2016 - Page 65 of 221

August 26, 2016 8 Comments

Digitization at Cisco: A One-Year Perspective

Digitization at Cisco: A One-Year Perspective

By Kevin Bandy, SVP and Chief Digital Officer, Cisco

As I look back at my first year as Cisco’s CDO, I am excited about the progress we have made reimagining Cisco’s operating and business models. This tremendous work has built the foundation for Cisco’s future growth as we help our customers digitize their businesses.

I have met with more than 400 business and technology leaders from Cisco’s top customers. These engagements have given me an acute awareness of the challenges and opportunities they face on a global basis. This knowledge, combined with my experience transforming Cisco, has reinforced that what I anticipated a year ago has played out.

I have seen numerous examples of companies taking the wrong approach—confusing digital and digitization. When businesses have a “digital” mindset, they tend to automate existing processes, which only serves to institutionalize existing behaviors and competencies. Companies first need to build their digital operating models, beginning with culture and talent, moving through physical assets, business processes, and partner ecosystems, and then ending with offerings. Throughout this process, simplify by removing anything that does not align with the company you hope to build.

True digitization requires connecting all aspects of a business in a synchronized and cross-functional way. Companies must also create a continuous cycle of innovation in their product portfolios and operating models. Too many businesses are taking an incremental approach and hoping for radically different outcomes.

Digital Operating Model Components

I employ four guiding principles every day in defining and executing Cisco’s own digital transformation.

Rewrite the rules—incremental approaches do not work
Invest with the future in mind—capabilities that agility and continuous innovation deliver
Work cross-functionally; silos stifle transformation (see my CDO-CIO blog)
Develop both speed and endurance—you must act quickly, yet digitization is a marathon, not a sprint

By digitizing in this way, companies create the agility to evolve their operating models to take advantage of new opportunities and quickly respond to threats. These are critical capabilities in the digital world where companies in every industry are being disrupted and disaggregated at an alarming rate. In fact, companies must get used to actively evolving their operating models every 18-24 months, instead of 5-8 years as they could in the past. The time to digitize is now—tomorrow is too late.

How are you digitizing your business? Which operating model components are you currently transforming? I would love to hear about your experiences.

Keywords: digital, digitization, transformation, digital business transformation, CDO, reimagine, reengineer, operating model, business model, innovation, agility, digital business agility, talent

Authors

Kevin Bandy

No Longer with Cisco

Vulnerability Spotlight: Multiple DOS Vulnerabilities Within Kaspersky Internet Security Suite

Talos Group

Talos has discovered multiple vulnerabilities in Kaspersky’s Internet Security product which can be used by an attacker to cause a local denial of service attack or to leak memory from any machine running Kaspersky Internet Security software.

The vulnerabilities affect Kaspersky Internet Security 16.0.0, KLIF driver version 10.0.0.1532, but may affect other versions of the software too. Since anti-virus software runs with low level privileges on any system, vulnerabilities in these software are potentially very interesting for attackers. Although these vulnerabilities are not particularly severe, administrators should be aware that security systems can be used by threat actors as part of an attack, and keep such systems fully patched.

Authors

Talos Group

Talos Security Intelligence & Research Group

1 Comment

Beyond DRM: How to prevent video piracy in the digital age

Michal Brenner

Digital piracy is rife and stakes are higher than ever for service providers. So how can you build on DRM to reduce copyright infringement and minimize losses?

The very nature of video piracy means it’s tough to put an accurate figure on global levels. But some estimates claim illegal streaming makes up about 24% of global Internet traffic. Whatever the exact cost, it’s clear that pirate sites are hurting the industry.

If you fall victim to the scourge of the digital seas, it can lead to reputational damage, loss of broadcast rights, lost revenue and long legal battles.

The industry has always used conditional access and digital rights management (DRM) to protect content, whether that’s live sports, news, movies or hit TV shows. But on its own, it simply isn’t enough to deal with modern threats.

End points under attack

There are several ways attackers can get at that all-important video content. The easiest target is the end point: set-top boxes, PCs, laptops, game consoles, smart TVs, tablets and smartphones.

The main threats to devices include:

Device hacking, for example jailbreaking or rooting of iOS/Android devices, which overrides built-in security protections and makes content easier to steal.
App hacking to access unencrypted content.
Credential sharing/theft. This cost the industry US$500 million in revenue in 2015.
Illegal live re-streaming of content after capturing it unencrypted from legitimate end point devices.

