Converged infrastructure is on the rise, and so is Big Data analytics. Cisco and long time ally NetApp put two and two together and expanded their jointly developed FlexPod lineup with two cutting edge Hadoop appliances.

The newly announced FlexPod Select Series combines NetApp’s E-Series and FAS storage systems with Unified Computing System (UCS) servers, Nexus switches, and management software from Cisco. The solution is available in two configurations: FlexPod Select with Cloudera’s Distribution including Apache Hadoop (CDH) and FlexPod Select with Hortonworks Data Platform (HDP).

Select is the first FlexPod lineup to address a specific workload. Cisco and NetApp say that the platform is designed for companies in data-intensive sectors such as financial services, government, retail and manufacturing.

“NetApp and Cisco are looking to drive FlexPod further by tailoring the platform to address today’s data-intensive environments,” stated Brendon Howe, the vice president of Product and Solutions Marketing for NetApp. “As more organizations look to incorporate powerful data management tools such as Hadoop into their environments, customers will need solutions that greatly simplify infrastructure deployment and management, deliver budget efficiency, reduce risk, and increase IT agility to create enterprise-class environments.”

The introduction of the Select series coincides with a major update to the FlexPod Data center portfolio. The upgrade includes support for Cisco’s Nexus 7000 switch and SnapProtect, a disk-to-disk-to-tape (D2D2T) backup and recovery solution.

The product announcements follow Cisco’s acquisition of Sourcefire for $76 per share, or approximately $2.7 billion. The cybersecurity firm will be integrated into the networking giant’s Security Group in order to accelerate the realization of the “most comprehensive approach to security in the market,” which will span data center infrastructure, the cloud and the Internet of Things.