Integrated or converged infrastructure is composed of compute, networking and storage. Bringing these three elements together with complexity and speed is the goal. While creating an integrated infrastructure can be a do-it-yourself project, Marcus Phipps, senior manager of data center and cloud marketing at Cisco Systems, Inc., warned that “running all the options can be exhaustive.” Therefore, a do-it-yourselfer might get in over their head with the issues that can arise.

To that end, Cisco offers tested and validated configurations available for download at designzone.com. During an interview with Jeff Frick and Stu Miniman, cohosts of theCUBE, from the SiliconANGLE Media team, during Oracle OpenWorld 2015, Phipps discussed the need for a “tremendous degree of flexibility” in converged infrastructure. A system needs to be able to “bring anything in and have it work in concert.” Cisco has experienced “a lot of success because customers want that flexibility.”

Cisco is striving to “meet the expectations of Cloud” by utilizing an “add service” option that is as simple and clicking on the desired service. In the cases of pre-programmed templates for Cloud, Phipps has seen an “80 percent reduction in the deploy time,” a shift from weeks to matter of days. In addition, he has observed a “77 percent reduction in cabling and infrastructure costs” and a “61 percent reduction in ongoing operational and management costs.” Businesses are then able to redistribute those funds to other areas of the operation.

Watch the full video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE and theCUBE’s coverage of Oracle OpenWorld 2015. And join in on the conversation by CrowdChatting with theCUBE hosts.

Photo by SiliconANGLE