Big Switch Brags About HCI Integrations with Nutanix, Dell EMC, and VMware

The hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) is a booming data center technology and Big Switch Networks wants it. The open networking company added support for HCI and software defined storage (SDS) to its data center switching structure. Big Cloud Fabric now integrates with the HCI and SDS products from Nutanix, VMware, Dell EMC and Red Hat.

HCI systems combine central storage and computing functionality into a single, highly virtualized platform. A key feature that differentiates these products from other integrated systems is their vertical scaling architecture and their ability to provide all computing and storage functions through basic hardware.

"Bringing our automated network to several of the major hyperconverged storage solutions truly completes the image of software-defined data centers," said Gregg Holzrichter, vice president of marketing and marketing director of Big Switch. "Hyperconverged systems really focus primarily on computing and storage, and networks are treated as a late occurrence, but as these systems become more and more popular, and companies are deploying not only three and four nodes, but 10 , 20, 50 nodes, the creation of networks becomes very important ".

This is where the Big Switch technology fits in. Big Cloud Fabric automates the provisioning of network resources by integrating with HCI orchestration systems. It also gives network teams full visibility into these HCI environments, Holzrichter said.

HCI integrations
The company started integrating with HCI systems about six months ago, first with VMware and then with Dell EMC and Nutanix.

For example, Tianjin Broadcast and TV Network, a state-owned company that operates all cable television networks in Tianjin, China, deployed Big Cloud Fabric with VMware vSAN hardware and Dell Open Networking.

Big Cloud Fabric was easier and faster to implement, compared to the company's previous data center network products, and provided continuous operational efficiencies, said Jia Zhen, IT manager at Tianjin Broadcast and TV Network, in a release. "In addition, we have experienced zero network configuration errors since the implementation of the solution."

In another HCI example, the "smart city" of Incheon in South Korea deployed Big Cloud Fabric with Nutanix Enterprise Cloud software and Dell EMC hardware for its software defined data center (SDDC). This allows the smart city to cut nearly $ 10 million in costs associated with the construction and integration of platforms and save more than 60 percent of the data center space, according to Big Switch.

Big Cloud Fabric is a validated Nutanix Ready Core network product. In addition, Big Switch and Dell EMC built a validated reference architecture for a VMware SDDC.