Magirus offers full build-to-order Cisco UCS B200-Series offering and launches new UCS B-Series Demo Lab for European resellers

STUTTGART, Germany - Magirus, one of Europe’s leading IT solution providers, announced today that it has achieved a new, high level of certification to ‘build-to-order’ Cisco’s Unified Computing System (UCS) B-Series systems in Europe. Starting immediately, Magirus is able to build Cisco UCS B-Series servers from the bare chassis upwards by assembling processors, hard disk drives, memories and virtual interface cards, according to end-customers’ requirements. Prior to this, the company had a ‘configure-to-order’ capability, restricting it to configuring pre-defined bundles. Also, Magirus has announced a new B-Series Demo Lab providing a cost-effective, online capability for resellers to demo Cisco UCS B-Series systems to their customers.

From its European Technology Logistics Centre in Strasbourg, France, Magirus will offer tailor-made Cisco UCS B200-Series systems, enabling business partners and their end-customers to request any Cisco UCS B200-Series configuration and have it built within only a few days.

Magirus is no longer dependent on configuring pre-defined bundles to assemble servers. The company received its build-to-order certification after completing successfully a number of Cisco UCS B-Series pilot orders. This was achieved by demonstrating that it could meet Cisco’s exacting standards. This involved testing the entire process of quoting, ordering and stocking of components and the build, integration, test and shipping of UCS systems. As part of the pilot programme, Magirus built 12 B200 blade servers.

“This new capability with tailor-made Cisco UCS B200-Series servers is part of our on-going strategy to provide more choice for our business partners throughout EMEA in how they can deliver unified data centre solutions,” Christian Magirus, executive vice president & COO at Magirus explained. “In addition to the enriched offering, our business partners will benefit from very fast delivery times of just a few days. This will definitely increase their competitive advantage to win deals.”

Being a Cisco UCS B-Series Authorised Configurator (UBAC), Magirus is able to validate technically customers’ orders. Business partners will benefit from Magirus’ integration services such as network configuration support and the pre-configuration of operating and storage systems at Magirus’ European Technology Logistics Centre in Strasbourg.

“Cisco recognises that data centre customers require customised solutions in order to meet their business needs. As a Cisco Unified Computing System B-Series Authorised Configurator, Magirus has invested heavily in developing its integration and technical capabilities required to provide tailor-made Cisco UCS B200 configurations to partners. This certification will allow Magirus to offer scalable and flexible Cisco unified data centre solutions, which help make data centres more efficient, agile and resilient,” said Ed Baker, director, data centre virtualization, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Russia (EMEAR) partner organisation, Cisco.

Magirus’ UCS B200 build-to-order capability represents the first step in a programme that in the mid-term will enable Magirus to provide build-to-order services for the entire UCS B-Series product portfolio. Pilot projects with UCS B230 as well as B440 will be launched shortly.

B-Series Demo Lab
In order to strengthen the demo offering with Cisco solutions for its partners, Magirus announced a new Magirus Cisco UCS B-Series Demo Lab. The Lab, which is based in Magirus’ European Technology Logistics Centre in Strasbourg, incorporates Cisco UCS B200 blades, EMC storage and VMware technologies. Magirus partners and Cisco teams will be able to perform demonstrations online via secure, remote access. It means that Cisco UCT (Unified Computing Technology) or DCA (Data Center Architecture) partners no longer need to make significant investments in their own demo kit for presentations to their end-customers. This lowers the cost of entry for business partners selling Cisco UCS B-Series.

“We currently train and enable our business partners to become Cisco UCT partners and sell Cisco UCS B-series. Through the new Cisco B-Series Demo Lab they can now easily test the equipment,” said Stephanie Kaelin, EMEA business manager at Magirus. “Even for non-Cisco UCT/DCA partners or non-Cisco partners, our Demo Lab provides a great entry opportunity to discover the Cisco UCS B-Series platform and its benefits.”

According to IDC’s 1Q 2011 worldwide server market revenue report,* Cisco has entered the market in third place position with a 9.4% share in the bladed server market. Cisco UCS has moved the industry forward by unifying compute, network, storage access and virtualisation into one cohesive system. The system is designed to solve key customer challenges in the data centre, such as manual solution assembly, inflexible infrastructure, operational issues, virtualisation complexity, inefficient scaling as well as compliance and audit control.
ENDS

Notes to Editors

* IDC press release, 24 May 2011: Worldwide Server Market Revenues Increase 12.1% in First Quarter as Market Demand Continues to Improve, According to IDC
(http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS22841411)