When Cisco Systems Inc. announced Cisco Plus, its as-a-service model for compute, networking and storage hardware, in late March, it was telling which of the new features would be introduced first this year. It was Cisco Plus Hybrid Cloud, scheduled for release in mid-2021.

That Cisco would lead with its hybrid cloud offering, which combines data center compute with Unified Computing System networking over Nexus, plus storage and software to integrate edge, on-premises and public cloud, should come as no surprise. Hybrid has come to dominate the IT universe, and it is what customers want in managing critical enterprise workloads.

“It’s like a race from on-prem to the cloud and the cloud to on-prem,” said Daniel Newman, principal analyst at Futurum Research, in an interview with SiliconANGLE. “Hybrid has unquestionably become the architecture of choice. It’s the winner by TKO.”

Cloud providers, integrators, ecosystem technology partners and industry analysts will discuss what tomorrow’s cloud will be and what participants need to know to prepare during “Future Cloud: One event, a world of opportunities” on June 2.

Speakers from Cisco include: Vijoy Pandey, vice president of engineering, Vijay Venugopal, senior director of product management for cloud compute DD Dasgupta, vice president of product management, cloud and compute; Kaustubh Das, SVP and GM of cloud and compute; Vikas Ratna, director of product management, UCS, James Leach, Director, Business Development, UCS and Thomas Scheibe, vice president, Product Management-Data Center Networking. (* Disclosure below.)

Preferred choice of IT customers

Recent surveys confirm the march of enterprise IT to the hybrid cloud. One report released in February found that 94% of global businesses believe that hybrid clouds will be critical to meeting business needs.

Another recent survey of global business and IT professionals found that 35% viewed hybrid as the dominant choice, well ahead of private and public clouds.

As part of the news in March, Cisco executives highlighted the firm’s interest in expanding both datacenter and hybrid cloud implementations. The Cisco Plus announcements underscored the company’s interest in providing network-as-a-service, a cloud model for delivering compute and observability in concert with its switches and routers.

The move to make hardware more available as-a-service reflects a migration by major technology companies toward a subscription model, in keeping with offerings already established by the large hyperscalers. In addition to Cisco’s recent offerings, Dell Technologies Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Co. have introduced as-a-service options for customers over the past year.

“What we’re seeing right now is a show of force from the IT original equipment manufacturers,” Newman noted. “They’re not just going to let the public cloud providers take their business lying down. They have to follow the market.”

Livestream of Future Cloud

Future Cloud is a livestream event, with additional interviews to be broadcasted on theCUBE. You can register for free here to access the live event. Plus, you can watch theCUBE interviews here both live and on demand after the event.

How to watch theCUBE interviews

We offer you various ways to watch the live coverage of the Future Cloud event, including theCUBE’s dedicated website and YouTube channel. You can also get all the coverage from this year’s events on SiliconANGLE.

TheCUBE Insights podcast

SiliconANGLE also has podcasts available of archived interview sessions, available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify, which you can enjoy while on the go.

Guests

Guests who will be interviewed on theCUBE during the Future Cloud event include Vijoy Pandey, vice president of engineering, Vijay Venugopal, senior director of product management for cloud compute DD Dasgupta, vice president of product management, cloud and compute;  Kaustubh Das, SVP and GM of cloud and compute; Vikas Ratna, director of product management, UCS.

TheCUBE will also speak with Cisco’s James Leach,  director of business development, UCS, and Thomas Scheibe, VP of product management, data center networking.

(* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for the Future Cloud event. Neither Cisco Systems Inc., the sponsor for theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE