Interesting trends are taking root around us and one of them is convergence. The term conjures up different thoughts depending on our background and experiences. Economists may say convergence is the parity of per capita income around the world. Convergence for telecom is the combination of voice, data and entertainment services. So what does it mean for data centers? In one of my recent informal webcast polls of technologists, one opinion was that convergence implied the union of telecom and IT. Reality is that data centers now are the hub and source for voice, video, data and application services.
So if we look at application workloads running in data centers, there are four infrastructure capacity variables -- CPU, Memory, Storage and Network. One approach is to optimize on the utilization of one of these variables. If we decide to optimize on Storage, then it must be virtualized and/or provided as a service. Implementation would involve purchase of the best of breed storage hardware, and building highly skilled teams to manage, tweak and optimize performance of the storage resources. Similarly a COE(Center of Excellence) for servers (CPU and Memory) must be formed for servers and for networks. This implies that any project would involve multiple teams and project management would be a challenge, to put it lightly. This reminds me of my mainframe experience in relation to the distributed platform. We could get an entire application developed, tested and ready to go before getting a RACF id to even access the mainframe.
As we celebrate the five-year anniversary of Cisco TelePresence, I think back on some of the most notable milestones and how we’ve helped transform the way businesses communicate and collaborate. We’ve changed the way people work and the way people learn; we’ve learned to do more with less and work across the globe. With telepresence, we’ve replaced countless hours of travel and given time back to companies and employees, while at the same time bringing people closer together despite great geographic distances between them.
I recently had surprise call from my five-year-old daughter via telepresence. She wanted to tell me about her day, so she sat down at our home telepresence end point, pushed where she saw my name, and with one touch she was talking to me in high definition. The same age as Cisco’s TelePresence technology, my daughter was able to call me from home, while I was at work. I am confident that in the years to come telepresence technology will proliferate to the point that all children will expect to see their parents live when they call them on video, just as my daughter already does.
Have you ever wished that your coffee were automated?
Do you like Chicago in November? Do you want to talk to industry experts? Do you want to know how voice, video and data converge on the plant floor?
All answers point to ‘Yes’!
Rockwell Automation Fair is fast approaching. It will be held at the McCormick Convention Center, Chicago, from November 15th-17th. Over 13,000 attendees are expected to attend this annual showcase of manufacturing solutions. The event is free for attendees, and Cisco will have a major presence there.
Watch Kevin Davenport, Cisco Manufacturing Guru, channel his inner old-spice man as he convinces you that attending Automation Fair is an absolute must. Also, be sure to check out all of Cisco’s social media activity planned for the event.
After all, Ike knows convergence, and you should hang with Ike.
How many meetings have you spent being distracted by characters such as the heavy breather, the distracted driver or the hold music culprit? Web meetings can be a really productive way to stay in touch and work together with your colleagues and clients but there are many considerations to keep in mind to make sure you’re not a meeting offender. We pulled together a short video with some pointers to remind us all of the standard WebEx etiquette.
5 WebEx Etiquette Tips
1. Look your best: WebEx is the ideal place to hone what we like to call your “business mullet”: business up top, party below the camera. If you keep things professional (read: no bathrobes or Hawaiian shirts), you can feel free to wear your sweats and slippers when not in view. Just remember to turn your camera off before you stand up or else be ready for the onslaught of office hazing. (see this in the video at :32)
2. Know when to share video: Many computers and mobile devices now offer built-in cameras, which are a great way to connect with the people you meet with… but not every situation is the same. Use common sense – keep your camera off while you’re driving or in a chaotic environment such as the airport that will be distracting for others involved. Put it on when you want to have a more natural conversation or show product details and examples. (see this tip in the video at :54)
3. Keep your microphone muted: You can’t always control when your doorbell will ring, when the car behind you honks or when your neighbor’s dog will go after the mailman. When in doubt, keep your line muted (either on your phone or by manually muting yourself on WebEx). If you’re the meeting host, you also have the power to mute people manually so you don’t waste precious time asking the heavy breather to tone it down. Read More »
Many Cisco partners have indicated they want to learn more about how to leverage social media to generate leads, to listen to customers, interact, and network. But you’ve also told us you aren’t sure where to start. We’re here to help!
We’ve marshaled our resources and developed an ebook, “The Cisco Channels Guide to Social Media” to help Cisco partners develop a strategy, set goals, and launch a social media presence.
Take a look at our ebook, download a copy, and share the link via your social networks. Be sure to let us know in the comments if this book was helpful, if you have your own social media successes and insights to share, and which tools you’d like us to cover next time.
Keep reading to view the ebook and download your own copy. Read More »
