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Hunger reveals itself in different ways in different corners of the globe:

  • In India, where 43 percent of the country’s children are underweight, students line up in their school cafeteria for what may be their only meal of the day.
  • In the United Kingdom, people are exchanging vouchers for food at local food banks. Many of them are employed and living in their own homes, but have felt the effects of reduced wages and benefits, often skipping meals in order to feed their children.
  • In the United States, those who once donated to the local food banks are now accepting donations for their families – something as seemingly small as a necessary car repair can tip someone into food insecurity.

The scale of the problem is massive, but the organizations aiding those in need are deploying innovative solutions and leveraging technology to help meet the challenge.

Akshaya Patra operates 19 kitchens in Bangalore and throughout India and provides 1.3 million children with one filling, nutritious meal during the school day. For many children, this is their only meal. If Akshaya Patra did not provide it, the children would have to work to earn money to pay for food.

“Weakened by hunger, children are more vulnerable to disease, with tens of thousands dying every year,” says Binali Suhandani, director of resource mobilization, Akshaya Patra Foundation. “Millions more are physically and mentally stunted for life because they don’t get enough to eat in their crucial growing years.”

Akshaya Patra’s program is designed to improve the health of children, and as an incentive to attend school.  The latter being a critical step toward breaking the cycle of poverty that leads to hunger.

In the United Kingdom, it’s a different scene, with an estimated 13 million living below the poverty line. The causes are complex, but have been linked to low wages, benefit delays and cuts, as well as rising unemployment (currently 2.9 million people).   One in five mothers now reports regularly skipping a meal to feed their children.

According to Tim Partridge, foodbank network manager of the Trussell Trust, the largest foodbank network in the UK, one of the biggest misunderstandings is who hunger affects. The largest client base referred to the Trussell Trust is those who have experienced delays in receiving benefit claims (29 percent last year) or benefit changes (11.47 percent last year). Low income accounted for a further 19 percent of clients.

“Many people referred to us are employed and live in their own homes,” Partridge explains. “The idea that all hungry people are homeless or destitute is clearly inaccurate.”

To increase efficiency and target programs to those who need it most, the Trust utilizes a web-based stock system that allows multiple users access to data on warehouse stock and volume of clients served at locations across the network of 220 operational food banks. The system creates sequentially numbered food vouchers to be exchanged for food.  By knowing where the voucher is used, the Trust can get a better sense of where the community needs are and allocate resources to meet them most effectively.  The system also produces customized data reports to support funding applications and campaigning for additional resources.

In the U.S., at the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina, those who once donated have recently found themselves seeking assistance. In the 34 counties the Food Bank covers, more than 560,000 individuals live at or below the poverty line and many more are at risk. Thirty percent of at-risk households have one or more working adults, but an individual’s financial status can change abruptly within as little as 24 hours due to layoffs, onset of major illness or a change in marital status.

The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina provides five meals for every one dollar donated thanks to efficiencies driven, in part, by technology.  The organization is outfitted with IP voice and a robust networking infrastructure that allows them to operate online applications and track them. Additionally, a central network links most of the food bank locations to allow for seamless collaboration and communications.

No matter how hunger materializes around the globe, it remains a very real problem. What is encouraging is how organizations are meeting the need with innovative approaches, and how technology is helping them be as effective as possible.

Ultimately, these organizations believe that hunger is a solvable problem, especially with the right tools and resources in hand.  I know Cisco is committed to sharing our expertise, technology, and volunteer and financial support with non-profits addressing hunger in our local communities.  We certainly share the same end goal: to address the immediate needs of those suffering, while helping find sustainable solutions that ultimately put an end to global hunger.

Cisco’s annual Global Hunger Relief Campaign, the company’s signature employee giving initiative, is currently underway.  Now in its 10th year, the Campaign encourages employee donations to 140 hunger relief agencies and raises awareness among Cisco’s 66,000-strong global workforce of the severity of global hunger.  You can help too by telling us how you give on Facebook.  Cisco will donate four meals to the World Food Programme for every comment.



Authors

Kirsten Weeks

Senior Manager for Community Relations

Global Marketing and Corporate Communications

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This is our fourth preview of what Cisco will be showcasing at the 102nd National Retail Federation Convention and Expo on January 14 and 15, 2013 in New York City.

