Cisco Systems SAN Consolidation Cost Reductions Baselines and Results

Overview

Between January 2003 and January 2004, Cisco Systems deployed 25 Cisco MDS 9000 multilayer director switches in five production data centers, displacing the traditional storage networking infrastructure. The largest internal storage area network (SAN) deployment in the company's history, the Cisco MDS 9000 rollout was the first significant installation of the (then) new Cisco storage networking switches. This white paper defines and examines the types of cost reductions and cost avoidances associated with the initial Cisco MDS 9000 SAN deployment and subsequent consolidation efforts. It provides an analytical reference to chronicle the financial impact of investment in both SAN technology and storage strategies to manage costs.