This week, Cisco Corporate Social Responsibility followed Deborah Huyler and Andrew Torres, two Cisco Networking Academy Dream Team students, as they set up wireless access points, provided network troubleshooting, and soaked in the sights and sounds of NBA All-Star 2015. They shared their stories from Madison Square Garden, the Barclays Center, and other event venues through journal entries, photo slideshows, and videos!
Read Deborah’s final post below:
Hi everyone, this is going to be my last blog of the week! I had a great time working with the different technologies at NBA All-Star 2015.
I was lucky enough to meet NBA legend John Sparks as part of the NBA All-Star 2015 experience!
Today, I am pleased to share two more milestones marking the continued success of our open innovation strategy at Cisco, with Cisco EIR helping to lead the way.
Cisco EIR Demo Day 2014
On December 8th, 2014, we celebrated the successes of the startups in our inaugural cohort with our first Cisco EIR Demo Day (photos) a gathering of over 100 attendees, including Cisco business and technology leaders, VCs, partners and others from the Silicon Valley startup community.
Google Chromecast is a small streaming device that plugs into a HDMI port on any TV and allows any smartphone, tablet o PC to project “cast” information to the TV. A recent previous deployment guide helped you understand how to use this in a typical multi-vlan campus environment via the use of vlan select and AAA override.
Simple: not a word that you generally associate with IT and network management – until now.
At Cisco Live Milan, we introduced a Cloud-Managed IT solution based on Cisco Meraki, and showed over 8,000 Cisco customers and partners how easy IT management can be. It’s so easy, that practically anyone with a basic understanding of the network can use the Meraki dashboard to manage and configure the network quickly and easily.
During the opening keynote, we kicked off the Meraki Challenge, a fun contest which allows customers and partners to experience first-hand how fast IT can be with Meraki. It was particularly enjoyable to watch Cisco’s marketing team compete against and beat the systems engineering team on stage – it brought back fond memories of the Tortoise and the Hare story from my childhood.
Over a thousand partners and customers have already taken the challenge. Internally at Cisco, the contest inspired some fierce competition amongst us Type A sales and marketing folks. I completed the Meraki Challenge in 3 minutes and 55 seconds; do you think you can beat me?
Don’t take my word for it, see for yourself and take the challenge today. You can win an Apple or Android watch or even an all-expenses-paid tropical vacation. Not to mention serious bragging rights with your IT friends.
Cloud Managed Simplicity and Speed: Enabling Fast IT
With the digital business transformation, the role of IT is becoming more critical to business success. More and more IT managers are rethinking how to make their networks more agile and accelerate the roll out of applications that are critical to the business. The IT organizations for Motel 6 and Forever New are two recent customer examples where IT made a big difference in helping to deliver positive business outcomes for the company. Motel 6 deployed one of the world’s largest wireless networks supporting 1100 locations and 70,000 guestrooms in less than five months. Forever New provided point of sale iPad in more than 260 retail stores in 11 countries in less than 10 minutes per store. With Meraki, they were able to do it in just 5 months.
Cisco’s Meraki Cloud-Managed IT made it happen with a simple business philosophy: make IT dramatically easier to manage and monitor using cloud management. With one view of the entire IT landscape – applications, users, devices, network and compute – including critical LoB and IT metrics, IT managers are able to resolve problems quicker and make better decisions. With more than 200,000 Meraki networks deployed, the value of cloud-managed IT is clear.
So there is only one thing left for you to do now – learn more about Cisco Meraki and try it for yourself. Visit the Cisco Meraki Cloud-Managed IT solution website for more information. You can even try Cisco Meraki for free by requesting an evaluation, watching a demo, or getting a free access point.
Guest Blog collaboratively written by Leena Maasarani, Barbara Koch, Gina Cascio and Rehana Rehman.