Stem the tide

It’s vital to find a technology partner that can identify the methods and sources of piracy and shut down or at least disrupt the pirate services.

As the end point is most at risk, you need to:

Monitor how content is being delivered from that end point and ensure it’s going out over an approved secure link.
Install security controls to make sure the app hasn’t been tampered with. And deliver security updates when necessary.
Check the device itself hasn’t been compromised via a jailbreak, for example.
Look out for potential content leaks on online channels and networks. With the right tools you can close the loop by identifying and blocking the offending end point in real time. This applies most to live sports, where every second counts.

A holistic approach

Technology solutions such as the ones above can go a long way towards tackling video piracy. But don’t forget the non-technical tools at your disposal.

Pursue pirates through the courts to send a strong message to others. Having the tools in place to monitor the open internet and closed pirate networks for leaks will give you that vital evidence to support legal teams.

Just one leak can have a major impact on your business. As end-point devices are the weakest link here, you need to invest in tools that can target and secure content at this layer.

Authors

Michal Brenner

Marketing Manager

Service Provider Video Marketing

2 Comments

My buddy the building: The incredible potential of connected premises

Brian Walsh

An intelligent building that reacts to the movements and behavior of its inhabitants might sound like the opening scenes of a sci-fi movie. But it’s not. And it could open up a whole new world of opportunities for service providers.

The connected workplace offers countless possibilities. Imagine an office that reads facial expressions and reacts accordingly. It can adjust the lighting to help staff concentrate, or turn down the air-conditioning if they look sleepy.

Instead of having such building systems run on separate networks, you can now create a single smart building solution. One that brings together lighting, ventilation and air-conditioning, metering, CCTV, and physical security onto a converged IP network.

Another key reason to control these building services via the internet is to reduce costs. For example, presence sensors connected to lights can ‘tell’ the system that no one is in that part of the building. It will then dim the lights accordingly.

The building management system can be controlled via the cloud. Building tenants can access the system to set their own controls and policies for their own floors. This gives the tenant flexibility to pick and choose what service they want to use.

Smiles all around

Monitoring staff through facial recognition – even if used only to alter lighting and temperature control – might not suit some companies. But they could use that technology to improve the workplace experience. For example, for security, rather than using badges.

Think of the key people that will be interested in such intelligent building management systems, and why. CFOs will appreciate the operational cost savings. HR directors and CIOs will appreciate the potential increase in staff productivity and connectivity.

New possibilities

We live in a world where cities are becoming ever smarter. Public spaces are now more connected and the increased use of data analytics is helping to enhance those spaces.

These developments are now making their way into the office space. Just look at the integration between personal smart devices and their use in the workplace.

The drive towards internet-based connectivity is irresistible. Cisco predicts there will be more than 26.3 billion network devices and connections by 2020, nearly half of which will be “things”.

Find out more

It’s a great time for your business to drive new IoT services and create new profitable outcomes in a digital world. Learn more about Cisco’s Digital Ceiling solutions for smart buildings here.

Authors

Brian Walsh

Senior Marketing Manager

1 Comment

2 Simple Ways to Better Serve Your Customers

Jill Shaul

Turn off email alerts. Only accept meetings with an agenda. Take a morning to catch up after vacation. So simple yet so daunting.

Serving our customers can feel the same way. We know what we should do but putting it into practice feels like the day after vacation (good intention to start your day right away but you’re not sure where to begin).

This week our team breaks down two simple ways to better serve your customers.

Know everything you can about every customer

The more you know about your customers the better you can customize your solutions, services, offers, sales, and marketing to them. When you reach the right customer with the right thing (solution, service, offer…) at the right time, your sales increase and your customers are happier.

Seems simple enough but where should you start?

Andy Starr, VP, reveals how to build a path to customer success through data. He infuses reality (get ready to change some minds and mindsets; don’t expect change overnight) with benefits (data will help you streamline service and subscription renewals, uncover upsell and cross-sell opportunities, and predict customer behavior.)

Read Andy’s blog to learn more.

Pay attention to every customer every step of the way

Last week I shared why I only buy Acura and how it’s relevant to your sales and service strategy. The big reveal? The service I get after the sale keeps me coming back for more. We looked back at some of the best post-sale strategies. But here’s the thing: we need to pay attention to our customers every step of the way not just in one part of the journey (I warned you we were going back to basics!).

Again, seems simple but where should you start?

