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Tag: Cisco

  • StarHub Earns Cisco Certifications, Boosts Tech Leadership

    StarHub Earns Cisco Certifications, Boosts Tech Leadership

    These accomplishments showcase StarHub’s ability to provide secure, scalable IT and customer engagement solutions with extensive expertise and a strong service delivery record. With Cisco‘s enhanced technologies, StarHub is better prepared to assist businesses in modernizing their operations and improving customer connections.

    Tan Kit Yong, Head of Enterprise Business Group at StarHub, stated, “This recognition goes beyond technical excellence; it confirms our dedication to enabling significant transformation for our customers. As technology becomes increasingly crucial for business success, we are committed to delivering intelligent, future-ready solutions that help our customers operate more efficiently, work smarter, and lead confidently.”

    The Cisco Premier Provider Certification is given to partners who consistently offer high-quality managed services with proven technical skills. Additionally, the Cisco Powered Webex Contact Center Specialization acknowledges StarHub’s ability to provide advanced, artificial intelligence (AI)-powered contact center solutions on a large scale.

    Jamie Romanin, Director of Webex Customer Experience at Cisco Systems, Asia Pacific, Japan, and China, expressed, “At Cisco, partnership is central to our operations. We are thrilled to collaborate with StarHub as a valued Premier Provider Partner and congratulate them on achieving the Cisco Powered Services Webex Contact Center Specialization. This accomplishment demonstrates their deep understanding of our contact center solutions and their proven ability to effectively deliver managed solutions. Together, we will empower more businesses to utilize Webex Contact Center and Webex AI Agent to transform customer engagement and achieve meaningful business results.”

    For businesses, this means quicker solution implementation, streamlined support processes, and consistent service quality, all supported by StarHub’s team of certified experts and Cisco lifecycle services. As customer and IT requirements evolve, StarHub remains committed to keeping technology simple, reliable, and designed to deliver tangible results.

  • Indosat partners Cisco for first commercial SRv6-based 5G-ready transport network in Southeast Asia

    Indosat partners Cisco for first commercial SRv6-based 5G-ready transport network in Southeast Asia

    Indosat Ooredoo, Indonesia’s leading digital telco, announced the first commercial deployment of Segment Routing over IPv6 (SRv6) in Southeast Asia to support the development of its 5G services across the country. Partnered with Cisco, Indosat Ooredoo is transforming its Transport infrastructure into a state-of-the-art, programmable, 5G-ready transport network supported by IPv6 segment routing technology (SRv6) with Network Slicing, which enables a simple, scalable, agile, and reliable network to meet the needs of retail and business segment customers.

    This new technology, along with Indosat Ooredoo wide fiber optic network expansions, will support the growing demand for mobile data consumption with the emergence of newer technologies like Cloud Computing and Network slicing. SRv6 intelligent routing functionality that enables deterministic routing paths will guarantee high quality and low latency on-demand services with faster data connectivity and full automation required to serve digital communities throughout Indonesia. In addition, network slicing allows Indosat Ooredoo to create new digital services for each customer by enabling the functions that cater to their needs.

    Indosat Ooredoo, in partnering with Cisco, will accommodate the new requirements of 5G use cases of many business segments and industries, including fixed and mobile broadband services, through fully automated SRv6 infrastructure, and seamlessly migrate the currently existing network to the next generation software-defined network to improve customer’s digital experience with optimized TCO as one of the key elements of its network automation and digital transformation strategy.

    “We are excited with the launch of Southeast Asia’s first SRv6-based 5G-ready transport network together with Cisco to support Indosat Ooredoo’s digital transformation journey, addressing our consumers and enterprise customers’ needs for on-demand and scalable network requirements. This is a major step in building our Next-Generation Programmable Transport Network that is future-ready, scalable, with automated operations enabled by Software Defined Network (SDN) and intelligent segment routing functions of SRv6. This will allow us to deliver fast, on-demand, high-quality low-latency connectivity services for 5G, cloud computing and IoT for both consumers and enterprises across Indonesia establishing a strong foundation for 5G architecture moving forward to support Indonesia’s vision as a fully digital nation” said Medhat Elhusseiny, Chief Technology and Information Officer of Indosat Ooredoo.

