Cisco Taps into Hyper-Converged Infrastructure Experience with HyperFlex

Cisco's entry into hyper-converged infrastructure began through an exclusive partnership with Springpath in 2017. However, even before the acquisition, Cisco combined the startup's software with its Unified Computing System (UCS) servers to create the HyperFlex HCI platform.

The HyperFlex system uses UCS Manager Service profile templates to automate deployment and provide a streamlined environment. Additionally, Cisco's networking fabric offers features such as network segmentation, security, quality of service policies, and multicast policies.

The HyperFlex appliance also boasts independent scaling of storage and compute resources, a common theme in newer hyper-converged products. Despite this, the HCI foundation remains based on servers, with Cisco UCS servers offering reliable performance and scalability within a flexible architecture.