Cisco Demonstrates Commitment to Global Internet of Things Ecosystem, Announces New Investments at Internet of Things World Forum

BARCELONA, SPAIN--(Marketwired - Oct 29, 2013) - To demonstrate its ongoing commitment to the rapidly accelerating Internet of Things market, Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) today outlined new investments that support Cisco's goals of developing innovation that contributes to the growth of the Internet of Things ecosystem.

At the Internet of Things World Forum, Cisco will announce its Internet of Things initiative, intended to accelerate creation and adoption of Internet of Things innovations in the market by helping to grow the startup ecosystem, technology partnerships and university research, with an initial focus on security, sensors, real-time analytics and applications.

Cisco will also unveil details of its Internet of Things Group, a newly formed business unit that brings together existing internal teams working in adjacent fields, tasked with evolving and developing solutions for customers that provide connectivity for varied and disparate sources of data, machines and people.

This group will focus on developing vertical business solutions that connect the previously unconnected influx of networked sensors, devices and things that will enable the Internet of Things, transforming today's business processes into dynamic, intelligent, data driven and innovative business operations.

Internet of Things Initiative

Cisco will continue its active role in identifying market transitions through a dedicated Internet of Things initiative comprised of a cross-functional internal team led by Maciej Kranz, vice president of the Corporate Technology Group within the office of the Chief Technology and Strategy Officer. The team will bring together company-wide efforts, including venture investments focused on the IoT ecosystem and is intended to accelerate IoT innovation for startups and entrepreneurs. Cisco has a unique opportunity to accelerate external innovations that complement internal solutions to help customers realize the potential of connectivity across disparate systems. 

Internet of Things Group

The Internet of Things Group will focus on the continued development of Cisco® networking solutions that combine plant switching, plant routing, field networking, physical security and embedded networks used across several vertical markets, including discrete manufacturing, oil and gas, mining, defense, transportation, smart cities, sports & entertainment, energy, and machine-to-machine operations for service providers.

The Internet of Things Group is a formal consolidation of several existing initiatives within the company, including Cisco's Connected Industries, Connected Energy and Physical Security businesses. The first of these business groups was created in 2006 to serve industries such as transportation, manufacturing, smart grid and smart cities, with the goal of helping customers identify and pursue unprecedented opportunities to realize dramatically greater value from networked connections between people, processes, data and things.

This cross-platform group is headed by Rob Soderbery, senior vice president and general manager of Cisco's Enterprise Networks business, and Wim Elfrink, Cisco's chief globalization officer and executive vice president of Industry Solutions. Cisco vice president, Guido Jouret, has been appointed as the general manager of the Internet of Things Group.

Internet of Things World Forum

These announcements were made today at the inaugural Internet of Things World Forum in Barcelona, Spain. The Internet of Things World Forum brings together global leaders, professionals and innovators representing markets such as manufacturing, transportation, oil and gas, utilities, healthcare, sports and entertainment, government, education and retail. The event will also address topics that aim to improve the lives of citizens in broad areas such as health, education, innovation, transportation, job creation, the environment and security.

Supporting Quotes

"The Internet of Things Group is an extension of Cisco's leadership in connecting the previously unconnected -- and doing it in an intelligent and comprehensive way," said Rob Soderbery, senior vice president and general manager, Enterprise Networks Group, Cisco. "Our premise is simple: instead of deploying lots of individual networks, each for a single industrial application, we say, 'put it all on one network.' Remember when data, voice and video all ran on different networks? It was expensive and fragmented. We solved that problem and we are solving this one."

"Cisco is focused on bringing new perspectives, technologies and solutions that anticipate and address customer needs around the world and across a broad spectrum of public, private, and technology sectors," said Wim Elfrink, Cisco's chief globalization officer and executive vice president of Industry Solutions. "Using the intelligence of the network as a way to connect what was previously unconnected opens up tremendous business and services opportunities that create new experiences and drive economic, social and environmental sustainability."

"The Internet of Things requires innovation in key technology domains, including sensors, networks, data analytics and control systems," said Guido Jouret, vice president and general manager, Internet of Things Group, Cisco. "We are going to solve the unique challenges of connecting things outside of the relatively tame environments inside company walls. We are going to address the control, resilience, security, analytics and application intelligence of IoT connectivity."

Supporting Resources

• Cisco's view of the Internet of Everything
• Cisco's view of the Internet of Things
• Cisco Unified Access Enables the Internet of Everything
• Cisco white paper on the Internet of Everything "Value at Stake"
• Cisco white paper: "The Internet of Everything; How More Relevant and Valuable Connections Will Change the World"

Tags/keywords: Cisco, Internet of Things, IoT, IoE, Internet of Everything, Rob Soderbery, Wim Elfrink

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