    “Indosat Ooredoo has an intense focus on improving service quality for its customers while driving the efficiency as well as the new revenue creation,” said Sanjay Kaul, President of APJ Service Provider, Cisco. “With the launch of SRv6 network programming, Indosat Ooredoo is pioneering the next phase of IP networking through simplification, automation, and championing the needs of its customers. With the capabilities provided by SRv6, Indosat Ooredoo, powered by Cisco, aims to support Indonesia as it continues its digital economic transformation to drive operational efficiencies, customer experience, as well as product and service innovation across their organizations. Together, Indosat Ooredoo and Cisco can ensure a better network, digital experience, and a more inclusive future for all Indonesians.”

  • Rakuten Mobile partners Cisco to advance network for 5G and IoT services

    Rakuten Mobile partners Cisco to advance network for 5G and IoT services

    Cisco and Rakuten Mobile, Inc. today announced a major milestone for Rakuten Mobile’s network infrastructure in support of efforts to build a better, more inclusive internet for the future.

    Rakuten Mobile operates the world first’s fully cloud-native mobile network. It launched 4G service in Japan in April 2020, and launched 5G non-standalone (NSA) services in September 2020 in record time. With four million subscribers today, Rakuten Mobile continues to advance and scale its network to support new demands driven by the growth of remote and mobile workers.

    With the implementation of Segment Routing over IPv6 (SRv6) and Cisco Routed Optical Networking, Rakuten Mobile plans to expand its capabilities to support enterprise customers with 5G and IoT services. To support its future 5G SA services with network slicing capabilities, Rakuten Mobile will introduce SRv6 micro-segments, an extension to the SRv6 network programming model that is key to addressing multi-domain 5G deployments across its network. Cisco Customer Experience (CX) will plan and implement the overall architecture and design.

    Transitioning to SRv6 will help Rakuten Mobile increase network resiliency and support a wider range of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) that are foundational for upcoming 5G and IoT services. With Cisco Routed Optical Networking, Rakuten Mobile can consolidate coherent pluggable optics into a router, making the entire network more automated to deploy services faster (from 100 days down to 40), reduce power consumption by nearly 30 percent, and increase profitability through high-quality services at a competitive price.

    “Reimagining mobile networking is at the very heart of Rakuten Mobile’s strategy, and our decision to go full-speed ahead on SRv6 and Cisco Routed Optical Networking demonstrates our effort to take advantage of technology innovation at every layer of the stack,” said Tareq Amin, Chief Technology Officer, Rakuten Mobile. “We knew that Cisco would walk in lock-step with us as we worked through each phase needed to implement this new technology and align it to our business goals.”

    “Cisco and Rakuten Mobile are on a path to profoundly change the way network infrastructure is built, in order to connect as many people as possible to quality internet services,” said Jonathan Davidson, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Mass-Scale Infrastructure Group, Cisco. “Rakuten Mobile continues to mark important milestones to take its network to the next-level, and together we are showcasing the blueprint for the internet for the future to support our world of wireless and cloud- powered experiences.”

  • Cisco unveils digitalization program for South Korea’s digital transformation

    Cisco unveils digitalization program for South Korea’s digital transformation

    South Korea, Asia’s fourth-largest economy, and Cisco, a worldwide leader in technology, announced the launch of a collaborative framework under Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) program to accelerate digitization across the country and power an inclusive recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The framework was introduced at a virtual event attended by Fran Katsoudas, Executive Vice President and Chief People, Policy & Purpose Officer at Cisco, Guy Diedrich, Vice President and Global Innovation Officer at Cisco, and Bum-Coo Cho, President at Cisco Korea, with opening remarks from South Korea’s Prime Minister, Sye-Kyun Chung, Chairman of the National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee, Won-Wook Lee, and the People Power Party’s floor spokesperson Hyung-Du Choi. The event was also joined by ecosystem partners Naver Cloud, Samsung Electronics, and Kwangwoon University, who outlined the scope of their collaboration on major CDA projects in South Korea.