What comes to mind when you think of Being Fearless? Perhaps you envision a person with strength, with courage maybe a risk taker or someone with strong convictions? The list is endless and that image is strikingly clear, however do we really know how to invest in ourselves to Be Fearless?
There have been many people like Emma Watson, Sheryl Sandberg and our very own Padmasree Warrior who have charged forward to champion the rights of women personally and in the workplace, cultivating young girls’ interest in STEM or simply encouraging the pursuit of a career in technology. Not only do they embody the idea of being fearless, but also they have trail blazed for other women so that we can all collectively stand out. Padmasree has previously shared in a Huff Post article,
“NMSI reports that men over age 25 held 87 percent of bachelor’s degrees in engineering fields. Only 23 percent of workers in STEM-related jobs are women, yet women make up 48 percent of workers in all occupations. The higher you go on the corporate ladder, the lower these numbers become. According to a report by the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT), women held just 9 percent of IT management positions and accounted for only 14 percent of senior management positions at Silicon Valley startups.”
With this astounding statistic, we need to come together and invest in that change by Being Fearless. At Cisco, there are countless programs, groups and collaboration across different teams to help bring forth this kind of change and we want to introduce you to an event that plans to do exactly that.
We are incredibly fortunate to be part of a team of dedicated and driven women collaborating towards leading a full day conference devoted to the development and advancement of professional women. The Women of Impact Conference is the consolidation of two of Cisco’s premier women’s events: International Women’s Day and the Women in Tech Forum. The conference attendees will come away with useful knowledge for their career development and advancement and an expanded network of professional allies. This is a Cisco event with invited participation from partners and customers. Attendees will be women at Cisco, their male supporters and allies as well as partners and customers.
The pace of change and innovation is accelerating faster than ever before; creating a new approach to the way we work, live, play and learn. Our focus this year is to empower attendees to Be Fearless – by taking risks, overcoming obstacles and blazing new trails in their personal and professional lives. The Conference focus is to connect, develop and inspire the women in technology at Cisco.
Connect: Expand your network of professional allies and mentors across functions and ecosystems
Develop: Come away with useful knowledge for career development and personal growth
Inspire: Interact and hear from role models who personify what it takes to Be Fearless
With that focus in mind, we will provide diverse panel discussions with thought leaders, practical workshops led by industry experts, structured networking sessions with peers and management and insightful key notes from Cisco executive leaders.
Epitomizing the “Be Fearless” theme is this year’s WoI Passion Project, Dress A Girl Around the World, an extraordinary organization dedicated to helping girls living in poverty and at risk for human trafficking to discover their self-worth, beauty and dignity. Cisco employees, partners and family members are coming together to connect, and show how much they care by creating one of a kind dresses that are as unique as each little girl.
Women of Impact is brought to you by:
Platinum Sponsors: Office of Inclusion & Collaboration (I&C)
Silver Sponsors: Global Strategic Partner Organization (GSPO) and Chief Technology and Strategy Office (CTSO)
Partners: Connected Women, Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) and Men for Inclusion (MFI), Community Relations
Our busy lives will always be there, however it’s important to keep in mind that we need to connect, develop and inspire and to continue to invest in our futures and ourselves by being part of the change in the ratio of women in the workplace.
We would love for you to join us this year, on March 19th, where our theme is Be Fearless. Stay tuned for our featured Fearless Females blog stories in the upcoming weeks leading up to our conference.
This week, Cisco Corporate Social Responsibility will follow Deborah Huyler and Andrew Torres, two Cisco Networking Academy Dream Team students, as they set up wireless access points, provide network troubleshooting, and soak in the sights and sounds of NBA All-Star 2015. They’ll be sharing their stories from Madison Square Garden, the Barclays Center, and other event venues through journal entries, photo slideshows, and videos!
Read more about Andrew’s networking experiences below:
Yesterday, I was lucky enough to start my Cisco Networking Academy Dream Team experience at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. I must say — sitting courtside and watching the NBA staff organize the venue was impressive.
