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UntitledTopics such as Software Defined Networking and programmable networks are of great interest to many network operators these days. With that in mind we’re pleased to kick off a new series of Webcasts to help our customer learn more about Cisco’s Open Network Environment strategy.

Please join us on February 14, 2013 (9:00 am PST, 5:00 pm GMT) for an educational webcast featuring David Ward, Cisco CTO, Engineering and SP Chief Architect, and Chair of the Technical Advisory Group at the Open Network Foundation (ONF). It’s a chance to learn more about OpenFlow and its components, the protocol evolution and use cases, as well as its integration into existing networks. Continue reading “Cisco ONE Webcast Series: An Introduction to OpenFlow”



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Sanjeev Mervana

Vice President of Product Management

Emerging Technologies & Incubation

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Here are tips to help you adopt and support mobility for your small and midsized business.BYOD blog image

Did you know, 42 percent of employees who own smartphones use them for work? In addition, 8 percent of Internet web based transactions and activities are conducted from a mobile device.

The new BYOD trend has changed both employee and customer expectations. The future is in your hands now! Are you reading this on your smartphone?

When you consider this new way we all live—the mobile world, as a small or medium sized business why would you want to ignore this BYOD trend? As Linda Beaton, marketing manager for Cisco points out in her recent blog, this BYOD trend encourages business growth and has security challenges. The upside is that companies that choose to embrace mobility reap a lot of benefits, including attracting more customers and serving them better. According to the Cisco ISBG Horizons Research, mobility improves employee productivity and ultimately can provide you with a competitive advantage.

In addition, when employees get to choose how, where, and with which tools they work, there is a 16 percent increase in job satisfaction. Cost savings are a benefit, too! Companies save approximately 15 percent when employees pay for all or part of their own devices and mobile data plans. And what company wouldn’t want to save money?You many ask: so how can I prepare my business for this new growing trend? It’s easy. By taking into account the following tips, you can get your business ready to adopt mobility and start reaping the benefits today.

Network infrastructure: According to the Cisco Connected World Technology Report, 40 percent surveyed expect to be able to access their company network from their personal mobile device. The inability to access the network impedes productivity—up to six hours per week. To support employees with mobile devices, you need a robust network, fast access and a lot of bandwidth, all wireless! You may also need to invest in network improvements to support advanced technologies to improve communication and collaboration among employees, partners and customers all seamlessly—and Cisco’s unified communications is the key.

Security: You may think that your anti-virus is the only protection you need. But guess what? In a recent Dark Reading article it points out, even when 40 antivirus products were tested with the most common viruses today they detected less than 5 percent of those threats. A breach in your company business data can result not only in financial loss, but also lost customer and business downtime. In fact, the new Cisco ISA500 is a comprehensive all-in one solution that performs like a router, firewall, and unified threat management device.

Protecting the privacy of your data from outside threats requires a three-pronged approach:

  • First, put infrastructure precautions in place to protect your network from malicious activity, such as: firewalls, anti-virus and anti-spam software, and intrusion prevention systems (IPS).
  • Second, you need a VPN to ensure secure access and transmission of your data from mobile employees.
  • Third, you need an acceptable use policy that includes guidelines for mobile device usage. The AUP should outline your expectations for these devices, such as who has rights to the data on them, users’ responsibilities, and security procedures.

Support: So, when employees use their mobile devices for work, how do you provide them with support? For example, if your employees use their smartphones or tablets for work and encounter a technical issue, who do they call? Time spent dealing with technical issues is time that your employees aren’t spending on company business.

To address this, consider purchasing a service contract. A service support plan gives you access to expert technical support engineers who can quickly resolve issues, keeping employees productive. Perhaps the biggest hurdle for small and medium-sized businesses is where to start when it comes to mobility and BYOD. A Cisco Partner can help plan, implement, and support a secure, scalable mobile experience for you and your employees. So what are you waiting for? Find a partner today!

This is a great topic, right? Want more? Check out these posts:



Authors

Gaby Pinto

Integrated Campaigns & Strategy

Marcom COE

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header_ARC_World_Industry_Forum

Every year, ARC Advisory Group hosts forums and conferences in major cities around the world.  Topics range from automotive, CPG, aerospace, biotech, chemicals, mining, oil and gas and other sectors.  The forums allow corporate executives to network with peers and gather industry intelligence.

Cisco is pleased to be highlighting its converged, industrial networking architecture at the seventeenth annual ARC World Industry Forum: “Achieving Breakthrough Performance with New Processes and Technologies”.

This year, that event takes place at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida on February 11–14.

Please be our guest at the welcome reception in the Oceans Ballroom on Monday evening from 6:00 to 9:00 pm, courtesy of Cisco and the ARC Advisory Group.  Then, Continue reading “Speaking of Convergence – Cisco at ARC World Industry Forum”



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BugEyes
I was really impressed with Cisco Live London..for those of you who took the time to shake our hand and say hello…THANK YOU!  You make us feel like geek rock stars!  Good thing the doors are really big at these conferences so my inflated ego could still make it through.  I mentioned our Fundamentals of Converged Wireless and Wireless Access yesterday…but there are a few more detailed videos surrounding this Unified Access Launch that were definitely worth mentioning.
 
