RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL, August 22, 2013. - Cisco today announced the opening of a Center of Innovation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Center of Innovation, or COI, will integrate Cisco’s portfolio with technology from local players to create solutions that meet the needs of the Brazilian market. The Center of Innovation is part of the investments package announced last year in Brazil.

The COI will be a key resource for Cisco as it creates long-lasting relationships with the Brazilian government and customers and works with them to identify their needs and provide solutions that support their success.

The Rio Cisco COI will initially focus on developing local solutions for key markets that are relevant for Brazil, including education, urban development (Cisco® Smart+Connected Communities™), sports and entertainment, public safety and security, health care, smart grid, and oil and gas.

Education

• Technology has the potential to increase access to education as well as improve teacher training and student learning, one of the main challenges for Brazil.
• The Cisco Rio COI will look to extend Cisco solutions to the specific needs of Brazil to continue improving the quality of instruction and education assessment, create innovative learning models, improve decision making and reduce costs with administrative efficiency.

Urban Development

• The Cisco Rio COI will support the efforts of Cisco's global Smart+Connected Communities in Brazil, which aim to implement Cisco technologies via a service-delivery platform to enhance access to Internet-based services, spur economic development, and reduce the cost of government operations.
• These solutions are vital to the development of a more efficient urban infrastructure and the growth of Brazilian cities, both in developments and in the redevelopment of existing areas.

Sports and Entertainment

• The Cisco Rio COI will look to support Brazil’s preparations for the World Cup and Olympic Games, developing solutions to serve the unique needs of the country, using Cisco Connected Sports solutions. These solutions are focused on transforming the nature of sports and entertainment experiences through network-based innovation. 

Public Safety and Security

• The Cisco Rio COI will use Cisco’s open platform for security solutions. Through Cisco’s ecosystems of partners, Cisco intends to help customers in the public and private sectors to protect the general population and optimize the resources used to respond to situations, improving precision and timeliness. This is achieved through the convergence of security systems such as sensors, video, telephony and radios, with systems integrated on a common Internet Protocol platform. Once these systems are integrated, the response of organizations to critical situations will be more appropriate, because they will have the information at the necessary time and place, and in a format that facilitates the operation.

Health Care

• The shortage of medical specialists in certain regions, the rising costs of health care, and the growing proportion of people with chronic diseases are some of the challenges faced by health care providers in Brazil. Using the network as a platform, Cisco HealthPresence® solutions combine high-definition video, audio and clinical information for patients to increase the efficiency of medical professionals and their organizations; make available health care to more people; improve patient experience; and increase the availability and flow of information. The Cisco Rio COI will develop specific health care solutions for the Brazilian market.

Smart Grid

• Worldwide, electric utilities face the challenge of modernizing an obsolete and aging infrastructure to support the delivery of a more reliable and efficient service. Cisco and its partners are helping the energy industry to modernize the electric grid generation, distribution and consumption with highly secure, reliable and scalable communication solutions. Cisco Smart Grid allows utilities and other energy industry organizations to build highly secure networks based on IP to efficiently manage the demand of generation, distribution, storage and electricity consumption. With the convergence of tracking systems and control in a single IP network, the industry can reduce operating expenses and help ensure that network operations and traffic management are given high priority. The convergence network also enables service interruptions to be reduced as well as the time needed to respond, identify, isolate, diagnose and repair faults.

Oil and Gas

Exploring oil reserves sustainably, safely and with maximum efficiency is the main goal of oil companies and society. Cisco oil and gas solutions developed in Rio will play a fundamental role in enhancing productivity and operational efficiency in exploration and production.  For example, Cisco drives collaboration between on- and offshore field teams, and helps to engage specialists remotely for mission-critical activities. With Cisco integrated network architecture and collaboration solutions, the oil supply chain becomes more efficient from well to pump. The opening of the Rio COI is part of Cisco´s plan to invest over R$ 1 billion in the next four years in Brazil, as announced on April 2012 (Cisco Announces Strategic Investments in Brazil to Foster Innovation, Transformation and Socio-Economic Development). The package also included investments in Brazil-focused ICT venture capital funds (announced on July 24, 2012, “Cisco to Invest USD 15 million in Venture Capital Fund Redpoint e.ventures to foster innovation and entrepreneurship in Brazil” and on Dec. 12, 2012, “Cisco to Invest USD 6 Million in Venture Capital Fund Monashees Capital to Foster Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Brazil”), the expansion of local manufacturing (announced on Sept. 26, 2012, “Cisco Delivers First Router Manufactured in Brazil”), intellectual property agreements with local companies, and social responsibility programs.The investments represent Cisco’s commitment to helping Brazil meet its innovation goals and to maintaining a long-term presence in the country.
 

Supporting Quotes

Brazilian Minister of Communications, Paulo Bernardo

“We are a country with a high development potential, and certainly the technology has a crucial role in this process. Today we have a very favorable environment for this type of investment and a growing demand for innovative solutions in the ICT field. So we are sure that Cisco initiative will contribute to the growth of Brazil in the research and technological innovation area.”

Governor of Rio de Janeiro, Sergio Cabral

"Rio de Janeiro is experiencing a period of great transformations. In recent years we have promoted a real change in management, recovering the state financially and the capacity to attract investments to the state. We have made social and structural interventions with the main goal of improving economic development and the generation of jobs and income for our population. The Cisco Center of Innovation is another achievement, and it will be key to further strength our state's economy."

Mayor of the City of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes

"Cisco's decision to open a Center of Innovation in Rio is very important, because it happens at a time when Rio is becoming a global city and the main technological center of the country. We have the highest concentration of professionals and students of information technology in Brazil. Also here are the major research and development centers, incubators and public and private technology centers in the country. These are factors that will help Cisco to build a very promising future in the marvelous city of Rio."

Rob Lloyd, president development and sales

“Brazil is a strategic country for Cisco and a source of growth for the company. Cisco’s vision is to be the most innovative company in IT by shaping market transitions and driving business relevance. The COI will be instrumental to drive business relevance (software, services and solutions) and capture market transitions in cloud, mobility and consumption models in Brazil.”

Jordi Botifoll, president Cisco Latin America

“We see significant opportunities for Latin America and Brazil to grow and drive innovative business practices. This Center of Innovation in Rio will help our customers and partners to better innovate in the use of technology to reduce the competitive, economic and social gaps of the region clearly identified by the WEF studies and avoid negative spikes, and create a more balanced and sustainable growth path for the region.”

Rodrigo Dienstmann, president, Cisco Brazil

“The Center of Innovation in Rio is a key part of our Brazil investment strategy to increase our relevance in the country. We will work closely with our partners to design and deliver the specific vertical solutions our customers need as Brazil continues its rapid economic and social growth.”

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