Networked, From the Mine Shaft to the Mountaintop

LAS VEGAS (Networkers 2005), June 20, 2005 - Just like the users they support, network engineers want access in real-time, whenever and wherever they need it. And according to the responses from a recent poll of attendees of Networkers 2005, the annual user conference sponsored by Cisco Systems®, they need access in some pretty surprising locations, under fairly unusual circumstances.

For example, Networkers respondents report that they use their laptops and network connections in caverns, mine shafts, and elevator shafts. They look up directions and respond to urgent queries from their cars (safely off the road, of course). While traveling, they use their laptops in airport bathrooms and train stations during hurricanes, use an electrical outlet to recharge, or find "hot spots" to translate Japanese subway signs into English to ensure they are on the right track.

At diverse corporate and customer sites, they use laptops while standing on fork lifts, hanging from tanks and towers, climbing ladders in frozen warehouses, and even while working without a net to access ceiling installations. Military duty is not foreign to these folks either. From base camps around the globe, to deep within a guided missile destroyer or up in the wild blue yonder, in the back seat of a cargo plane, they use their tools whenever, wherever they are needed.

On their much-deserved vacations, when they stumble across a wireless access point in the mountains of Spain, Colombia or Virginia, they grab some e-mail. Or in the extreme, fashion a hand-made antenna to connect to a wireless access point 7 miles away.

In short, the dedication the networking experts at Networkers exhibit to keeping their networks up and running is motivated by something quite simple: Just like the clients and users they serve, they just want to stay connected.

Editor's Note:
The data was gathered from a Web-based survey with over 900 respondents who are attending the Cisco Networkers conference being held this week in Las Vegas. For additional details and a "top 10" list of odd places to be connected to the network, please see http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2005/eKits/Networkers_xYFuvQ7L2QRQyMOy.pdf.

About Networkers

Founded in 1989, Networkers is Cisco Systems' annual user conference and is one of the most important events in the networking industry. Each year, Networkers attracts thousands of networking and IT professionals from all over the world who attend to learn and share the latest information with Cisco executives, technical experts, and each other. Networkers also features the World of Solutions, a unique technology showcase of Cisco and Cisco partner solutions where attendees can experience live demonstrations, one-on-one and hands-on interaction. For more information about Networkers 2005, please visit http://www.cisco.com/networkers/nw05/.