Cisco, partners to offer tailored IoT/OT packages

Cisco has implemented a new blueprint that involves working more closely with partners to offer packages of networking and software components that meld IT elements with Internet of Things (IoT) and operational technology (OT).

OT suppliers gain access to Cisco’s industrial IoT and Meraki IoT portfolios, guidance, technical expertise, platforms, and lifecycle services so that partners can offer tailored packages of integrated IT/OT technologies to customers, through what Cisco is calling the OT Supplier RTM (operational technology supplier route to market).

Cisco’s industrial IoT portfolio includes wired and wireless switches and routers as well as its IoT Control Center platform to manage the environment. Meraki IoT includes cloud management software, a variety of IoT devices, and wireless access points.

In industries such as manufacturing, utilities, smart buildings, energy and beyond, IT/OT convergence is a top priority as companies merge business processes, insights and controls into a single environment. Digital transformation and smart manufacturing initiatives have accelerated the convergence of IT and OT networks, according to Jason Gallo, Cisco vice president of partner go-to-market acceleration, global partner and routes to market.

“The convergence of IT and OT allows Cisco partners to access new budgets and build relationships with new buyers. In the long term, despite market fluctuations, the IT/OT convergence has shown itself to be a resilient business investment area, as the wave of digitization is rapidly expanding beyond businesses’ carpeted spaces,” Gallo stated in a blog about the effort.

The goal of a OT supplier plan is to ensure that a company’s products are easily accessible to customers through the most efficient and cost-effective channels, while maximizing revenue and profitability, according to The Supply Chain Lab consultancy.