Kelly Crothers, Director, and Kelli Kirwin, Senior Manager, explain why (and how) you should start by building and end-to-end lifecycle practice. Analysis shows that partners that take this approach are significantly outperforming those that don’t. Kelly and Kelli share tips and tools to get started and to take the next step. They also reveal the key differentiator for our most successful partners.

Read this blog to learn more.

What’s next?

>> Fast Forward: We’ll share 5 tips to create customers for life and talk more about profitability, customer success, and architectures.

Authors

Jill Shaul

No Longer With Cisco

August 25, 2016 1 Comment

Cisco Goes Tactical at APCO

AJ Ramsey

APCO 2016, APCO International’s Annual Conference & Expo, is the premier event for public safety communications officials, from frontline telecommunicators to comm center managers to public safety communications equipment and services vendors, was held August 14 – 17, 2016. It provided four days of educational sessions, committee meetings and special events, paired with two full days of exhibits. Over 5,600 attendees from 22 countries representing a wide range of organizations, including law enforcement, fire service, emergency medical services, and government agencies, along with service providers and commercial vendors attended. Continue reading “Cisco Goes Tactical at APCO”

Authors

AJ Ramsey

Global Industries Marketing Lead

GMCC-Services Marketing

3 Comments

Pokémon Go: 5 Innovation Lessons from this Augmented Reality Check

Alex Goryachev

When launched July 6, Pokémon Go proved from the start that it could be much more than a global pop culture craze for gamers.

There’s more behind this game than searching Pokémon’s at your local landmarks, firing red Poke Balls, sprinkling stardust and capturing points on a smart phone.

The real take-away from Pokémon Go is that it shows market transitions can come from anywhere—even a game meant for kids of all ages. There’s no better time for innovators to take an augmented reality check on market disruptions.

Whether Pokémon Go is a fad or franchise, it reveals five lessons on how to identify, adapt and lead market transitions:

1. Market transitions often expose new ways to do business

They shift our perspective, present different ways of looking at things, transform experiences, change behaviors and create new business models.

Continue reading “Pokémon Go: 5 Innovation Lessons from this Augmented Reality Check”

Authors

Alex Goryachev

Senior Director, Innovation Strategy & Programs

Corporate Strategic Innovation Group

4 Comments

In the driving seat: How service providers can monetize smart cities

Brian Walsh

Service providers (SPs) hold the key to successful smart city projects by managing the essential network connectivity. But there can be confusion over how best to monetize these ambitious initiatives.

Urbanization is at the center of 21st century life. Just over half of the world’s population lives in cities today, and that figure will grow to two-thirds by 2050. With that comes huge economic, public health, environmental and other challenges. Part of the answer lies in the creation of data-driven smart city projects that can help forward-looking local authorities deliver public services to citizens more efficiently.

The question for Service Providers is: What role does you have in driving these projects? And how can you monetize them most effectively?

The PPP difference

Nearly every aspect of a modern city can be improved through the use of smart technology or the internet of things (IoT). That’s everything from lighting and waste collection to policing and parking.

Most projects today take the form of public-private partnerships (PPPs), with key participants being the city, a Service Provider, and technology solution partners. These often have many moving parts. But their real value is bringing together expertise not available inside the city administration to create innovative solutions that can tackle the problems of modern urban life.

PPPs are:

Cost-effective way to improve access to public services for residents and visitors
Catalyst for additional smart city investment from businesses and entrepreneurs
Delivered faster and more efficiently than wholly public-owned projects

Who does what?

Your business sits at the heart of the smart city, providing the vital network infrastructure that interconnects sensors (the ‘things’) with the data platforms and applications and end-users.

It’s all about data. That data is collected, aggregated and analyzed by solutions from technology partners to improve operations for city services, which are often directly accessible through apps by citizens themselves. This empowers them to make smarter decisions that will make their city a safer, cleaner and happier place to live in.

Monetizing the smart city

But it’s not always clear how you, as the service provider, benefit. Depending on the project, there are opportunities to:

Monetize the traffic over the smart city network
Charge for value-added smart city services such as smart lighting
Sell city data and analytics to app providers and businesses
Sell demographic data to advertisers
Provide endpoint security for things
Extend managed networks for use by business customers

The success or failure of any smart city rests on your services, which are at the beating heart of any project. With the right approach you can drive huge revenue growth, and create value for the local government, citizens and local businesses.

