It is no secret that alternative communication devices including tablets are taking a big chunk of the market away from what normally would be “PC territory”. Clearly the popularity of tablet form-factor devices is soaring.  The craze started in the consumer space and has definitely made waves in the enterprise market, too. If you do a search for “tablets in the enterprise” you’ll likely see north of 79 million results.

Cisco wanted to know what was top of mind for IT managers when it comes to tablet form-factor devices hitting their networks. So we asked them—1500 of them, from the US, UK, Canada, France, Spain, and Germany.

What were their thoughts on the “bring-your-own-device (BYOD) to work phenomena? Which country has the most security concerns? Which country leads in tablet requests from employees? How do they feel about issues like access to company applications?

This infographic shows some of the results that we found most intriguing; read our press release for more.

be sure to check out the press release for more details like these:

Read More »

Tags: Cisco Cius, collaboration, enterprise tablets, global survey, Tablets

This is the time of year that some of us bloggers decide to pontificate about the New Year that’s to come and what it will hold. Well more of that from me and my colleagues in a few days time.

Edison - courtesy Library of Congress

With just a few days left in 2011, I see that the incandescent light bulb is on its last legs, according to legislation that passed through Congress in 2007, and is being enacted by the Federal government soon. California has already started it’s ban on the old light bulbs ahead of time – no more three-way light bulbs! What are we going to do now?! Poor Edison – one of his key inventions put out to grass as it were!

There are some things difficult to predict – Samoans will go to sleep tonight on Thursday and tomorrow wake up on Saturday, so that they can be more in line with their trading partners in the west, like Australia. That’s a way of localizing your supply chain. Who would have predicted that?

Manufacturing Gurus at work...

Caffeinated beer is on its way out too. Never tried the stuff myself, but I don’t think it will stop folks drinking energy drinks and vodka cocktails. I remember enjoying a couple of those at the Minus5 bar at CiscoLive 2011 in Vegas this year with some colleagues. It was a way for the sponsor to get us to take notice of what they did and work with them in the networking industry. Funny, but after a couple of those special drinks none of us could remember what on earth it was they were trying to sell us! Note to self: don’t use that method in our marketing campaigns!

So, back to Edison’s predictions. Oh yes, he made some in 1911 and predicted what the world would be like in 2011, so let’s see how well he did 100 years on. I predict that Edison’s predictions will be mostly 50/50 by the year end. Here’s why.  He said: Read More »

Tags: 2011, 2012, cisco networking, Cius, edison, gold, kindle, light bulb, Manufacturing, nook, predictions, Tablets

To ensure its facilities stay on the cutting edge of healthcare and technology, the federal government plans to purchase 100,000 tablet computing devices for its Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals, according to Nextgov.

It’s a move that makes a lot of sense, as Fierce Mobile Healthcare notes in a recent story. Tablets represent the most current technology available, and their presence in a hospital lures medical students to fight for positions, as they perceive the technology as top-of-the-line, according to the article. The devices save hospitals money by preserving funds that would otherwise go towards more expensive PCs or laptops, and they save physicians time by streamlining documentation and administrative procedures, the article said.

There’s one more crucial thing a tablet brings with it to the hospital: telepresence. With telepresence at their fingertips, doctors can remotely follow-up on their patients, yet still see their patients “in person.” They can provide care to chronically ill patients living far from the hospital, review x-rays clearly and precisely, and access continuing education resources.

We’ve had the fortune of seeing the tablet in action at a healthcare facility. Palomar Pomerado Health in Southern California uses Cisco’s Cius tablet to enable physicians to access full patient histories anytime, anywhere. This access speeds the reporting of test results and the delivery of prescriptions and medications. Doctors also use the Cius to support Cisco TelePresence.

While there are security and other mobile device management issues to consider, both Apple- and Android- based applications are beginning to take these barriers into account and fine-tune security on their devices, according to Nextgov. The Cius, for example, built from the ground up with security in mind, has security functions in place at all levels, from the hardware to the network access and from enterprise access to mobile security.

With anytime access to telepresence, patient records, administrative tools, and more, the VA stands to greatly enhance its patient care as it evolves its technology to the tablet. Knowing confidential information remains secure with tablet technology, could your agency or office benefit from having telepresence and expanded network access on the go?

Tags: Cius, healthcare, hospitals, Tablets, TelePresence, VA, Veterans Affairs

Tablets are taking the networking world by storm! As engineers, the real fun and value to the network comes when you start designing your own apps -- custom made apps for YOUR business, but programming is not something you learn overnight. This is where the Cisco Cius comes in – with one of the best developer programs available…designed for everyone from Android beginners, to veteran Android developers looking for new opportunities in the enterprise!

The Cisco Cius utilizes the full power of the Android SDK and delivers additional functionality to developers with Cisco Cius Add-on. Join Cisco’s TechWiseTV Chief Geek Jimmy Ray Purser as he hosts one of Cisco’s top Cius code jockeys Larry Michalewicz. We are going to start from the beginning and show you how to build your very first Cius app. We’ll be with you all the way to show you the basics of getting started, using development tools, testing, permissions and how to use the Cisco developer community for your future apps as well. Be cautioned, writing apps is addictive! You’ll never look at your network the same way again. If your apps are good enough, you can even sell then in the Cisco App Store!

Want to learn how to get started with application development, then this is the workshop for you! Experts will be available at the live event for Q&A.

Date: Wednesday, November 9
Time: 10:00 a.m. PT/17:00 GMT
Register and calendar reminder: http://bit.ly/CLVtwt

Tags: Android, cisco live virtual, Cius, Jimmy Ray Purser, Tablets, TechWiseTV

Oh, how I wish tablets were around when I was providing patient care as a Registered Nurse on a busy surgical floor! I had a legion of patients, and masses of information to find and remember ‘in the moment.’ It seemed like I could never find the person or the equipment I needed fast enough.

Sometimes, the most practical option was to take pen to paper (or to my scrubs) to jot down a note, and then go find the information I needed in a chart, the EHR, or reference once I got back to the nurses station. Could I have delivered more timely, efficient and safer care if I had access to the information and data I needed at the patient’s bedside? You bet I could, and here’s how!

Tablets!

Tablets provide information access at one’s fingertips – especially at the patient bedside – helping doctors and nurses to render quick, safe and sometimes lifesaving care. This is echoed in Institute of Medicine (IOM) reports calling for direct care providers to have quick access to electronic references. Moreover, up to 70% of sentinel events in healthcare are caused by poor communications, according to a Joint Commission study (1995-2006). Given these findings, tablets offer a new and improved way to ensure patient safety because up-to-the-minute information and immediate communication is readily available where and when needed.

Tablets help save time by increasing mobility and productivity, reducing errors and keeping information readily accessible within the clinician’s reach.

Come on clinicians … no mater if you are a doctor, nurse, respiratory therapist, case manager, educator or another team member … surely you can think of all kinds of ways tablets could enable you to have the information you need when you need it. You and your patients will be all the happier and satisfied for it.

I quickly came up with a short list of ways that tablets, one of several mobile devices, can make a difference for patient care delivery:

1. Workflow efficiencies by having access to information and data at the point of care
2. Real-time communication amongst team members while in different locations
3. Video consultations
4. Patient education
5. BCMA and real-time drug interaction checking … possibility for a real-time pharmacy consult at the patient’s bedside via voice or video conferencing
6. Clinician satisfaction

My questions to you: Have you used a tablet to deliver patient care? If so, what has been your experience – is the tablet adding real value, or is it just “another toy”?

Let us know what you think!

Tags: clinicians, ehr, healthcare, Tablets, Video consultations, workflow