Five years ago, CiscoandNetApp released FlexPod, combining Cisco UCS integrated infrastructure and NetApp storage, with the goal of increasing IT responsiveness to business demands while reducing cost and risk. We started with solutions focused on virtualized infrastructure and desktop virtualization and experienced great success. We have continued to integrate new technologies and expand the solution portfolio to include cloud solutions, enterprise applications, and analytics from the data center to the edge.

In the last five years, FlexPod has created outstanding momentum with customers and partners. In this short period of time we have:

• Generated shared revenues of 5.6 billion
• Over 6300 customers in 100 plus countries
• Collaborated on more than 100 validated application and infrastructure designs
• Created a strong partner ecosystem with greater than 1100 partners

We would like to thank our technology partners -VMware, Citrix, SAP, Oracle, Microsoft, and Red Hat -for their collaboration and support.

We are very proud of our success but also realize that supporting the business from an IT perspective is getting more complex as users require performance and flexibility but also want a simpler approach to deploying and managing infrastructure that better optimizes costs and existing staff resources.

Together, Cisco and NetApp, with our partners, continue to expand FlexPod capabilities to address evolving business requirements. Cisco and Netapp have released new FlexPod solutions to help application run at their best. FlexPod solutions with Cisco UCS, NetApp All Flash FAS and Cisco ACI deliver incredible new levels of performance.  FlexPod with Cisco ACI for Microsoft and SAP applications offers a simple, policy-based approach to application deployments.

A list of newly released application and Cisco ACI CVDs are below:

• FlexPod with NetApp All Flash FAS and Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI)
• FlexPod with Cisco ACI for Microsoft Exchange
• FlexPod with Cisco ACI for Microsoft SharePoint
• FlexPod for SAP Applications
• FlexPod for SAP Applications with Cisco ACI
• FlexPod for SAP Applications with Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure Using Policy-Based Automation andVnomic
• FlexPod with Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) Director and Cisco ACI

We are also making FlexPod easier than ever to buy, deploy, and own for partners and customers by offering:

• A set of preconfigured and packaged racks designed to accelerate and simplify the quoting and delivery of a FlexPod solution.
• New automated provisioning capabilities to simplify and accelerate deployment of FlexPod down to just minutes.
• Post implementation validation tools will provide partners and customers with steps to help confirm that their FlexPod solution is aligned with design guidelines.

FlexPod has also expanded its cloud solutions with a new validated solution for OpenStack, enabling customers to quickly and reliably deploy Red Hat Enterprise Linux OpenStack cloud solutions on a proven integrated infrastructure.

Congratulations to the Cisco and NetApp teams for their success and the introduction of innovative new capabilities and solutions designed to simplify and modernize IT, deliver outstanding application performance, and offer broad support for any cloud strategy.

Please also read the NetApp blog by Maria Olson, VP of Global Alliances, and check out the infographic celebrating 5 years of FlexPod.