To drive smart city success, it’s vital to get buy-in from decision makers in local government. Create new business models that are services-based to generate recurring revenue streams. Also remember that return on investment can also be measured in environmental, social and other terms.

Finally, bring in the right tech partners to innovate your way to success and who can bring validated solutions, ecosystem partners, and proven track record of success.

Discover smart success

To see the awesome things your business can do with connectivity, check out Cisco’s Opportunities and Strategies in IoT webinar.

Authors

Brian Walsh

Senior Marketing Manager

2 Comments

Vegas Street Performers, HyperFlex, and VMworld

Eugene Kim

VMworld 2016 US is finally here!

In a town known for hype, HyperFlex is proving to be the real deal. The Cisco team is excited to bring HyperFlex to its very first VMworld in Las Vegas.

When I think about Las Vegas, the many street performances come to mind, and I feel like I’ve already been walking the strip with all the performances we’ve seen in the HCI industry this past week. HyperFlex is proving to be the hyperconverged platform of choice for VMware users with over 500 new HyperFlex customers across all industries and verticals around the globe in just the few months since its launch.

Cisco HyperFlex Systems is the end-to-end Cisco hyperconverged platform – engineered on the Cisco UCS platform. It offers customers a Cisco-convergence of: the Cisco UCS Servers for Compute, the Cisco HX Data Platform for Storage, and (what some solutions tend to forget) the Cisco UCS Fabric for Networking. HyperFlex is the next generation of hyperconvergence that enables customers new levels of end-to-end simplicity in their data centers.

HyperFlex offers several key features for VMware users such as:

Cisco hyperconverged infrastructure for all vSphere Editions such as Enterprise Plus, Standard, Essentials Plus
Factory installation and Day 0 automation of the VMware vSphere hypervisor on all HyperFlex Nodes
Ability to independently scale compute and storage
Simplified management and monitoring from within the HX vCenter plugin
VM-centric advanced data services such as cloning and snapshots that are VAAI certified
Rapid deployment and management of VMware Horizon 7 VDI seats

Learn more with the HyperFlex VSI Solution Brief.

Here are some more ways to experience HyperFlex at VMworld:

1. Schedule a One-on-One HyperFlex Briefing with our Team

Learn how HyperFlex can reinvent your data center with a One-on-One Briefing during VMworld. To schedule, please email with available times and days at: hyperflex-vip@external.cisco.com

2. Attend the Breakout Session: Cisco HyperFlex Systems: Next Generation Hyperconvergence

(EUC9922-SPO, Monday, Aug 29, 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m, Lagoon H, Level 2, Mandalay Bay Convention Center)

Come hear in-depth about HyperFlex with a tour of its integrated network fabric, powerful data optimization, enterprise storage management features, and unified management. There will also be previews of how HyperFlex is delivering new levels of cluster deployment, expansion, and automation simplicity. Register here

3. Visit the Cisco Booth and HyperFlexUp💪 on Demos

(Cisco Booth #1739)

See HyperFlex in VMworld action by visiting the Cisco booth. You will have a chance to FlexUp on the many HyperFlex Demos:

Cisco HyperFlex HX240s with UCS B200 Compute Nodes Rack
HyperFlex rapid deployment for VMware Horizon 7 VDI
HX Data Platform vCenter Plugin Tours
HX Cluster Deployment and Expansion Automation (Tech Preview)
HX HTML5 Monitoring and Reporting Dashboard (Tech Preview)
UCS Director for HyperFlex Workload Automation (Tech Preview)

4. Hang out at the Annual Cisco #vBacon Party Sponsored by HyperFlex

(Tuesday, Aug 30, 9:30 p.m., Rí Rá Irish Pub & Restaurant in the Mandalay Bay)

Meet with friends, peers, and Cisco executives in a relaxed, fun atmosphere while enjoying food, drink, and of course, bacon. RSVP here (if there is a Wait List – just show up and say you’re with me 😎).

As you can see, there will be no shortage of ways to HyperFlexUp💪 at VMworld!

I look forward to seeing you there.

Authors

No Longer with Cisco

Authors

Talos Security Intelligence & Research Group

Authors

Marketing Manager

Service Provider Video Marketing

Authors

Senior Marketing Manager

Authors

No Longer With Cisco

Authors

Global Industries Marketing Lead

GMCC-Services Marketing

Authors

Senior Director, Innovation Strategy & Programs

Corporate Strategic Innovation Group

Authors

Senior Marketing Manager

Authors

Director of Product Management for AI and Edge Computing Solution