I never would have guessed that the different vendors and trades would work so well together. After helping the NBA’s IT team, I saw how well the operation was coordinated.
During an average day of surfing the web via computer, smartphones, and tablets, we are constantly deluged by advertising. Total annual Internet advertising revenue will approach $200bn by the year 2018, making it an extremely lucrative business and in turn an attractive attack vector known as malvertising.
February is here. Winter is in full swing on this side of the equator. Summer is grasping the other. I know it’s been a warm one so far for our friends in Australia. But snowfall amounts in the Northeast has our ski areas in Northern California and the Rockies so envious. Such is Mother Nature right?
Recently, our team announced some important details for our Switching and Wireless products.
I thought I would take the time to let you all know more on these announcements.
First up, Nasser Tarazi, Wireless Product Manager, announced two new models. We will cover the new WAP351 this week and the new WAP131 next week.
The New Cisco WAP351
The new Cisco WAP351 perfect for conference rooms, classrooms, hospitality and other flexible deployments. It offers Dual Radio (2.4Ghz and 5Ghz) wireless N connectivity, a 5-port Switch with PoE PD and PSE support, Single Point Setup, Captive Portal and comes with Limited Lifetime Warranty.
The WAP351 offers something new to the Wireless portfolio. Here is a quick Power Over Ethernet (PoE) primer. PoE Powered-Device (PD) is the ability to power the device through an PD-capable Ethernet port. PoE PSE (Power Sourcing Equipment) is the ability to supply power a device connected to a PSE-capable Ethernet port. In terms of power, a standard PoE port can support a maximum output of 15W, while a PoE+ port supports up to 30W.
Now, back to the WAP351. As mentioned above, the WAP351 support both PD and PSE. This means if the WAP351 is connected to a PoE+ switch like the SG300-10PP, the WAP351 can be power through PD-capable Ethernet port, while at the same time powering a standard PoE device like a phone or another AP, like the WAP131 through the WAP351’s designated PSE-capable Ethernet port.
More on Wireless Access Points and PoE:
PoE: Power over Ethernet. PoE enables Power and Data to be combined onto a single Ethernet cable to power devices such as access points, IP phones, or IP cameras
PSE on a WAP is exclusive to the new WAP351
A WAP with PSE is attractive for verticals such as education, hospitality, and smaller offices and meeting rooms where both wired and wired access is required
PoE enables WAP’s or other endpoint devices to be installed where power typically is not available, such as on a wall or ceiling. This allows for greater flexibility during deployments.
All Cisco Small Business WAP’s support PoE PD
Dual-Radio WAPs requiring 802.3af PoE power = WAP131, WAP351, WAP561
Dual-Radio WAPs requiring 802.3at PoE+ power = WAP371, WAP351 when using the PSE with full power budget
The WAP351 can be powered by 48V/1.25A external DC power if a 802.3af/t PoE switch is not used or available
The WAP351 can provide 6w of PSE when using 802.3af
Ok you got it? Make sense?
Cisco 300 Series Switches
In other news:
Switching Product Manager Michael Wynh announced several price reductions on the ever-popular 300 Series Switches. This is good news for our customers and channel partners alike. Businesses can maximize their budgets and take advantage of Cisco’s class-leading PoE switching products. For more information on these important updates, please contact your local Cisco Representative or check out our support community.
That is it for now. Thanks for hanging out with us.
For me the interest is to look into the APAC specific trends and the unique characteristics of this very diverse region. APAC averages show trends similar to the Global view, but let’s compare super developed Japan with the developing markets in Indonesia and India also:
Cisco VNI Mobile Data APAC Statistics for 2014
Some observations on demand; Developed markets are already dominated by smart devices and their large data consumption, but driven by new connections (multiple devices per user and M2M(machine 2 machine)) demand still grows. Developing markets are still migrating Continue reading “APAC leads Global mobile trends”