    The CDA program in Korea is strategically aligned with the government’s Digital New Deal strategy which is designed to propel recovery measures from the pandemic and help prepare for future growth through advanced digital capacity. The program also follows the government’s I-Korea 4.0, a policy brand that aims to prepare the Fourth Industrial Revolution with intelligent technologies.

    “Cisco has helped the digital transformation in education by offering free video conferencing solutions to education institutions during these difficult times. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Cisco for its support and commitment to making the future bright through social investment in various areas such as IT talent cultivation. I expect IT companies like Cisco to closely work with public institutions and universities, creating synergy in fostering people-centered digital infrastructure. The government will spare no effort to provide support for it,” said Prime Minister Chung.

    “Our CDA programs help power an inclusive future for all through innovative technology initiatives like our 5G and cloud infrastructure solutions. We are very pleased to introduce the program in South Korea and support the government and businesses in achieving their economic and digitization goals as we recover from the global pandemic together,” said Fran Katsoudas, EVP and Chief People, Policy & Purpose Officer at Cisco.

    The CDA program in South Korea will drive various initiatives, with specific focus on the following areas:

    • 5G B2B:Cisco will drive 5G B2B technology innovation by working closely with Kwangwoon University. Cisco will help develop and test new 5G network solutions to bring more value to enterprises and enhanced network experiences to customers.
    • Cloud:Cisco will integrate its cloud solutions with the largest Korean cloud vendor ‘Naver Cloud’ to run on the cloud market. Cisco will provide convenient and reliable services to customers and will be able to promote cloud market activation. Cisco will strengthen the hybrid-cloud enablement in Korea.
    • Smart factory: Cisco will contribute to South Korea’s social-economic development with its industry-leading security and cloud technologies. Cisco will collaborate with POSCO ICT, a global IT & OT solutions provider, to develop advanced security solutions for smart factories by integrating Cisco Stealthwatch with POSCO ICT’s Poshield solution.
    • Education: Cisco will support digital transformation in education by offering free solutions and equipment to educational institutions across the country. Cisco will continue its commitment to digitization in education by expanding its support for building connected smart campuses and offering more Cisco Networking Academy programs. As part of these efforts, Cisco will integrate its collaboration solutions with Learning Management Systems (LMSs) of universities and support students and IT workforce with next generation IT skills and knowledge.

    “The launch of CDA in Korea will be a significant step towards turning the country’s digital agenda into a reality. Cisco Korea will do its best to accelerate the digital and economic growth of the country by leading development of technologies and infrastructure, adoption and use of technologies both in the public and privates, and cultivating the next generation IT talents,” said Bum-Coo Cho, President at Cisco Korea.

    Cisco’s CDA program aims to stimulate global digitization. Currently, Cisco is working with national, state, and local governments in 40 countries around the world to accelerate their national digitization agendas, co-develop cutting-edge solutions, and deliver beneficial services to their citizens more effectively. Cisco CDA programs have supported the creation of net-new jobs, GDP growth, and helped nurture innovation ecosystems.

  • Cisco announces $5b financing for operators’ 5G transition

    Cisco announces $5b financing for operators’ 5G transition

    Cisco announced that it is planning to fork out $5 billion funding over the next three years to help its customers for network transitions to 5G. Cisco said “the 5G movement is in steep ascent and service providers face significant financing pressures as they prepare for this 5G revolution.”

    Cisco’s recent Mobile VNI Forecast shows that by 2022, the average 5G connection (22 GB/month) will generate nearly three times more traffic on the networks than the average 4G connection (8 GB/month).

    Service providers must expand their networks to support this growth. At the same time, they must invest in new 5G services to stay competitive, the vendor said in a statement. Cisco said it is planning to commit $5 billion in 5G funding via Cisco financing over the next three years to help its customers succeed with their network transitions to 5G.

    Meanwhile, Cisco has also announced a raft of announcements with Asian mobile carriers including Bharti Airtel, KT, Softbank and Rakuten

    Cisco is helping Bharti Airtel to build India’s largest 5G-ready, IP-based automated network. Airtel aims to deliver enhanced subscriber experiences and offer high-speed mobile access for its mobile customers in the country.

