If you’ve been skeptical about the hype surrounding converged infrastructure, now might be a good time to take another look.

Less than three years ago, Cisco Systems launched its Unified Computing System (UCS), the first release of a hardware platform that featured tightly integrated computing and networking. After reaching 10,000 customers and an annual run rate of $1 billion, seems safe to say they were onto something.

Other major vendors have since started to deliver similar offerings, and the fact that many customers are now purchasing UCS as part of FlexPod or VCE Vblock [links to solution pages] platforms, further speaks to the huge momentum towards convergence.

Clearly, these alternatives are receiving widespread adoption because the value and benefits they deliver. However, once these converged platforms are deployed, those folks responsible for ensuring service levels can confront some significant challenges. These systems feature dense computing power, self-service capabilities, virtualized elasticity, and other attributes that pose a slew of monitoring challenges.

If your organization is looking at UCS, or has already deployed it, and you’re wondering how you’re going to track and optimize service levels, be sure to check out our upcoming webcast: Hints & Tips for Monitoring Cisco UCS. Attend and discover the best practices and requirements for efficiently and effectively monitoring Cisco UCS environments.