How Cisco is moving up the stack with Application Networking Solutions

A couple weeks ago I wrote about the best practices designs in Cisco’s Design Zone for Data Centers and Data Center Assurance Program (DCAP). There is a lot of great information on Data Center design in these sites. Last week, Cisco released the Application Networking Solutions portion of Data Center 3.0. Cisco’s goal with ANS is to provide end-to-end network solutions for specific applications. While Cisco’s front page for ANS focuses on their new products – Cisco ACE Appliance, Cisco WAAS Soft Client, and the Cisco XML Gateway – the real meat is a few links away. Cisco is now providing solutions to application delivery, not just products. Where Cisco’s products may not have the best technology, they make up for with complete, end-to-end solutions. It’s a powerful marketing proposition and good for engineers. While these solutions are tied to the new products, they are also application specific. Cisco is working with large application partners to develop solutions for specific products. So now you have a SRND or CVD Guide for specific applications.

This can be very useful for not only the actual implementation, but selling the solution to management (or customers). This specifically addresses how ANS can help specific applications. All of these solutions are built on Cisco’s DCAP 3.0 Architecture. Networking is moving up the stack and becoming more than just the pipes. Applications are what a business needs to operate, not just a network. However, as Cisco likes to say, the network is the one IT asset that sees everything and is in the best position to affect applications. ANS is a good step to truly providing a direct business benefit by optimizing, securing, and delivering applications.