    Airtel’s IP-based network architecture will enable new functionality, including segment routing, traffic engineering and Ethernet VPN that helps ensure seamless interoperability and the ability to leverage existing investments in its MPLS-TP network. The automated IP network architecture will also give Airtel the ability to enhance its services to SMBs and enterprises.

    The deal with KT will see Cisco transitioning KT’s network architecture to better manage 5G traffic with advanced routing and automation software, intelligent analytics and machine learning.

    The network includes a 5G routing backbone with Cisco Network Convergence System Router 6000 and ACI on Nexus 9000 switching platform at KT’s distributed data centers in the country.

    In Japan, Cisco is helping SoftBank to deploy Segment Routing IPv6 (SRv6) in its 5G mobile network to help the Japanese telco reduce capex and opex. It is also helping Rakuten Mobile Network to launch the world’s first virtualized, cloud native mobile network by October 2019.

    Cisco is also using the MWC2019 to unveil a host of products and services covering 5G, WiFi 6, smart city and connected cars.

  • SoftBank deploying Cisco SRv6 network

    SoftBank deploying Cisco SRv6 network

    Cisco is collaborating with SoftBank on the world’s first Segment Routing IPv6 (SRv6) deployment. With the anticipation of the coming 5G era, Cisco has been assisting SoftBank to deploy an SRv6 network nationwide to build a future network architecture that is extremely scalable, with improved reliability, flexibility and agility, all while helping to reduce capex and opex.

    Current mobile networks are deployed as divided networks, with several layers and complicated control plane processing, which makes it difficult to respond to strict quality requirements like in the case of 5G. Deploying SRv6 in a 5G mobile network aims to simplify network layers and integrate user plane functions from end-to-end with only IPv6 protocol.

    “Converging 5G features into the end-to-end IPv6 layer with Segment Routing capabilities, is the key to embodying 5G in a simple, scalable architecture,” SoftBank CTO Junichi Miyakawa said.

    “With the depth of portfolio and strong network knowledge that Cisco brings to the table, we knew together we could bring our vision to life.”

    “SoftBank has kept an intense focus on improving service quality for its customers, which can be challenging when trying to reduce costs,” said Sumeet Arora, Senior Vice President of Service Provider Networks, Cisco. “With the launch of SRv6 network programming, it is pioneering the next phase of IP networking through automation, and championing the needs of its customers.”

    Cisco is leading the disruption in the industry with its technology innovations in routing, 5G, subscriber experience (mobile, cable, fixed), automation, optical and optics. Together with its Customer Experience team of experts, Cisco enables service providers, media and web companies to reduce cost and complexity, helps scale and secure their networks, and grow their revenue.

  • Malaysia’s TM hires four new board members

    Malaysia’s TM hires four new board members

    Telekom Malaysia (TM) has appointed four new directors to the company’s board, following the resignation of David Benello as an independent non-executive director. The new directors are Dato’ Asri Hamidin @ Hamidon, Dato’ Mohd Naim Daruwish, Hisham Zainal Mokhtar and Saheran Suhendran. Asri Hamidin is appointed as a non-independence non-executive director representing the special shareholder, Minister of Finance (Inc) on the board. Mohd Naim has been made a non-independent non-executive director representing the interests of the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) which is a major shareholder of the Malaysian incumbent.

    Asri is currently the deputy secretary general (investment) at the Ministry of Finance, while Mohd Naim is currently the deputy chief executive (operations) of EPF. Hisham and Saheran were appointed as the independent non-executive directors. Hisham is currently a director in the group MD’s office at Malaysian Industrial Development Finance Bhd, while Saheran is currently a consultant at Messrs Chua Associates.

    All the board appointment took effect on October 3.

    TM also announced that Farid Basir has joined the telco as its new chief human capital officer (CHCO). Farid, taking over the position previously covered by Suhaimi Sulong as the acting CHCO since early this year, assumed his new role on October 1.

    Prior to his appointment, Farid was the CHCO at Bank Rakyat for almost three years.

    Cisco names Herman Lam as MD for HK & Macau

    Cisco has appointed Herman Lam as managing director for Hong Kong and Macau.

    The company has also announced that Barbara Chiu, vice president of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, will retire by end of October.

