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More Bandwidth, More Features: Cisco Debuts 400G Ethernet Switches

Michal Christine Escobar
escobar

Bandwidth and scale. These are two of the biggest challenges facing data center customers today. How can they support data-hungry apps like streaming video, or apps that use artificial intelligence and machine learning? And how can they keep growing their networks, without having to replace them every time? To meet the need for bandwidth and scale, Cisco is launching new 400 Gigabit Ethernet (400G) switches.

The new 400G switches allow customers to create more powerful networks, more cost-effectively and in a fraction of the space. They provide four times the bandwidth and four times the scale of existing switches without using four times the power. And since the new switches are built on Cisco’s Nexus portfolio, customers can choose to deploy 400G in the way that best meets their needs. They can be used on their own or in combination with Cisco’s security, automation, visibility and analytics software.

The 400G switches do more than just bring a new level of speed to customers. They support the delivery of the signature capabilities that customers expect for their modern data-driven workloads and cloud environments, Cisco said. The switches deliver: superfast policy, segmentation and whitelisting; real-time visibility into packets, flows and events; smart buffering for big data and machine learning workloads; and the ability to prioritize critical traffic on-demand.

400GbE Done Right 
Dell’Oro predicts the market for 400G will grow quickly, reaching $1.5B in 2019 and more than doubling by 2020.** Cisco’s new Nexus switches provide customers with a comprehensive and customizable approach to 400G. They are:

  • Built for the most demanding environments: The new 400G switches are designed to support the signature capabilities the Nexus switching portfolio is known for, delivered at wire speed. This includes support for advanced telemetry for deeper app visibility, real-time analysis and troubleshooting. And smart buffers specially tuned for scale-out app traffic. Customers can also integrate the switches with Cisco’s leading Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI), Tetration, and Network Assurance Engine software. Doing this allows them to increase app agility and improve data center security and automation, bringing 400G to Intent Based Networking.
  • Built for customer choice and flexibility: Flexible deployment options let companies of all sizes support their specific needs and workloads. Customers can choose the options that best fit their needs, whether they are a webscale company, running a high-density or intent-based network, or using specialized apps.
  • Built to last: Cisco is actively working with partners and third-party organizations to drive standardization and interoperability around 400G. Cisco collaborated in the recent 400G industry plug fests with interconnect and test solution partners and demonstrated cost effective 100G lambda optics modules for 400G.

Availability 
Cisco is beginning early field trails with customers in December 2018, giving IT organizations planning time to set up trials as soon as possible. The new Cisco Nexus switches will be generally available in the first half of calendar year 2019.

Additional Resources

** The Dell'Oro Group Ethernet Switch - Data Center Five Year Forecast Report 2018 - 2022, published July 2018

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