At the Cisco booth, I will be hosting demonstrations of the Cisco Remote Expert Smart Solution for Retail. This solution offers a superior video and collaboration experience between shoppers and remote experts from any location within your store – in an aisle, at an end cap, in the store front, or in a private setting.

With this solution you can capture new sales opportunities, upsell or cross sell products and services, and boost revenue while delivering a compelling shopping experience.

Please watch this video about the Remote Expert Smart Solution for Retail demonstration and then mark your calendar to join us at Cisco Booth #252 at NRF 2013. I look forward to seeing you there!

 



Authors

Andrew Lach

MARKETING MANAGER

Marketing Management, Manufacturing Industry

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IOE_Mini_Infographic_4131I believe that the New Year will signal three major shifts in education:  The Internet of Everything, Shared Services, and Cloud Computing.

We are rapidly moving into a phase that we call “The Internet of Everything.”  Today, there are more things connected to the internet than there are people in the world.  In the near future, everything that we see will wake up as more and more people, processes, data, and things join what we call the internet and change the way we work, live, learn, and play.  For education, this means that the experiences that we deliver to students will be more connected, integrated, flexible, and meaningful.  Students will increasingly learn on their own terms, quickly and easily accessing content, joining courses, and connecting with experts across the globe.  Connection will happen seamlessly; students will design their own learning experiences.  They will be empowered by public education networks and a multi-device mobile world.

Continue reading “Cisco’s Prediction of 2013 Education Technology Trends: The Big Three to Watch”



Authors

Renee Patton

Former Global Director of Education and Healthcare

Global Industry Solutions Group

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The theme for this year’s SecCon was “Building on a Foundation of Security.” The breadth of topics discussed that are relevant to being a trusted vendor and producing trustworthy products is quite significant. Naturally many of the discussions revolved around the Cisco Secure Development Lifecycle (CSDL), Cisco’s approach to building secure products and solutions. As Graham Holmes mentioned in a recent blog post, CSDL takes a layered approach, with one of the key components being the security of the underlying operating system. As a standard part of the development process, Cisco’s product teams implement a comprehensive set of CSDL requirements to harden the base OS. These requirements were created not only by leveraging Cisco’s significant in-house security expertise, but also drawing from best practices available in the industry.

In keeping with the theme of SecCon 2012, we have decided to publish these foundational OS security requirements to enhance the knowledge of our partner ecosystem, and advance the industry as a whole. As of today, Cisco is releasing two documents that have been an integral part of CSDL: “Linux Hardening Recommendations For Cisco Products” and “Product Security Baseline Linux Distribution Requirements.” Continue reading “Securing Linux Based Products With CSDL”



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In this blog, let us take a look at how Catalyst access switches profile the various connected devices and make the information available to various network services.

Many devices like laptops, IP phones, cameras etc. are connected to the network and need to be managed by IT for asset management, device onboarding, switch configuration, policy management & device energy management. Traditionally, IT administrators manually added each device for each service. This consumes unnecessary overhead and is an inefficient use of IT’s time. Continue reading “Demystifying the Catalyst: IOS Device Sensors”



Authors

Shankar Chandrasekaran

Marketing Manager

GMCC Products and Solutions

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Drawing from a recent read of “Case 1: The Seeds of Dysptopia” in the World Economic Forum 2012 Global Risks 2012 Seventh Edition, it’s now more than apparent than ever that the impact of crime and terrorism in the digital world is fast mirroring that of a physical world.  We’re living in an era where attempts to build a more secure world may have unintentionally gone astray  as evidenced in Ellen Messmer’s Worst Security Snafus of 2012  where such consequences were clearly not imagined or intended by security vendors and businesses alike.   We’re indeed dealing with the opposite of Utopia.

Our digital reality can be very fragile when one considers that how heavily we rely on mobile devices and cloud applications not only to conduct business but also in our personal lives.  And the data that is transmitted via these devices and to various cloud applications is increasingly a target for scammers, thieves and hactivists.