    Cisco said Lam brings to the table over 25 years of experience in IT industry combined with a wealth of leadership and management experience gained with leading technology firms.

    Prior to joining Cisco, Lam’s previous stints include CEO of Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company, and general manager of Microsoft Hong Kong.

    Commenting on the appointment, Cisco Greater China chief executive officer Hera Siu said Lam’s “unique blend of experience and knowledge, complemented by extraordinary vision and operational expertise within large organizations,” will bring valuable insights to the company.

    “I also want to thank Barbara, who has had an immeasurable impact on Cisco’s success and express my utmost appreciation for her devotion and leadership during the past 12 years,” Siu noted.

    21Vianet appoints Wing-Dar Ker as DYXnet Group’s CEO

    Chinese carrier-neutral network service provider DYXnet Group has announced that Wing-Dar Ker has been appointed as the company’s new CEO.

    He takes over the position from company founder and CEO Lap Man, who will continue to serve the group as adviser.

    The appointment was made by 21Vianet Group, parent company of DYXnet Group and one of China’s carriers and cloud-neutral internet data center service providers.

    Wing is also president of Shanghai Blue Cloud Technologies Co Ltd, 21Vianet Group’s other wholly-owned subsidiary.

    The move is aimed at facilitating greater collaboration between DYXnet Group and Blue Cloud, while exploring and capitalizing on synergies, 21Vianet said.

  • ASEAN companies face US$750b risk from cyberattacks

    ASEAN companies face US$750b risk from cyberattacks

    Companies across the ASEAN bloc face a growing risk of cyberattacks, which can expose the region’s top-listed firms to a US$750 billion erosion in current market capitalisation.

    This was revealed on Tuesday in a new research commissioned by Cisco.

    Conducted by global management consulting firm A.T. Kearney, the research underlines that ASEAN’s growing strategic relevance, driven by economic expansion and ongoing digital adoption, make it a prime target for cyberattacks.

    A combination of nascent policy preparedness, absence of a unifying regional governance framework, shortage of skilled talent, underestimation of risk and lack of adequate investment are among the factors contributing to the heightened risk.

    The research report, titled “Cybersecurity in ASEAN: An Urgent Call to Action”, emphasises that cyber-security risk across the bloc will continue to escalate as the bloc gets more digitally interconnected.

    ASEAN countries underspend on cyber security. The region currently spends an average of 0.07 per cent of its collective gross domestic product (GDP) on cyber security annually. It will need to increase the spending to 0.35-0.61 per cent of GDP between 2017 and 2025 to be in line with the best benchmark (based on spending levels as percentage of GDP for Israel).

    The research estimates that this translates to $171 billion in collective spending needed across ASEAN countries during the period. Limited sharing of threat intelligence, often because of mistrust and a lack of transparency, will lead to even more porous cyber-defence mechanisms.

    Naveen Menon, ASEAN President at Cisco, said: “Digital innovation and adoption are central pillars of economic growth for ASEAN. Its success hinges in large part on the bloc’s ability to combat cyber threats. Cyber security needs to be an integral part of policy discussions at the semi-annual ASEAN Summit, with the aim of developing a unified policy framework for the region. The corporate sector also needs to start treating cyber security as a business wide issue that can only be tackled by adopting a risk-centric approach to building resilience, rather than just an IT problem.”

    Lương Thị Lệ Thuỷ, general director of Cisco Việt Nam, said: “Việt Nam has fallen to rank 101 among 195 countries in the Global Security Index 2017 compiled by the UN International Telecommunication Union, down 25 places from 2016.”

    “The National Assembly (NA) has been discussing the need to formulate a law on cyber security. It has been put under consideration at the fourth session of the 14th NA. However, all stakeholders need to work together to help build cyber-security capabilities in Việt Nam to ensure that we are able to combat these threats,” Thủy said.

     

  • Cisco launches IoT lab in Hong Kong

    Cisco launches IoT lab in Hong Kong

    Cisco has launched its first smart city pilot program in Hong Kong, the Digital Living Lab.

    The Digital Living Lab is supported by Cisco’s new IoT operations platform Cisco Kinetic, which is designed to help extract, compute and move data from connected things to IoT applications to deliver better outcomes and services.

