I have recently returned from sampling the finest of New Orleans hospitality and hanging out with my wireless friends at the CTIA Wireless 2012 conference.  CTIA provides great insights into the wireless industry in one of the world’s biggest markets and technology superpower – the USA.  It’s hard not to compare CTIA with the recent Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.  While many of the things that I observed at MWC in February were equally visible at CTIA, I also observed a number of different items, or different slants on where the mobile industry was heading.  I am always amazed and overwhelmed at just how big the mobile ecosystem and economy are.  Unlike MWC, the CTIA show floor had a very healthy representation from all parts of the mobile ecosystem – everything from device accessories, to back-up power solutions, to applications, to CNBC broadcasting live, and many things that I couldn’t understand.  It makes you realize just how big this industry is and how innovation across all parts of the value chain have fueled this phenomenon.

The U.S. wireless industry feels like it is back on top.  Once the leader in innovation and customer demand, U.S. mobile lost much of that position over the last decade as it battled amongst itself on competing 3G technologies.  The U.S. now has 105% mobile penetration and 64% of the world’s LTE subscribers.  Not to mention that innovation in mobile has shifted back to the U.S., with the likes Read More »

Tags: byod, ctia, IBSG, LTE, M2M, mobile cloud, mobile operator, mobility, ott, Service Provider

By 2014, the average number of connected devices per knowledge worker is expected to reach 3.3, according to the Cisco IBSG Horizons Study released today. And a whopping 95 percent of respondents permit employee-owned devices in some way in the workplace.

Plus, more than three-fourths of IT leaders consider BYOD a gateway to greater business benefits, including increased productivity and greater job satisfaction. So there’s no doubt about it:  Work is fast becoming an activity, not a location.

But what does this mean for partners? Opportunity, of course. You’re in the enviable position to leverage Cisco’s new “Your Way” Smart Solutions to provide customers with a holistic approach to BYOD in the workplaces. These solutions are completely scalable, and also address mobility, security, virtualization, and network policy management.

The benefit to your customers, you ask? Cisco IBSG estimates that the annual savings from BYOD range from $300 to $1,300 per employee. Now that can really start to add up!

Want to know what you can begin selling today? Read More »

Tags: byod, cisco channels, Cisco IBSG Horizon Study, mobility, Smart Solutions, vxi, work your way

Today, Cisco is kicking off its “Your Way” campaign which is focused on the universally desired but sophisticated requirements around the delivery of mobile experiences.  Not just mobile access – that is simply changing an access type – but rather a mobile experience that maps to your needs depending on the device you’re holding, the service or application you’re using, the time and location you want it  — in sum, it’s a mobile experience “your way.”

You’ll see Cisco highlighting this in a variety of forums – from an opening webcast featuring Cisco CTO Padmasree Warrior  and BT to an array of on-going activities such as a dedicated website advertisements and even in future innovation announcements like the major one we’ll be having on June 5^th (you can register here to be among the first to hear the news. And when we do, you’ll see that we promote that such personalized, superior mobile experiences “don’t have to compromise the way of business.”

While that phrasing may make sense for the Bring Your Own Device trend in the Enterprise where many CIOs are concerned about security and compliance, how does it apply to Service Providers?

A number of ways: Read More »

Tags: mobile, mobility, multiple devices, padmasree warrior, Service Provider, your way

Until now, it’s been assumed that enterprise IT leaders probably view the current BYOD (“Bring Your Own Device”) movement with about the same enthusiasm as a farmer awaiting the next locust invasion.

A recent survey from the Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG), however, indicates that BYOD may no longer be a “four-letter word” in enterprise IT departments. In fact, the study of 600 U.S. enterprise IT leaders—all from companies of 1,000 or more employees—shows that, if anything, BYOD now has a predominantly positive reputation in U.S. enterprise IT circles. Read More »

Tags: Bring your Own Device (BYOD), Cisco, devices, Horizons, IBSG, IT, leaders, mobile, mobility, research, security, support, survey

The rapid evolution of mobile technology has changed many things, from how we work to how we communicate with our families and friends. From how we play to how we learn.

Webcast, May 16 & 17: The Network Built for the Mobile Experience

It started with the simple convenience that came from the portability of mobile phones and has escalated to smartphones and tablets that weigh less than two pounds, yet give us access to nearly anyone or any piece of information we might need, nearly anywhere. We customize them inside and out, from the cases we put on them to the information we put in them. We organize our applications, contacts, photos, videos, music, calendars, e-mail, and information exactly to fit how we find things best. It’s a device, yet it’s all very personal.

As these devices work their way toward ubiquity in our consumer lives, they’ve become prevalent in the workplace as well. It’s not just that people have their own phones and tablets, but they want to bring their own devices into their work lives. Read More »

Tags: bring your own device, byod, collaboration, employee satisfaction, mobile devices, mobile users, mobility, webcast, your way