Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO, news, filings) formally introduced its containerized data center product today. That the company was moving in this direction surprises no one of course, and the containers are built to incorporate the technology of Cisco’s Unified Computing, Unified Fabric and Unified Network technologies. The units consist of a forty foot weatherized ISO container design that can hold as many as sixteen cabinets with room for 44 rack units each, built on open architecture. The full system offers customers:
- mobile rapid deployment
- disaster recovery
- support in remote areas
- better cost utilization
- efficient continuity of operations
- increased energy efficiency
- increased power density
- reduced risk
And they wash the dishes while supervising a kindergarten for the children of employees too. Just kidding. These pre-fab modular data centers are obviously a big part of the future (not to mention really cool), but they cover so much technical ground with the PRs that they do tempt one to overdose on buzzwords. Data Center Knowledge has a nice look at some more of the details.
Federal government contracts do seem like a very likely place for these things to catch on. There are so many federal data centers that need to be replaced and upgraded, and having a containerized solution by a trusted partner may make all those transitions seem very similar and thus less intimidating.
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If you look closely while driving out and about, you’ll discover Shipping containers just about everywhere. Following long travels on the sea, you’ll observe containers in the final distribution channels. When you get stopped at the train crossing, you’re very likely to see train car after train car filled with containers, or you’ll observe commercial transport trucks carrying them around on carriages and flat beds full of goods of every type. Once shipping containers are retired from use overseas service, you’ll see them behind retail stores and on building sites supplying secure storage for equipment and inventory doing duty as storage containers.