2/5/2008 -- Stop the presses: Cisco Systems Inc. last week announced a brand-new data center-class switching platform, the Cisco Nexus Series.

Is Nexus all it's cracked up to be? Industry watchers think so. "[T]hese new products take very specific aim at the needs of the next-generation data center," said Steven Schuchart, a principal analyst for enterprise network systems with consultancy Current Analysis.

In this respect, Schuchart argued, Cisco's flagship Nexus offering -- the Nexus 7000 -- is particularly noteworthy.

"[T]he Nexus 7000 switch with NX-OS represents Cisco's next generation of switching for the core of the data center," he said. "Cisco's recent efforts have been toward making itself relevant in the next-generation virtualized data center and the announcement of these products is the fruition of that vision."

In addition to the Nexus 7000, Cisco announced several new non-Nexus deliverables, including the Catalyst 6509-E Vertical Chassis, the Catalyst 4900M and the Catalyst Blade Switch 3100.

Interesting switches, to be sure, but not quite so interesting as the groundbreaking Nexus 7000.

"[T]he Nexus 7000 Series is a next-generation data center switching platform with a revamped modular OS [NX-OS] and new hardware specifically designed for data center use," Schuchart said. "By bringing out this new platform, Cisco is showing that it is continuing to innovate. In addition, the release of products such as the Catalyst 6509-E Vertical Chassis shows Cisco's continued commitment to providing investment protection for existing customers who are committed to the Catalyst 6500 Series."

Unfortunately, according to Schuchart, Cisco's aging Catalyst 6500 Series has become vulnerable to -- and stigmatized by -- "age and OS" marketing from competitors. The Nexus 7000 now puts Cisco's rivals on the defensive. "Competitors that compete for data center accounts, especially at 10GB, will have to contend with the Nexus 7000 Series," Schuchart said.

The Nexus 7000, for the record, is part of the Data Center 3.0 vision that Cisco recently outlined. Schuchart likes what he's seen so far.

"Cisco has found itself a new gospel to preach to the faithful in the form of its Data Center 3.0 strategy, which not only includes new products such as the Nexus 7000 Series but the management pieces that help Cisco enable customers who are looking at next generation data center architectures," Schuchart said. "This Nexus 7000 is the basis for a true data center fabric with the speed and investment protection characteristics that can make it a winner in the marketplace."

The advent of the Nexus 7000 doesn't spell sayonara for the Catalyst 6500 Series, of course. In fact, according to Schuchart, Cisco has been careful to position the two as quite distinct.

"Cisco has also been particularly careful to make sure to position the Nexus 7000 as a data center-only product to prevent it from cannibalizing sales from the Catalyst 6500. This is not just in marketing and features -- the Nexus 7000 simply cannot currently fulfill some of the roles of the Catalyst 6500 due to lack of services cards and a very small section of line cards available," Schuchart said.

In the same way, Schuchart sees Cisco's Catalyst-only releases as consistent with its data center messaging.

"Cisco has also made several other positive moves to bolster its data center message with the release of the Catalyst 6500-E Vertical Chassis, which conforms to modern data center power and cooling schemes with front to back cooling and vertical cards with cable management," he said. "The Catalyst 4900m and the Catalyst Blade Switch 3100 are also clear data center products that bolster the entire announcement and are strong additions to Cisco's data center-oriented product lines." --Stephen Swoyer