Today, we made a significant announcement that transcends data center, campus and service provider and Cloud-based deployments,  geared towards helping our customers embrace the winds of change that are buffeting the IT landscape.  This announcement is precipitated by a number of mega-trends that were buzzwords even a couple of years ago but have become looming realities in the IT landscape. Think video, virtualization, 10G, Bring your own device (BYOD) and not to forget – the journey to cloud.

Layer in ongoing careabouts like security and Energy Efficiency – and boy, do we have the perfect storm brewing.

The three “Cs”:

For many customers,   it is no longer sufficient to take a “band-aid approach”.  A faster switch here or a new wireless LAN access point there just doesn’t cut it. They have to step back and evaluate their environment holistically, and minimize the chokepoints proactively. This is causing them to evaluate the three “Cs” of capacity, complexity and cost, while ensuring that they’re in a position to deliver the end-to-end IT experience.

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Tags: 100G, 40G, Borderless Networks, catalyst 4500-X, cloud, cloudverse, data center, M2 series, Nexus 3064-X, Nexus 7000, Unified Data Center, winds of change

Hopefully everyone is back from the Christmas/New Years Holidays by now and already hit the deck running. I know we in the Manufacturing team are already off, well, most of us. I started the New Year by having cataract surgery. So I am going to combine some Healthcare with some Manufacturing in this blog. Consider yourself forewarned!

First, what to expect from us this coming year: much more on the value of mobility and the ability to collaborate across the global workforce, wherever they are (yes, that is Borderless Networks); then a lot on the vast amount of data presenting itself to the factory and from the factory to the enterprise (you will hear the term “data deluge”); also the impact of “the cloud” on the factory; also the growing prevalence of tablets and other smart devices in manufacturing operations. And we will undoubtedly have new areas of concentration throughout the year as new technologies take hold in manufacturing.

So, that is the preview of the year. But now I want to talk about my personal experience with Healthcare and how it relates to Manufacturing. Read More »

Tags: 2012, Borderless Networks, brain, cataract, cloud, collaboration, data deluge, education, eyes, healthcare, machine builders, Manufacturing, mobility, systems

Cisco Live UK (January 30^th-Feb 2^nd in London)  is right around the corner.  A good number of our attendees hail from the industrial verticals such as Transportation, Oil & Gas, Water/Waste Water Treatment, Automotive, and Food & Beverage and Consumer Packaged Goods.

These industrial companies are wrestling with business challenges such as reducing costs, speeding time to market and improving production uptime. How does Cisco play in the industrial space you ask? Read More »

Tags: 2012, Andy Manuel, Asset tracking, Borderless Networks, cisco live, Cisco Live UK, demonstration, Energy monitoring, Industrial Automation, Industrial Data Management, industrial ethernet, industrial wireless, Machine to Machine, Manufacturing, Remote telemetry, secure remote access, Workforce Enablement

Happy 2012, partners! Inspired by Channel Maven’s lively list of resolutions, I began to pontificate on Cisco’s new year’s resolutions for partners this year.

1. First and foremost: profitability.

C’mon, who doesn’t want more profits in 2012? Services now represent 40-50% of Cisco channel partners business, up from 20% five years ago. Our recently created Services Rules of Engagement offers partners a definitive roadmap on how to engage with Cisco Services and maximize your Cisco services investment.

Plus profitability programs like Cisco’s Value Incentive Program (VIP) ensure that you’re rewarded for focusing your practice on Cisco’s architectures. Stay tuned for new signup periods.

Check out the full list of incentives on Partner Central.

2. Helping partners help customers become one with the cloud.

To help ensure partners have a successful Year of the Cloud, Cisco’s Cloud Partner program (with three tracks) will help you prepare for growth in cloud adoption. Combine that with CloudVerse to help you build public, private, and hybrid clouds for customers and you’ve got a winning combo. You can’t lose with the intelligence of the network, the power of the data center, and the flexibility of cloud applications.

3. Work less! Programs and services to make your job easier. Read More »

Tags: architectures, Borderless Networks, cloud, hiring, IT, keith goodwin, marketing, partner, partner velocity, program, smb, social media, talent, VIP

Employees take Cisco’s corporate culture of environmental and social responsibility seriously. Some so seriously that they don protective gear and venture to the rooftops of Cisco office buildings in France and the United Kingdom to cultivate a greener world.

These Cisco employees are not modern day superheroes, but rookie beekeepers, intent on cultivating colonies of endangered bees to pollinate wild plants and food crops.

The European beekeeping project illustrates how people can use human and technology networks to multiply the positive impact of something they are passionate about. Read More »

Tags: Borderless Networks, collaboration, CSR, employees, england, Europe, France, shared value, United Nations