Hitachi Vantara announced two new global partnership agreements with Cisco. The agreements bring Hitachi Vantara into Cisco's Service Provider and Solution Technology Integrator (STI) partner programs, respectively, enabling Hitrtygfachi Vantara to seamlessly integrate Cisco technologies with its storage products and position the company as a leading data center infrastructure and hybrid cloud managed services provider.    

Many businesses are grappling with the complexities of data management and intelligence as they manage their expanding hybrid cloud footprints. According to IDC, 40% of companies will depend on multi-partner technology agreements by 2024 to address these concerns. Coinciding with the STI agreement, Hitachi Vantara now includes the Cisco UCS X-Series servers in its offerings to deliver a complete converged infrastructure (CI) solution. The server line becomes part of the "Cisco and Hitachi Adaptive Solutions" portfolio which pairs Cisco compute and networking with Hitachi Vantara's Energy Star-certified Virtual Storage Platform (VSP) to offer customers one of the most reliable, resilient and environmentally friendly IT infrastructure solutions on the market. The solution is now available for Hitachi Vantara customers, helping address a growing market need for converged data center infrastructure. 

As a member of Cisco's Service Provider program, Hitachi Vantara offers consumption-based managed services to Cisco customers looking for data center and hybrid cloud services. The services can help address a critical shortage of skilled workers in the IT industry, enabling enterprises to adopt new and emerging technologies more effectively and rely on a trusted organization in Hitachi Vantara to streamline their hybrid cloud operations. 

"Hitachi Vantara and Cisco have been trusted partners for more than two decades, and these agreements are important additions to the innovative relationship these global technology leaders have built," said Kimberly King, senior vice president of strategic partners and alliances at Hitachi Vantara. "Successful partners adjust to meet customers' needs, both for today and for the future, and these developments do just that by offering the data-driven solutions and services they need the most." 

"As customers seek to simplify their data center operations, providing converged infrastructure solutions with managed services capabilities from two trusted global vendors can help them reduce risk and optimize their business outcomes," said Nick Holden, vice president of global strategic partners and co-sell at Cisco. "Together, Hitachi Vantara and Cisco make it easier for customers to navigate complex hybrid data center and storage solutions." 

"We're seeing a clear shift in market dynamics and consumer preferences that calls for integrated solutions, particularly from industry leaders like Hitachi Vantara and Cisco," said Steve White, vice president of channels & alliances, IDC. "These types of alliances are crucial to address a growing list of enterprise challenges that include sustainable practices, solution complexities, governance and supply chain issues, among others."