First off – Jimmy Ray gets with Muhammad Imam so that he can demonstrate the new controls for QoS on wired or wireless now.  
https://youtu.be/XEDovYuE78o
 
We circle back with another friend, Sachin Gupta, to hear what kind of feedback we are getting back from both geeks and others who have actually already deployed the Catalyst 3850. The pricing is extremely attractive on this…no extra cost even though this is a HUGE revolution from the previous 3700 series. 
https://youtu.be/ULMsZfzphEI
 
Perhaps a bit overshadowed, but really should not be overlooked, are the changes we see within the 5760. As the first IOS based Wireless LAN Controller – this new release has identical commands for configuration and management as you do with the 3850. Great example of the ONE Network we speak of now on such a regular basis.
https://youtu.be/WTlSyC-g5zg


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Robb Boyd

Producer, Writer, Host

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UntitledJoin Cisco executives and technology experts at one of the premier optical networking conferences from March 17-21 in Anaheim, California.  We welcome you all to be part of the dialog around Next Generation Transport technology!

Optical networks are the foundation of communications today – and trends such as programmable networks, dynamic networking, interconnected data centers, and Software Defined Networks (SDNs) are all facilitated by advances in photonic technology. Experts agree that the only way network operators will support the traffic forecast in Cisco’s Visual Networking Index is cost effective and widely deployed services at 100 Gbps and beyond. And all of these services over a flexible, touchless, and programmable optical layer.

If you’re interested in learning more in how the latest in silicon photonics and advanced ROADM technology will enable the Internet of Everything you should make your way to Anaheim, California, March 17-21 for the Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exposition and the National Fiber Optic Engineers Conference (OFC-NFOEC). We are excited to engage in the discussions around these hot topics including the Cisco CRS Elastic Core solution and nLight technology, announced last October.

Be sure to Continue reading “Cisco Talks Next Generation Optical Transport at OFC 2013”



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Cisco Nexus 1000V InterCloudToday we wrap up our three part introduction of Cisco’s new hybrid cloud infrastructure, Nexus 1000V InterCloud. In Part 1, we provided an overview of the architecture and the components that make up Nexus 1000V InterCloud. In Part 2, we looked a bit more closely into the single pane management of the cloud network and resources across the on-premises private cloud and the cloud service provider. In Part 3, we’ll answer some of the most frequently asked questions we’ve been getting from customers, analysts and the press in the early stages of this announcement.

Q:   What is Nexus 1000V InterCloud? What part of the hybrid cloud infrastructure does it comprise? Is it software, hardware, some combination of both? Is it a switch, a server or an application?

A:    Nexus 1000V InterCloud is a set of software components that run as virtual machines on a variety of servers. It forms the infrastructure that extendss your existing on-premises virtual network and virtual services to cloud providers in a seamless and secure manner. It provides all the infrastructure and protocols to support VM migration from the data center to the cloud provider. Effectively, Nexus 1000V InterCloud (with VNMC InterCloud management software) creates a secure, on-demand layer-2 virtual private cloud (VPC).

Continue reading “Cisco Launches Nexus 1000V InterCloud – Part 3”



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Gary Kinghorn

Sr Solution Marketing Manager

Network Virtualization and SDN

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We’ve posted two new videos of the mobility solutions that we showcased in the Cisco booth at NRF 2013.

Click on the video images below to watch these two mobility solutions demonstrations.

More videos of our NRF 2013 demonstrations, Big Ideas Sessions, and press event are available at www.cisco.com/go/nrf.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1lFFhyk-Bw



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Peggy Casey

Senior Manager, Global Retail Industry Marketing

Cisco

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Can 1 +1 really = 3 (or more)?  Consider the opportunity presented by the thoughtful convergence of BYOD and virtual desktop technologies.

BYOD is one of the most important trends in education technology today. However, many BYOD initiatives are limited to providing personal devices with basic network connectivity via the campus Wi-Fi network. Traditional virtual desktops (VDI) are not new in education. Historically, VDI has allowed the delivery of non-persistent desktops, primarily to thin clients.

Through the Cisco Unified Workspace for Education, schools, colleges and universities can now provide next generation education workspaces that are virtual, social, mobile and collaborative. The Cisco Unified Workspace for Education integrates the Cisco BYOD and Virtualization Experience Infrastructure (VXI) Smart Solutions to provide students, faculty, and staff with the flexibility of using any device to access any information, any application, and any expertise—from anywhere.

Continue reading “Realize the Promise of BYOD with the Next Generation Education Workspace”



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Gary Serda

Senior Strategic Partner Marketing Manager

Global Partner Marketing

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MobilizeAlmost anywhere you go nowadays, you have internet access at your fingertips. With the trend of smart phones, tablets, and other personal devices taking flight, we’re just a touch away from being connected – and with that comes high expectations.

Not only are we experiencing an influx of mobile users, but these devices are being incorporated into the workspace. In order to support this influx, we need a simple, unified network that ensures the greatest experiences for employees as well as consumers.

Cisco® has a brand new resource suited specifically to help you understand and meet these expectations. It is called Cisco Mobilize, and features best practices, expert advice, and customer stories regarding the latest in creating a unified mobile workspace. Continue reading “Going Mobile with Mobilize Magazine”



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Jaishree Subramania

No Longer with Cisco