Simplifying and Innovating Internet of Things (IoT) for Partners

When I joined Cisco 11 years ago the idea of connecting people, processes and “things” seemed cool, but the “things” word always felt like a bit of a mystery at the time. In the past decade we’ve seen some cool advances in technology, but we’ve also seen complexity introduced. To simplify “IoT” and advance it, Cisco is creating a path to a future that requires reliable connectivity and visibility into data for better control and management of highly distributed industrial assets – “things”. In essence we are “mainstreaming IoT”.

Operators and our Cisco partners need innovative IoT technology to manage and control equipment at these sites that is cost effective and can be rolled out in a scalable manner. At the same time, cities, Departments of Transportation (DoTs) , Operational Technology (OT), and “Line of Business” clients (manufacturing, ports and terminals, rail and mining) face similar challenges in managing remote connected industrial assets, and also need to optimize efficiency. These clients are connecting equipment along extensive stretches of roads and at hundreds of intersections to improve public safety, reduce congestion, and minimize emission of greenhouse gases.  Simply put, the highly-distributed nature of these industrial operations introduces additional complexity, staffing and skilled personnel shortages, and cybersecurity concerns which Cisco and our partner ecosystem are trying to solve for.

To address these challenges, Cisco is simplifying in three major areas:

1. Program: We are simplifying our programs around IoT. We are reducing role requirements to achieve IoT Specialization. This allows partners to make an investment in Cisco IoT and realize more.

2. Enablement: We’ve created the most comprehensive online training for IoT in the IT/OT space. Our newBlackbelt training for Sales Account Managers and System Engineers is best in class and is another step towards simplification.

3. Products: Cisco is introducing new software and hardware innovations.

• On the software front, we’ve created acloud based IoT Operations Dashboard providing industrial asset visibility and secure remote access to industrial assets from anywhere. Now Cisco Cyber Vision is integrated with IoT Operations Dashboard which provides IT and operations teams with an in-depth view of all OT assets and vulnerabilities, providing security posture visibility across the entire network. Also, the enhanced Secure Equipment Access capability gives OT maximum flexibility to provide access to help remotely maintain more types of industrial assets in distributed locations while minimizing security risk.
• On the hardware front, our new multi-access edge networking products, Catalyst IW9165 series wireless devices and Catalyst IE3100 series switches (designed for small footprint environments), enable additional industrial use cases such as mobility, rail, and robotics.

These innovations accelerate strong partnership between IT and OT teams to drive operational efficiency, improve resiliency at an industrial scale, reduce downtime of critical infrastructure, drive greater business productivity, and enhance overall safety and security.

I’m confident that with these three new innovations we are advancing the industry and making our partners more impactful with us to meet the needs of our customers.

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