Innovation Insights on Our Global Search for Innovative Technology Solutions

Energy Management Without Borders

The ultimate goal of the Borderless Networks plan is to help people, and the technology and devices they use, to connect seamlessly through the network regardless of location. Almost a year ago, we challenged ourselves with this basic question: “If the network will eventually touch everything, then wouldn’t it be useful to manage energy at every point in the network?”

EnergyWise was our answer. And ever since we first rolled out this next-generation company-wide energy manager, the plan really came together. Big milestones for the product have included partner implementations from IBM and SolarWinds, as well as the Best of Interop 2009 Green Award.

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Posted by Jennifer Geisler at 03:03PM PST

Innovation at the Core and Interop NY 2009

What comes to mind when you think of Borderless Networks? For many people, the idea of universal and seamless connectivity evokes images of always on smart phones, videoconference technology, and collaboration applications like WebEx. These technologies are certainly a big part of the Borderless Networks vision, but it’s also important to look past the immediately visible end points of interaction to all the stuff going on in the background. You’ll realize that this “stuff” is in fact the network, an underlying architecture that makes all of these transformational applications and end points possible.

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Posted by Jennifer McAdams at 02:12PM PST

Cisco Borderless Networks at Interop New York 2009 - By the way, what is Borderless Networks?

Interop New York 2009 kicked off with a keynote by Marie Hattar, Cisco VP of Network Systems and Security, on “Business Transformation in a World Without Borders”   This  keynote was followed up with a lot of buzz on the show floor about what this world without borders means to IT and how Cisco’s Borderless Networks makes it a reality.   So what is Borderless Networks and what does it really mean to IT professionals? 

If you ask me (aka Cisco), I will tell you that it is Cisco’s next-generation architecture, that delivers the new workspace experience, connecting anyone, anywhere, using any device, to any resource—securely, reliably, seamlessly.  What it means to me is that I can be more productive and work anytime from anywhere.  As eloquent as that may sound, I am betting that you would like to hear what IT professionals have to say – right?  Then check out this video with candid responses when we asked from the show floor “What is Borderless Networks and what does that mean to you?”  Do you agree with these IT professionals or do you have a different view?  If you are at Interop, please stop by the Cisco booth and tell us what you think. If you are not at Interop or if you prefer the virtual world, please respond to this blog. 

What do you think Borderless Networks is and what does it mean to you?

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Posted by Jennifer Geisler at 12:19AM PST

Architecting Borderless Networks with a Systems Approach

Cisco’s Borderless Networks initiative comes at a time when network technology is more important than ever before in driving growth and ROI for businesses. Connecting anyone, at any time, anywhere in the world, and improving your ability to effectively deliver critical applications and services, requires a paradigm shift away from a “plumbing” view of the network. The network doesn’t just pump data from one place to another. In a time increasingly defined by video communication, wireless connectivity and cloud computing, having a strong network provides real strategic business value everyday. The same is true for the fundamental core of the network (i.e. routing and switching) as it is for newer extensions that the core supports, such as virtualization and video conferencing.

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Posted by Jennifer McAdams at 02:29PM PST

Networking Standards: A Vendor Litmus Test for Open Systems

Industry standards and open systems deliver a wealth of advantages to all network operators—global enterprises, government agencies small and medium-sized businesses, service providers, and even homeowners. Holding technology vendors to a high standard (Pardon the pun.) with respect to developing, implementing, certifying, and delivering open and standardized solutions is a key success factor for network operators looking to maximize the flexibility and cost-effectiveness of their networks.

When examining the role of technology vendors within the standards process, it is important to understand that many levels of commitment and participation are possible. After all, most vendors will state they are firmly committed to industry standards and open systems. As proof of this commitment, every vendor will point to their respective product specifications for the always-present list of supported standards. While these lists provide a good starting point in determining how committed vendors are to delivering standardized solutions, they are just that, a start. In essence, these compliance specifications serve as the initial (and lowest) setting for the “open standards” bar. The true standards bearers are prepared and have proven to jump over a much higher bar.

So how does one judge the level of commitment of a vendor to industry standards and open systems?

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Posted by Mark Leary at 11:34AM PST

Overcoming Borders and Improving the Network

A few weeks ago Cisco launched the ISR G2 and introduced the concept of “Borderless Networks.” Borderless Networks summarizes an architecture, or better yet – an implementation of the network that allows you to work the way you want anytime, anywhere, using any device, to connect to any resource.  A Borderless Branch, for instance, would allow remote offices and workers to connect to the network without having to think about it, knowing all their transactions are secure and expecting a quality experience every time they connect. 

