Retailers looking at the Big Data opportunity may well find themselves with an array of choices: the opportunities seem so vast, where does one begin?

Well, a pragmatic way forward is to focus on some pragmatic possibilities and then “follow the money”!

In examining the Big Data opportunity for retailers, Cisco IBSG has identified three key areas where we believe value can be generated through Big Data analytics – and we have put together a framework for assessing and comparing the financial impact of options within these areas.

As outlined in our previous report, “Surfing the Data Deluge: How Retailers Can Turn Big Data into Big Profits,” three areas – video, social and mobile data –promise unprecedented insights into what consumers want or need, at the earliest stages of interest, and will drive the Big Data thrust in retail over the next few years. These three essentials not only represent a major stream of incoming data, but also provide an outbound mechanism to communicate with customers on a more personalized basis. In other words, they are both a source of Big Data analytics and a way of implementing Big Data insights!
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Tags: analysis, analytics, Big Data, Cisco, high-definition cameras, IBSG, mobile data, retail, social media, video

If you’re in London this week for the 2013 Cable Congress, and have any interest in the roadmap and economics of cloud-TV, you don’t want to miss the keynote address by Jesper Andersen, SVP/GM of our Service Provider Video Technology Group.

He’s on at 4P on March 5, just after the international CTO panel.

What you’ll learn: Read More »

Tags: jesper andersen, Service Provider, video, videoscape

There has been a lot of good progress after the Plugfest launch for Media Services Proxy (MSP) at the ASIS (for IP Surveillance) in September 2012. The Plugfest was very well received by many IP Surveillance camera vendors, and the feedback has been very positive on why and how MSP is very useful for IP surveillance deployments. We have continued to engage with quite a few partners we met at the Plugfest to make sure we build on this partnership.

I am delighted to announce that the following partners have successfully completed the Interoperability Verification Testing (IVT) as part of the MSP CDN program:

• Flir Systems (Model: F-316)
• Hikvision (Model: ds-2cd754)
• Panasonic (Model: wv-sp509)
• Schneider Electric – Pelco Cameras by Schneider Electric (Model: IXE10LW)

These are our first set of partners to have been validated against Cisco Medianet’s MSP capabilities, which makes deployment and operations of these IP surveillance cameras simpler and effective on a Cisco network. We are working with the other partners and hope to provide updates very soon!

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Tags: business video, Cisco Developer Network, enterprise networks, Flir, Hikvision, IVT, media services proxy, medianet, msp, Panasonic, Schneider Electric, video

This is the third in a series of blogs comparing and contrasting the Microsoft and Cisco approaches to providing enterprise collaboration in the post-PC world. The first blog from Cisco SVP and GM, Rowan Trollope, discussed the differences between a purpose-built architecture and a desktop-centric approach that needs third party extensions to make a working enterprise-class system. The second blog discussed how the two companies are approaching the trend towards “Bring your own device” (BYOD) to work. Today’s blog discusses how the two companies deliver voice and video.

Suitable For Everyone or Restricted to Some…

We’re seeing more and more advisory labels on products these days that inform us whether they are suitable for everyone to use, or should be restricted to certain groups.  I’m wondering whether Microsoft should apply such a label to Lync? Let me explain, starting with Cisco’s point of view.   Read More »

Tags: business video, collaboration, instant messaging (IM), Microsoft, Microsoft Lync, Post-PC Era, research, survey, video, voice over IP, voip

Cisco, in partnership with Mobile Work Exchange, is eager to kick off the third-annual Telework Week from March 4-8. Telework Week 2013 is a global effort to encourage agencies, organizations, and individuals to pledge to telework anytime during this week. I plan not only to pledge to telework that week, but also to continue in my career of teleworking.

I have worked for companies based in San Jose, Tucson, Phoenix, Washington DC, Boston, and now San Jose again… all without leaving my beautiful home state of Ohio.  I adopted telework in 1993 and as Telework Week 2013 approaches, I wanted to share my story about my years as a teleworker. Let me start by saying I would not change a thing.

Telework Pros and Cons… But Are They Really Cons?

Do I miss having lunch with my colleagues? Sure. However, my dogs are pretty good companions because they never complain. Plus, the food in my kitchen is a lot better than any cafeteria food. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve missed being able to celebrate the milestones taking place in my colleagues’ lives in person, but I’ve made sure they always get a baby gift or a wedding gift.

What I don’t miss is the daily commute. Driving in rush-hour traffic or in snowstorms aren’t especially fun or productive and through telework, I’ve been able to get to work on-time every day. Also, my checkbook likes my lower insurance rates. On top of all of that, I am able to work in pajamas or sweat pants if I feel like it. For big projects that require more focus and concentration, I appreciate not having people dropping by to chat about their weekend.

Sometimes, people tell me I have it so easy working from home, being that I can come and go as I please. However, any teleworker will tell you it just doesn’t work unless you have regular office hours. My schedule still fills up with meetings just like my colleagues’ working from an office. What many people don’t know though is that it seems a lot harder to end the work day when your office is just a few steps or clicks away. Read More »

Tags: Cisco, collaboration, social media, TelePresence, telework, video, WebEX