Cisco Cisco Nexus 2224TP GE Fabric Extender Folheto
Customer Case Study
© 2011 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information.
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Solution
DWR met its goals by engaging Cisco Services to help plan, design, and implement a flexible data center network
architecture. “Cisco Services has expertise in using the network as the platform for collaboration, and we had
confidence they could help us think through the business issues and tactically execute,” says Garza. “We also liked
that Cisco uses open standards, which is important in a multivendor, multiplatform environment.”
As the first step, DWR needed to virtualize its server environment, to reduce server sprawl. Cisco Services
recommended Cisco Nexus switches to provide the needed 10Gbps bandwidth at a low cost per port, and to give the
department the option to adopt Fibre Channel over Ethernet in the future. “After the proof of concept, we concluded
that Cisco data center network solutions and roadmaps are technically sound, sustainable, and would provide the
flexibility and extensibility the department needs,” says Steve Croft, IT enterprise architect chief.
Next, to enable secure, borderless collaboration, Cisco Services assisted DWR in developing a data center security
zone model. To do this, Cisco engineers first interviewed DWR’s IT enterprise architects and application owners to
identify different application attributes, including how they communicated with other applications. The outcome of the
discovery process was 20 distinct application categories that correspond to the department’s current applications as
well as those it might adopt in the future. Then Cisco Services and the DWR Network Team used Cisco Data Center
Business Advantage solutions to set up different logical security zones corresponding to these application categories.
As a result, users inside and outside the department can securely access information and applications based on their
credentials. For example, DWR can now share document management services and geographic information services
(GIS) with other public and private sector organizations.
Cisco Services worked side-by-side with the DWR IT team at every stage of planning, design, and implementation so
that the team was prepared to manage implementation and operations at the conclusion of the engagement. “Cisco
Services complemented our internal IT team, filling in on some of the new technology areas, helping to close
knowledge gaps, and helping to develop our staff in the design, use, and operations of the new network
environment,” says Tony Morshed, business network and telecommunication chief. “We knew where we wanted to
go, and an experienced partner helped us get there.”
Results
DWR’s data center is now certified as Tier 3. The combination of Cisco technology and services enabled DWR to
meet its goals for borderless collaboration, efficiency, and agility.
Lower Total Cost of Ownership
“We now have the best collaboration capabilities in our department’s history, and we’ve simultaneously reduced total
cost of ownership,” Garza says. In combination, the engagement with Cisco Services and the new data center
network architecture decreased total cost of ownership by 30 percent, including:
●
40 percent fewer switches because of the high port density in the Cisco Nexus 7000 Switch
●
42 percent lower cooling costs
●
45 percent lower power consumption
●
20 percent less management overhead
“Enhanced collaboration – government-to-government, government-to-
business, and government-to-citizen – helps our lines of business share
and develop information and solutions related to the mission of the
Department of Water Resources.”
business, and government-to-citizen – helps our lines of business share
and develop information and solutions related to the mission of the
Department of Water Resources.”
– Tim Garza, Chief Information Officer, California Natural Resources Agency and Department of Water Resources