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Posted by Jennifer McAdams at 01:10PM PST

IPv6 – That Network is Mine

When it comes to the network, I’m a selfish guy.  I want to use my computer and phone anytime, from anywhere, and with anyone.  I want it all and when it is convenient for me.  I honestly don’t feel too bad about this selfish streak since everyone I know wants the same things from the network.  Most people don’t care about problems that result from sharing the network – they just want unlimited and uninterrupted access.  

To meet this need, the Internet, public services and many corporate networks are moving to IPv6, a newer version of basic IP protocol.  Why is there such a need to change when the existing standard, IPv4, is still running our networks just fine?  Well, quite frankly, the world is running out of IPv4 addresses. Current fixes to share IPv4 addresses among users and devices cause performance, scalability and reliability problems as new devices and new video, voice, and collaborative applications become pervasive. 

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Posted by Alain Fiocco at 12:36PM PST

Two Problems - One Easy, One Hard

In my never-ending quest to keep up with the latest technology news, I have been reading about the Cisco SmartGrid effort.  SmartGrid is really – well – smart, because it attacks the problem of the world’s rapidly declining supply of fossil fuels from two different directions. It looks not only at the consumption of energy (that’s you and me, folks), but at the efficiencies that can be found in the production and transmission of energy as well.

Now, there is a hidden technical problem in the SmartGrid. Luckily, it is one that is easily solved. Have you spotted it?

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Posted by Jennifer Geisler at 08:49AM PST

Why Network People Worry About the Future

I worry about the future.  Newspapers carry stories about a tough economy, rough job market, and a future that is difficult.  Things are changing and change creates worry.

Abner Germanow, a technology analyst at IDC, is worried about the future of the network.  He writes about change in the network and the worries we need to address to build networks that are ready for the future.  His ideas are captured in a free white paper called “Demonstrating the Value of a Foundation Network”.

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Posted by Jennifer McAdams at 03:42PM PST

Thinking about your network costs when your business is changing fast.

There’s a lot of pressure out there in the networking world.  IT budgets are being scrutinized at a time when business requirements are changing very, very fast.   Sometimes in this recession, the scrutiny feels like it’s coming from a previously friendly finance guy with a hatchet that’s telling you to buy the cheapest equipment possible, from any vendor you can find.  Although it’s uncomfortable to defend your IT budget, it can be even more uncomfortable to explain network downtime or congestion to upper management.

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Posted by Jennifer McAdams at 12:29PM PST

Cisco Borderless Networks and the ISR G2 launch - The Industry Reacts to the Foot Soliders

Earlier this week we unveiled a new architecture called Borderless Networks and our very first proof-point - the second generation of the Cisco Integrated Services Router – the ISR G2. 

The response has been overwhelmingly positive.  In addition to our customers and channel partners, several analysts and members of the media have supported this direction and the ISR G2, and there is a “feel good” factor about the announcement.  David Gartner of the Information Week called the ISRs as the foot soliders of Networking. I thought that was a great analogy.

Yesterday, there was a note from Wedbrush Morgan giving Cisco an upgrade for this launch referring to the ISR G2 and the ASR 1000 series, including the new ASR 1002-Fixed platform, while stating “we view the ISR to be the anchor product of Cisco’s enterprise networking business and the single largest margin contributor in the company. The first generation ISR was introduced about five years ago, so the ISR G2 represents one of the largest installed base upgrade opportunities the industry has seen”.

This launch was picked up by the media in different geographies. With over 7 million ISRs deployed worldwide, and many pre-ISR routers still powering branch offices, yes, it does represent a significant installed base.

Jim Duffy at Network World commented on Borderless Networks saying:

“Borderless Network is intended to support applications, processing cycles and services that are increasingly distributed and virtualized, such as those in cloud computing and software-as-a-service environments. Some analysts say it is more than another Cisco “marketecture,” though. “

David Garner at InformationWeek picks up this sentiment as well:

“Taken together, the Borderless Networks architecture and the ISR G2 form a sort of central nervous system network that simplifies the delivery of networked business services throughout IT organizations, large and small. Cisco said a five-phased plan will help “deliver services and applications to anyone, anywhere, on any device, at anytime—seamlessly, reliably, and securely.”