    Cisco and its partners have established a low-power RAN gateway (LoRaWAN) at Hong Kong Science Park to kick start the IoT program. The gateway will be used to provide demonstrations of IoT-enabled applications that are new to Hong Kong and helpful to the wider community.

    The company is also providing 80 IoT explorer kits to schools, startups and other organizations in Hong Kong to support their teaching and learning in IoT based technologies and facilitate data analytics and R&D development for IoT applications.

    “The ‘Smart Region’ initiative led by HKSTP and The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is to make Hong Kong Science Park a testbed and wondrous showcase of the Smart City vision. We are glad that Cisco, as a worldwide leader in smart city technology, is launching ‘Digital Living Lab’ that aligns with our agenda in developing into a smart city,” HKSTP CTO George Lee commented.

    As well as HKSTP, Cisco’s partners in the program include Avnet, Pixel Networks, the Smart City Consortium (SCC) and the Technology Incubation Network (TIN).

  • Cisco to buy Springpath for $320m

    Cisco to buy Springpath for $320m

    Cisco and Springpath have apparently been working together for a while, and this will let Cisco bring those teams in-house rather than having to build them from scratch.

    Springpath’s specialty is hyperconvergence, and it has developed a distributed file system aimed at enabling server-based storage services.

    Hyperconvergence is a term I’m still coming to grips with. Basically, it seems to entail taking all the virtual stuff we’ve seen driving the cloud revolution, and combining it back with the hardware again to condense everything back down into a one-stop-shop appliance that retains the virtualization flexibility provided by the hypervisor and such despite looking more and more like, well, a mainframe…

    But I digress. Cisco’s move is another step down the path toward generating value from the software more than from the hardware, and $320 million is of course petty cash for them. The deal is expected to close in Cisco’s fiscal Q1/2018, which I believe would be by the end of October 2017.

  • SoftBank taps Cisco to optimize mobile IP core

    SoftBank taps Cisco to optimize mobile IP core

    Japan’s SoftBank has contracted Cisco to optimize network operations in its next-generation mobile IP core network.

    SoftBank will adopt Cisco high-density 100GE routing and segment routing technology to help meet demand for greater mobile traffic capacity and enable faster and more flexible provisioning of new services.

    Traffic demand is forecast to increase at a rate of 50% per year, prompting SoftBank to upgrade its core routers to a Cisco solution capable of housing 576 100GE ports.

    New capabilities in the system will also allow SoftBank to reduce fault recovery time and improve functions for ensuring service continuity in the event of a fault.

    Segment routing is aimed at simplifying network architectures and enabling the provision of advanced network services without increasing the burden on operations. The architecture has been designed to seek the balance between distributed intelligence and centralized optimization.

    “SoftBank keeps focusing on improving service quality and enhancing the reliability and agility of network while reducing costs,” SoftBank SVP Keiichi Makizono said.

    “Cisco’s advanced network technologies and support have allowed us to establish the next-generation mobile IP core network platform that meets the bandwidth demand. We expect Cisco’s continued support and cooperation for providing services that lead the Japanese market.”

  • Cisco Jasper launches multi-tier IoT platform

    Cisco Jasper launches multi-tier IoT platform

    Cisco Jasper has unveiled “Control Center,” a new expanded model to bring the benefits of its IoT connectivity platform to a broader audience.

    Control Center 7.0 addresses business’ needs for greater flexibility with a new multi-tiered IoT platform that gives companies various options to meet their specific needs, regardless of their stage of IoT implementation.

    This new platform is also paired with a new set of premium services that address previously unmet needs in the industry related to IoT monetization and security.

    “What we’ve learned from enabling IoT success for our 11,000 customers is that companies have different needs at different stages of their IoT journey,” said Jahangir Mohammed, general manager of IoT at Cisco.

    “We’re introducing the biggest evolution of our Control Center IoT platform ever, providing a flexible model and new premium services that help meet the needs of customers at any phase,” said Mohammed.

    With Control Center 7.0, Cisco Jasper is introducing a unique approach to IoT solutions unmatched in the industry, giving customers and service provider partners the flexibility to select and customize the capabilities and services that are right for their deployment, while also providing an easy path for growth as their IoT businesses scale.

