A hybrid cloud approach consists of simplified, transparent integration between an on-premises enterprise data center with a public cloud service provider. This integration includes:
- Highly secure Layer 2 networking connectivity between the enterprise data center and the public cloud
- The deployment of security and application services in the public cloud
- Management features for a hybrid cloud environment, including support for virtual machine (VM) mobility and lifecycle management.
To address these requirements, Cisco has developed the Cisco Nexus 1000V InterCloud architecture, which connects Cisco virtual data center environments to public cloud providers. The primary features include:
Highly Secure Connectivity
The first component is the virtual switch that provides highly secure Layer 2 connectivity between the enterprise data center and the public cloud. This Layer 2 network connectivity allows workload mobility across locations while retaining the same IP address. It also provides local switching for the workloads in the cloud. No matter how remote the public cloud is, this Layer 2 domain overlay allows full workload mobility between servers in each location. Peak capacity and new virtual machines can be bursted to the cloud as needed, on-demand.
Virtual Services Integration
This Cisco Nexus 1000V-based overlay connection includes vPath for routing traffic to virtual security nodes and application services in the public cloud. These virtual service nodes are deployed as virtual machines and can run on virtually any cloud infrastructure, while mirroring the sophisticated policy enforcement requirements in the enterprise data center. The Cisco Nexus 1000V InterCloud framework supports the existing Cisco Nexus 1000V virtual services, including the Cisco ASA 1000V Cloud Firewall, the Cisco Virtual Security Gateway for Nexus 1000V Series Switch, Cisco Virtual Wide Area Application Services (vWAAS) for WAN optimization, and virtual Network Analysis Module products.
Cloud Network Management
Management of the integrated hybrid cloud environment is handled by the newest 3.0 release of Cisco Virtual Network Management Center or VNMC InterCloud. VNMC InterCloud provides a single pane of management across enterprise data centers and public clouds. It shows the complete VM inventory in the enterprise data center and facilitates VM migration to a public cloud while retaining Layer 2 connectivity with the other enterprise workloads.
