Data Center solution, the company conducted a proof of
concept (POC) with three major cloud vendors, including Cisco. The trial aimed to
identify the ideal vendor that could also deploy, provision, test, and implement the
cloud platform within Cbeyond’s aggressive launch timeframe.
Cbeyond’s TotalCloud Data Center solution, the company conducted a proof of
concept (POC) with three major cloud vendors, including Cisco. The trial aimed to
identify the ideal vendor that could also deploy, provision, test, and implement the
cloud platform within Cbeyond’s aggressive launch timeframe.
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Customer Case Study
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Customer Name:
Cbeyond Inc.
Industry:
IT Services
Location:
Atlanta, Georgia
Number of Employees:
2000
Challenge:
• Solve business needs of SMBs
with enterprise-class, end-to-end
cloud services
• Design, build, and deploy
consolidated cloud infrastructure
using single provider
• Meet aggressive schedule for
glitch-free launch of public and
private cloud services
private cloud services
Solution:
• High- and low-level design,
data center optimization, and
implementation support services for
new cloud infrastructure
• Integrated managed hosting and cloud
services business with Cisco Unified
Computing System
• Consolidated Cbeyond’s cloud
and data center technologies with
Cisco solutions
Cisco solutions
Results:
• Reduced time-to-market by
two months
• Secured new revenue opportunities
earlier than expected
• Reduced per-switch port power by
more than 75 percent