Today, organizations have many choices in how they architect their data centers and network. Innovative companies are increasingly taking a bimodal approach to IT. A bimodal approach combines Mode 1-Traditional IT focused on "doing IT right" and optimizing price-for-performance with Mode 2-Agile IT that supports "doing IT fast" for rapid prototyping, iterative development, and rapid delivery of services.

For many organizations, an on-premises private cloud is the ideal way to extend their Mode 1 data center with Mode 2 capabilities. A private cloud offers more than just security and data sovereignty. Services can be delivered in minutes rather than weeks or months. Dramatically increased hardware utilization is possible as well, enabling organizations to defer or even eliminate the need for near-term hardware purchases.

Many organizations are using OpenStack for their Mode 2 environment. OpenStack is an open source platform that gives IT centralized control of large pools of compute, storage, and networking resources. It offers the same flexibility and API-centric control as a public cloud in an on-premises environment.

OpenStack is available for download at no charge. However, it's important to realize that free software does not equate to a free cloud. Keeping current with OpenStack requires one or more full-time internal personnel dedicated to its continuing development. In addition, each new feature and functionality upgrade needs to be evaluated to make sure it meets your needs and, when it doesn't, your team will need to create custom code. Time-to-market is also a consideration as deploying your own OpenStack implementation can take two to four quarters.

Rather than manage your own OpenStack environment, Cisco offers Metapod, a remotely engineered and operated private cloud solution built for developers. Metapod radically simplifies the process of getting started by providing a bundle that includes the controller portion of your cloud and the SaaS-delivered operations service subscription. The bundle includes a fully validated combination of Cisco Nexus 9000 switches, ASR routers, and Unified Computing System (UCS) technologies so you have a simpler installation and more consistent user experience.

Cisco Metapod brings the flexibility of the public cloud into a private deployment along with choice, so you can build the private cloud that best suits your organization:

Choice of Access:For ease of use, Cisco Metapod includes full self-service access to resources available through a web
portal, OpenStack APIs, the command line, or integrated out of the box into your DevOps and development platforms.

Choice of Developers:As you move your operations into a cloud-native world, Metapod, based on OpenStack, gives you access to an extensive community of developers and tools.

Choice of Managed Service:Metapod delivers the engineering and ongoing operations required to host a public cloud experience behind your organization's firewalls. We take on the burden of engineering and operating your private cloud environment, so you can focus on the testing, deployment, and scaling of your applications. We remotely monitor your environment, troubleshoot hardware issues, deploy updates, and implement feature enhancements so you receive outstanding levels of service. In a cost analysis, Cisco Metapod can be more than 65% less expensive compared to a custom deployment.

Choice of Visibility:Cisco has extensive experience with managing large-scale operations. Metapod includes tools so you have visibility into your network at all levels of the stack. You'll be able to assess and optimize performance of applications without having to be an expert in how they work.

Choice of High Availability:A core component of the design and architecture of Metapod is the Cisco Control Point (CCP). CCPs provide the high availability, data resiliency, and rapid scale-out capabilities for each availability zone. All core OpenStack cloud services are highly available and dynamically balanced across all controller nodes.

Choice of Agility:The Metapod solution is production-ready in weeks rather than months. Compare this to other private cloud solutions that generally require new hardware as well as lengthy and tedious testing before they can be deployed for mission-critical applications.

Learn more about how you can experience the best of both public and private clouds with Cisco Metapod. Come see our partners who are pioneering this technology at Cisco Live! in the Cloud Partner Village (#2445). A full schedule of presentations is available at the information desk.