    AT&T, a Cisco Jasper service provider, is integrating these additional capabilities to meet IoT needs for a broad range of industries. The platform will be called AT&T Control Center-Advanced, and will be paired with additional premium services.

  • Cisco launches intent-based networking solutions

    Cisco launches intent-based networking solutions

    Cisco has unveiled a new networking paradigm it is calling intent-based networking, with the aim of creating an intuitive system that anticipates actions, stops security threats in their tracks, and continues to evolve and learn.

    The new solutions are designed to help businesses to unlock new opportunities and solve previously unsolvable challenges in an era of increasing connectivity and distributed technology.

    They involve a shift from hardware-centric to software-driven networking to improve agility, productivity and performance.

    This new network is the result of years of research and development by Cisco to reinvent networking for an age where network engineers managing hundreds of devices today will be expected to manage 1 million by 2020.

    “The network has never been more critical to business success, but it’s also never been under more pressure,” Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins said.

    “By building a more intuitive network, we are creating an intelligent platform with unmatched security for today and for the future that propels businesses forward and creates new opportunities for people and organizations everywhere.”

    Today companies are managing their networks through traditional IT processes that are not sustainable in this new age. Cisco’s approach creates an intuitive system that constantly learns, adapts, automates and protects, to optimize network operations and defend against today’s evolving threat landscape.

    With the vast majority of the world’s internet traffic running on Cisco networks, the company has used its unique position to capture and analyze this immensely valuable data by providing IT with insights to spot anomalies and anticipate issues in real time, without compromising privacy.

    Already, 75 leading global enterprises and organizations are conducting early field trials with these next-generation networking solutions, including DB Systel GmbH, Jade University of Applied Sciences, NASA, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., Scentsy, UZ Leuven and Wipro.

  • Samsung, Cisco, Verizon to pioneer multi-vendor 5G Trials

    Samsung, Cisco, Verizon to pioneer multi-vendor 5G Trials

    Samsung Electronics America and Cisco are working with Verizon in what they described as the successful deployment of the first multi-vendor end-to-end 5G field trial, which took place in Detroit, Michigan.

    Earlier this year, Verizon announced plans for customer trials of 5G technology for home broadband service (Fixed Wireless Access). Five US cities are scheduled to begin trials in the second quarter of 2017, with pilot trials in a total of 11 markets expected by midyear.

    Each location offers a unique set of test parameters, including vendors, geographies, population densities and demographics, and the Ann Arbor location in Detroit was the first to tackle a multi-vendor deployment of 5G.

    The solution includes a 5G virtualized packet core as part of the Cisco Ultra Services Platform with Cisco Advanced Services and Samsung virtual RAN solutions (vRAN), paired with Samsung’s 5G Radio base stations and 5G home routers that will deliver broadband services to Verizon’s trial customers.

    Based on Verizon’s 5G Technical Forum specification, the three companies followed a series of comprehensive network vendor interoperability tests (NVIOT) that demonstrated seamless interworking between core network, radio edge and user devices that showcased a core principle of next-generation network virtualization via multi-vendor support.

    This trial demonstrates that service providers can deploy 5G networks specialized to their unique market needs by selecting individual network infrastructure components from a selection of multiple vendors.

  • Cisco to buy Viptela for $610m

    Cisco to buy Viptela for $610m

    Cisco’s has announced plans to acquire Viptela and combine the San-Jose-based vendor’s SD-WAN technology with its own efforts, moving further toward a software model that produces more reliably recurring revenue.

    SD-WAN is emerging as this year’s big networking, taking the fabric of software defined networking and turning it into an enterprise-focused product.

    SD-WANs promise to redefine the way enterprises build and operate their wide area networks, making it easier to to hook up branch locations, data centers, and company headquarters with flexible infrastructure.

    Cisco will be paying $610 million in cash and assumed equity awards for the acquisition. Viptela’s talent will join the company’s Enterprise Routing team, working with them to enhance Cisco’s SD-WAN technology with their own.  The deal is expected to close in the second half of 2017.