Cisco 960 GB Solid State Drive - 2.5" Internal SATA (SATA/600)

Experience a breakthrough in storage performance with the Cisco 960 GB Solid State Drive, a dependable 2.5-inch internal SSD engineered for servers, workstations, and high-demand applications. This drive is designed to accelerate boot times, speed application loading, and deliver responsive performance under load, all while maintaining a compact footprint that fits standard 2.5-inch bays. With a generous 960 GB of storage, you can house the operating system, essential software, and substantial data locally, enabling smoother workflows, faster backups, and reduced reliance on external storage. The drive’s solid-state architecture means no moving parts, which translates to better reliability, lower noise, and greater resilience in demanding environments. Whether you’re refreshing an aging fleet, building a virtualization host, or upgrading a critical enterprise workload, this Cisco SSD is built to deliver dependable performance and enduring value.

Designed for broad compatibility and easy deployment, the Cisco 960 GB SSD supports a 2.5-inch internal form factor and uses the SATA interface to integrate with a wide range of servers, workstations, and storage backplanes. Its SATA/600 interface communicates efficiently with modern controllers, delivering high-speed data transfers while remaining compatible with legacy systems that still rely on SATA-based storage. The hot-pluggable capability adds significant value for data centers and enterprise environments, allowing administrators to replace or upgrade drives without powering down servers—minimizing downtime and maintaining service continuity during maintenance windows. This feature is especially beneficial in RAID configurations, hot-swap bays, and scalable storage arrays where uptime is essential and maintenance cycles must be executed quickly and safely.

The Cisco 960 GB SSD is more than a simple storage device; it is a smart choice for performance-oriented IT strategies. SSDs dramatically reduce latency and boost random I/O performance compared to traditional hard drives, which translates into faster system responsiveness, snappier software launches, and improved user experiences across virtualized environments and multitasking workloads. In addition to speed, the drive’s reliability shines in mission-critical contexts: no moving parts means lower susceptibility to shock and vibration, enhanced durability in dense server racks, and longer mean time before failure (MTBF) under typical data center conditions. Pairing this drive with modern operating systems and firmware can unlock efficient data caching, faster database access, and quicker staging of large workloads. The result is a storage solution that not only expands capacity but actively enhances overall system performance and efficiency, helping IT teams meet growing demand without sacrificing reliability or manageability.

In practice, the Cisco 960 GB SSD supports a range of IT scenarios—from OS and application boot drives to databases, virtualization caches, and software development environments. The 960 GB capacity provides flexible room for full OS installations, multiple virtual machines, containers, and critical business applications, so you can consolidate storage while keeping performance high. The drive’s design emphasizes energy efficiency and quiet operation, which contributes to cooler data centers and quieter workstations. Lower power consumption means less heat generation, which helps reduce cooling requirements in dense racks or small office deployments. For organizations focused on green IT or lower total cost of ownership, the reduced energy footprint of SSDs—especially under heavy load—can be a meaningful benefit in addition to performance gains. With Cisco’s branding and a commitment to dependable storage solutions, this SSD is positioned to support reliable, scalable infrastructure now and into the future.

• High-capacity storage with 960 GB of space provides ample room for an operating system, applications, and data, enabling faster boot times, quicker software launches, and more room for cache and scratch space.
• Compact 2.5-inch internal form factor delivers easy installation and broad compatibility with servers, workstations, laptops in supported configurations, and storage arrays that rely on standard SATA drives.
• Reliable SATA interface (SATA/600) supports solid, durable data transfer with reduced latency compared to traditional hard drives, improving overall system responsiveness and enabling smoother multitasking.
• Hot-pluggable design simplifies maintenance and upgrades in live environments, allowing drives to be replaced or added without powering down critical systems, which minimizes downtime during maintenance and upgrades.
• Energy-efficient, silent operation with no moving parts delivers improved reliability, lower power draw, less heat, and a quieter data center or office workspace—benefits that scale with virtualization, databases, and enterprise workloads.

Technical Details of Cisco 960 GB Solid State Drive

• Capacity: 960 GB
• Form Factor: 2.5-inch
• Interface: SATA (SATA/600) — commonly up to 6 Gbps, with performance limited by system interfaces and firmware
• Drive Type: Solid State Drive (SSD)
• Hot-Plug Support: Yes
• Intended Use: Internal storage for servers, workstations, and high-demand applications

How to install Cisco 960 GB Solid State Drive

To install or replace this drive, follow these steps to ensure a safe and successful deployment:

1) Power down the system completely and unplug it from the power source. If you are performing a replacement, follow standard maintenance procedures and observe any organizational downtime requirements. Ensure you have a current backup of critical data before proceeding.

2) Ground yourself to prevent static damage. Use an anti-static wrist strap or touch a grounded metal surface before handling components to discharge any static electricity.

3) Open the chassis and locate a free 2.5-inch drive bay or drive tray compatible with your server, workstation, or storage enclosure. If your system uses caddies, release the existing drive from its cage and prepare the Cisco SSD for installation.

4) Align the Cisco 960 GB SSD with the drive tray or mounting bracket, ensuring the connectors are accessible and oriented correctly. Secure the drive with screws or the appropriate mounting mechanism to prevent movement during operation.

5) Connect the SATA data cable to the drive and attach the power connector from the power supply. Make sure the connections are secure and routed to avoid interference with fans or other components.

6) Reinstall the drive tray or bracket into the chassis, reconnect any cables that were moved during the installation, and ensure the drive is firmly seated. If you are configuring a RAID array or adjusting boot settings, proceed to the BIOS/UEFI after the hardware installation.

7) Power on the system and enter BIOS/UEFI to verify the drive is detected. In an existing OS environment, initialize and format the new drive using your operating system’s disk management tools. If the drive will host an OS, set boot priority accordingly and begin the OS installation or migration process.

8) After the OS recognizes the drive, install any recommended firmware updates from Cisco or the system manufacturer, and configure TRIM or garbage collection options if required by your OS and firmware version to maximize long-term performance and endurance.

Frequently asked questions

• What does 960 GB mean for my system? A 960 GB capacity provides ample space for an operating system, applications, and data, enabling faster launches, improved multitasking, and more room for caches and scratch space. This size strikes a practical balance between capacity and performance for many workstation, virtualization, and small-to-medium enterprise workloads.
• Is this drive truly SATA/600? The designation SATA/600 indicates compatibility with the modern SATA standard and typically supports up to 6 Gbps in ideal conditions. Real-world speeds depend on the system’s backplane, controller, firmware, and workload, but the interface is designed to support robust performance for both enterprise and consumer applications.
• Can I hot-swap this SSD in a running server? Yes. The drive is described as hot-pluggable, meaning it can be removed and replaced without powering down compatible systems. Always follow your server’s maintenance procedures, back up important data, and ensure the hot-swap bays are properly configured before removing a drive.
• What workloads is this SSD best suited for? This internal 2.5-inch SSD is well-suited for operating system and application drives, virtualization hosts, database caches, software development environments, and other workloads that benefit from fast random access, low latency, and reliable durability. It’s an ideal upgrade for aging servers and workstations seeking snappier performance and improved reliability.
• What about warranty and support? Warranty terms vary by seller, region, and purchase agreement. Check with the vendor offering the Cisco 960 GB SSD to confirm the exact warranty coverage and support options included with your purchase, as these terms can differ by retailer and geographic location.