And, it’s not only government entities, critical infrastructure and key verticals that are the targets of such attacks; in today’s climate every organization is a prime target.  Take the very recent case of an Australian healthcare organization that is being held to ransom by hackers to the tune of AU$4,000 who recently hacked into their database and encrypted the data – it seems an extraordinary scenario for a small organization to be facing.   Not only has their data been compromised but it has been rendered inaccessible as the organization now has to find a way to decrypt that data, which is proving to be rather challenging.

So what should organizations do to shore up their defenses?  Start by treating data as the key asset to be protected versus fortifying your infrastructure.  In today’s world data takes on increased significance –  bank account statements, personal information, credit card numbers, trade secrets, government documents. Every one has data  they  need to ensure tight control off and aligning security controls to the  CIA (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability ) triad can help ensure the right measures are taken.

When we talk about confidentiality of information, it’s about about protecting  information from disclosure to unauthorized parties. In addition to measures like encryption, look to beef up  access controls  by feeding security decisions and intelligence across various enforcement points in the network rather than only at a single choke point in the data stream. Integrity of information refers to protecting information from being modified by unauthorized parties. Leverage global correlation and threat intelligence with reputation-based feeds to protect against new threat vectors and emerging malware. Availability of information  means ensuring that authorized parties are able to access the information when needed. Think of the network as a data enforcement layer and link that to a strategy that identifies users based on contextual attributes (where, when, how and business need to know) when accessing critical of confidential information assets.  So, what I have outlined is a starting point towards moving one step at a time towards a Utopian Digital Future. What are your strategies?  We’d love to hear from you.



Authors

Evelyn de Souza

Cloud Data Governance Leader

Chief Technology and Architecture Office

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The “We’re Listening” blog continues to look at actions taking place across Cisco to improve your experience working with us. In this post, Jim Fuller, Senior Director of Technical Services focused on entitlement, joins us to talk about improvements to services accessibility.

Imagine you’re in the back seat of a taxi—the driver is in complete control.  You have little to no control on speed or route, limited visibility, and no power.  Now, imagine you’re the driver—you control speed and course, have full visibility, and it’s your hands on the wheel—you are empowered.  That’s what I’m going to talk about—improvements we’re making to simplify customers and partners’ ability to take the driver’s seat.

Read the full article: The We’re Listening Blog Series: Simplifying the Entitlement Experience through Streamlined Access Management



Authors

Curt Hill

Senior Vice President

Customer Assurance

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A social opportunity was knocking but it was hard to hear, buried under thick layers of social noise and harder to reach by the right people with the right message. Cisco knew customers wanted to engage and were using social media tools to ask questions and share about products and services. But  knowing what people were saying about Cisco and their purpose for saying it, required a strategy that met both needs.

Cisco assembled a team that would listen for and support  a customer from their first social media post through the entire engagement. Members of Social Listening, Global Contact Center and Virtual Sales teams all met to discuss what it meant to develop and nurture a social channel.

The team’s initial instincts were right. Customers do use social media to research products and just as critically they use it to purchase.  Research from the IBM Institute for Business Value analysis – CRM Study 2011 illustrates the potential and possibility of meeting customer expectations.

Perception Gap Continue reading “A Social Opportunity is Knocking #CiscoListens”



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Carrier Ethernet Awards APAC 2012Just like we did last year, we’re closing out 2012 with another set of awards from our colleagues in the Asia Pacific, Japan, and Greater China (APJC) market. These include:

Telecom Asia Readers’ Choice Awards 2012 (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, November 29th 2012) for:

  • Best Metro Network Vendor of the Year
  • Carrier Ethernet Vendor of the Year

And then we followed that up a week later with wins at the Carrier Ethernet APAC Award 2012 (Hong Kong, Dec 4, 2012) for:

  • Best Carrier Ethernet Aggregation Product: Cisco ASR 903 Series Aggregation Service Routers
  • Best Carrier Ethernet Core Product: Cisco ASR 9922

Why, you may ask? We believe it’s because we’ve long been an innovator in the Carrier Ethernet market and uniquely offer an end-to-end architectural approach for our solutions. These solutions represent pre-tested, validated systems that are ready to deploy. This reduces customer risk and time to market since the scale and performance parameters of the system – including network management – are known in advance, and not merely a box level (as with our competitors). Continue reading “Cisco Carrier Ethernet Wins Multiple Awards in APAC”