Jeffery Burt at eWeek comments on the trends taking place in the industry to warrant the ISR G2’s feature updates:

“These capabilities are going to be important, given the current trends, Palmer said. By 2012, 90 percent of the bandwidth for consumer traffic will be video-based. In addition, employees in greater numbers are bringing in their consumer devices—such as iPhones or their own laptops—and expecting the same level of access to enterprise applications that they’d receive from company-issued devices.”

There are many others. Social media was an active component here as well. Lots of good responses on Cisco’s Routers Facebook page and the CiscoGeeks Twitter feed.

Even some of our competitors also found it worthwhile to give our announcement a plug. As always, we welcome that.

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Posted by Shashi Kiran at 11:22AM PST

[Curtain Raiser] It’s here! The brand new Cisco Integrated Services Router Generation 2

Hundreds of engineers. Multi-year development cycles. Global talent pool. The challenge? How do you take something very very successful and raise the bar? How do you deliver more value? We’re talking about the Cisco Integrated Services Router family with over 7 million sold in less than 5 years, possibly the best selling network router ever.

The approach? By listening to our customers Looking at the business trends. By seeing where networks are headed over the next 3-5 years. By getting the big picture. And by building a platform that helps our customers to innovate and grow their business. Increase efficiency, collaboration, productivity and responsiveness. Securely. Seamlessly. Reliably. Help our customers deliver richer experiences to their customers and drive loyalty.

The result? A spankin’ new Cisco Integrated Services Router Generation 2 (ISR G2) family. Upto 5 times more performance as the original ISR, at similar pricepoints. Enablng new experiences, some tickling the imagination. Getting ready for the future, now.

The first proofpoint for Cisco’s Borderless Network Architecture, helping turn vision into a reality one step at a time.

The ISR G2 is architected for video-delivery from ground-up. Video-based collaboration, video surveillance, streaming video, webex. Better collaboration. Higher productivity. Reduced travel costs.  A proofpoint for medianet.

It revolutionizes how services are delivered to branch offices. Truly. No more shipping hardware modules every time a new service has to be rolled out to the premise. Ship your hardware once. Deploy any software on new Services Ready Engines to any branch office, anytime. Sweet.

Cost reduction? Yes. In its DNA. Energy savings. Power efficiency. The choice to intelligently control power consumption. Headroom for future growth. Investment protection. All affirmative.

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Posted by Shashi Kiran at 10:49AM PST

Ignite bright young minds with Borderless Networks

Education is such a fundamental aspect of how individuals are shaped. I still remember my third or fourth grade teachers who created such an impression on me and shaped my thoughts early on, probably much more so than the professors I had in the University.  

As technology pervades the classroom environment, learning experiences are going to evolve.  A single experience can be life-changing and motivate students to choose careers of their choices – whether they become more interested in science or arts, depends on what stimulates them early on.

And so, we continue the journey right here on the Innovations blog, as we get ready for our October 20^th event.  Earlier this week we talked about bringing doctors to your doorsteps. Now, we look at an “out-of-the-world” learning experience for these bright young minds.   

If we could bring in the best teachers, offer the best courses to students regardless of location, or what strata of society they belong to, it will amplify the impact of education.

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Posted by Shashi Kiran at 10:21AM PST

Bring the doctor to your doorstep with Borderless Networks

Remember when you were a little kid and were dared by your friends to stick pennies up your nose or swallowed one lying around?  That was a parent’s nightmare!  Luckily technology has advanced over the years and these are “simple” problems to solve, but one can never take chances when the well being of a family member is involved. Access to quality medical care in a timely manner is extremely important.

Now, imagine what your network can do to enable this.

How do you tap into global expertise? How do you bring the “doctor to your doorstep”? And how do you do it without compromising on the quality of healthcare?

These are problems we face today, and Cisco is here to help resolve them.

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Posted by Shashi Kiran at 12:20PM PST

[Cisco Developer Contest] The Winners!

Today we are very excited to unveil the winners of our yearlong AXP developer contest.  In this video, Sue Bostrom, executive vice president and chief marketing officer and Marie Hattar, vice president of Network Systems and Security Solutions at Cisco, announce the winners of the Cisco “Think Inside the Box” developer contest in this video.

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Posted by Shashi Kiran at 12:08PM PST