March 2009 was an exciting time for both for Cisco and for me personally. Cisco launched the revolutionary Unified Computing System, with many observers across the industry doubting if we’d stay the course (and if we’re honest, some truly misplaced derision -- I wonder who is on Planet Zircon now!). And I joined the Cisco Data Center Services team from the Cisco R&D organization! So with the recent third generation launch of Cisco UCS, described very well by my colleague Todd Brannon, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on our data center services portfolio around that time, and where we are now. My previous blogs chronicle part of this journey, however I have to say, the direct comparison I draw here I personally think shows that we have indeed brought a new transformational experience to the data center for our customers. And I’d like to give you my personal recollections on how and what I found out about Cisco’s approach to shaking the incumbents’ lack of innovation in the blade server market.
The growth of mobility is unprecedented. Nearly 80 percent of the world’s population now has access to a mobile phone, and new devices are helping enable many more applications and services.
At the same time, cloud has become the new way of delivering—and charging for—IT services and functionality. Technology services and apps are increasingly being delivered and paid for on demand from remote data centers, accessible through the cloud of interconnected networks that constitute the Internet.
So many applications and services can now be accessed through simple browsers and delivered through the cloud. Cisco’s Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG) wanted to know what happens when the hot technology trends—“mobility” and “cloud”— collide. So IBSG surveyed more than 1,000 U.S. mobile users to understand their current and future needs, and learn how they prefer to pay for mobile cloud services. The findings help operators understand the size of the opportunity, develop strategies for success, and differentiate their offerings.
“It’s a boy!!!” my friend Kim told me just minutes after her 18 week ultrasound. Even though we were texting I could tell her excitement was restrained despite the exclamation points. Later that day she shared “he’s healthy but…[big inhale]…he has a cleft lip [even bigger exhale]”
This unexpected information meant more tests for her and her unborn son, Mason. It meant a series of surgeries starting at 6 months until age 5. It brought a lot of anxiety to Kim’s entire family.
In addition, the diagnosis raised a lot of questions such as, “Will Mason be okay? How will my family support him and cope with our baby having surgery? Will my insurance cover all that is needed to treat his cleft lip? Will his treatment be personalized? Will I…will he…be subjected to unnecessary tests? Will there be a lot of tests? Can I trust that his healthcare team is up to date on all the latest treatments? Will there be a team of healthcare experts to support us as Mason recovers from each surgery?”
Kim had a lot to prepare for and wanted to feel confident about Mason’s healthcare team. She wanted to know that the most experienced doctors would provide the best care possible based on leading industry practices. What she wanted most was peace of mind that her son would be ok.
Improving the outcomes of patients like Mason while simultaneously alleviating the burden on physicians is no easy task. It takes a bold and innovative company to tackle such a challenge, one who is at the forefront of the healthcare industry and can envision improved care, better outcomes, and healthier people.
CareCore National is such a company. The company currently has contracts with more than 25 health plans working with 600,000 physicians providing care to 68.8 million people.
CIOs around the world are at the center of technology trends such as cloud, social media, consumerization of IT, and mobility. This is the third blog in a four-part series (Read Part I)(Read Part II) exploring and sharing how CIOs around the world are responding to these trends and creating new ways to innovate, grow, and deliver superior customer experience.
Back in 2006, Gartner Research predicted that no company would be able to build or sustain a competitive advantage over the next few years unless it capitalized on the combined power of individualized workers and social dynamics. The “Future Worker of 2015,” Gartner said, would collaborate more, work alone less in order to be successful. Read More »
It has been three months since we launched the most complete end-to-end cloud solution in the industry with Cisco CloudVerse, and so far it has been a huge success. The data center has finally been unified, and now it is connected to the intelligent network to deliver applications and services anywhere, and at any time.
2012 marks the beginning of an explosion in cloud traffic. Cloud services, combined with the shift towards mobile consumption and bring-your-own-device (BYOD), are driving IP traffic at an unprecedented rate. Just look at these statistics from Cisco’s Global Cloud Index: Read More »
