News Release

Cisco Announces Collaboration in Motion: Products and Services to Bring Collaboration to the Mobile Workspace

Videos Cisco's senior director of mobility solutions
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May 19, 2009

SAN JOSE, Calif., May 19, 2009 – Today Cisco is announcing Collaboration in Motion to bring together the power of collaboration with the ubiquity and performance of the Cisco Unified Wireless Network. Collaboration in Motion integrates products and services from the Cisco WebExTM, Cisco Unified Communications, Cisco Unified Wireless Network and Cisco Advanced Services product lines to bring the collaborative experience to the mobile workspace.

As part of Collaboration in Motion, Cisco has focused on new products and services in five critical investment areas: the workspace experience, the wireless network platform, third-party applications, technology partners and professional services. The goal of this strategic approach is to bridge the gaps between an on-premises wired network, off-premises cellular network and a high performance Wi-Fi network, thereby enabling collaboration from any workspace.

KEY FACTS/HIGHLIGHTS:

Workspace Experience: Cisco is expanding its strategy to deliver network services to an ever-expanding number of devices while simplifying the way these devices connect to the wireless network.

  • Cisco WebEx Meeting Center version 1.2 application on the iPhone is available for free as a download from Apple's Apps Store. Version 1.2 expands the award-winning application and allows the host to schedule meetings and invite attendees before and during the meeting using the intuitive iPhone.
  • Cisco is evolving the Cisco Compatible Extensions Program to meet the needs of a changing device landscape. The new Cisco Compatible Extension Services program modularizes features into four services – foundation, management, collaboration and context-aware, allowing device manufacturers to select the most relevant service for a specific device. A broad ecosystem of silicon vendors and device manufacturers support the program evolution, including AeroScout, Atheros, Broadcom, Ekahau, Intel, Intermec, Polycom, Redpine Signals, Summit Data Communications and Texas Instruments.

Wireless Network Platform: As the leader in next-generation 802.11n wireless technology, Cisco is delivering a complete 802.11n solution that incorporates access points, controllers and management, and the ability to expose network information and services through an open API.

  • The new Cisco 5500 Series Wireless Controller is optimized for 802.11n networks. Independent testing validates the platform's ability to deliver video and rich media collaborative applications at scale with up to a 1,000 percent performance increase compared with earlier generations of wireless controllers.
  • The new Cisco OfficeExtend solution complements the Cisco Virtual Office portfolio of teleworking solutions. It extends the corporate wireless network to remote locations, delivering wireless data, voice and video services to mobile employees.
  • The new Cisco Aironet 1524® Mesh Access Point delivers added scalability to extend wireless coverage across a variety of indoor and outdoor workspaces.
  • The new Cisco 3310 Mobility Services Engine is smart-sized for small to medium-sized businesses, supporting existing mobility services, including Context-Aware and Adaptive Wireless IPS, and interfaces via an open API to enable third-party mobility applications.
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Third-Party Applications: Cisco is bringing network-specific information to business applications through an open API. New applications are being announced for network assurance, PCI Compliance, and wireless video surveillance.

  • Network assurance solutions integrate location information from the Cisco Mobility Services Engine with security and network performance correlation engines to identify and resolve security and network performance events faster. ArcSight, NetScout Systems and RSA (The Security Division of EMC) are each announcing new capabilities using the Cisco Mobility Services Engine to deliver these network assurance solutions to their customers.

Technology Partners: Cisco is introducing a new cross-technology developer community called the Cisco Developer Network to enable technology partners to create applications that leverage the network platform.

  • The new Cisco Developer Network Program for Mobility is a community created to simplify solution development and increase the speed with which Cisco and its partners can deliver mobility solutions to market. Solution verification gives customers the confidence that solutions have been pre-integrated and validated to work with the Cisco Unified Wireless Network. AeroScout, Atheros, Intermec and Pelco join a growing ecosystem of more than 20 solution partners under the Cisco Developer Network Program for Mobility.

Professional Services: Cisco is introducing advanced professional services to assist customers in the design and deployment of wireless networks to accelerate return on investment and reduce total cost of ownership.

  • As customers seek to migrate from legacy wireless networks to high-performance 802.11n networks, Cisco Professional Services, together with Cisco channel partners, offer expertise to help facilitate the design, deployment and optimization of next-generation wireless networks that enable collaboration through mobility services.
  • The 802.11n Readiness Assessment Service helps customers evaluate the current state of devices and existing enterprise networks to align business objectives with architectures in advance of deploying a Wi-Fi network.
  • The Mobility Services Readiness Assessment Service helps customers evaluate real-time collaboration applications like voice and video and provides recommendations to help ensure that the experience is optimized across the wireless network.
  • Planning and Design Services evaluate the physical characteristics of the deployment to help customers ensure coverage and security in their particular environment.

Supporting Quotes:

  • "Together, the transformational power of collaboration combined with the power of the network as the platform can enable businesses to thrive. Evolving modern businesses are comprised of workspaces that are rarely physically connected, and critical business information is collected and shared with mobile devices such as laptops and smart phones," said Ray Smets, vice president and general manager for the Cisco Wireless Networking Business Unit. "Cisco's approach with Collaboration in Motion harnesses the power of the network to connect the devices to the network, to people and to systems, to collaborate in a borderless organization."
  • "Our wireless network spans 100 hectares with multiple campuses and continues to grow to support more than 55,000 students, professors and staff for learning, research, and to continue on a path of educational excellence," said Marilyn Hay, manager of the University of British Columbia's Network Management Centre. "Cisco's new technologies allow for a faster connection and increased density for lecture theatres that hold hundreds of students, allowing them to simultaneously use throughput-intensive course materials such as streaming media. These new technologies from Cisco create a truly mobile and collaborative environment for learning and research, helping to maintain UBC's position as one of the top 35 research-intensive universities in the world."
  • "As wireless has become the standard for pervasive access to business-critical applications, Intel continues to work closely with Cisco by enabling Cisco Compatible Extensions across the latest generation of laptops based on Intel® Centrino® 2 processor technology," said Alexander Quach, Intel's director of wireless marketing. "Combining Cisco Compatible Extensions with Intel® Centrino® 2 Processor Technology provides the foundation for robust mobile services by offering superior wireless security, reliability, and performance, ensuring consistent delivery of business applications."
  • "Consistent and reliable voice and data connectivity to corporate applications is now at the heart of business productivity," said Reynette Au, vice president of marketing and alliances, Atheros. "Dedicated to offering optimum performance to mobile device and laptop manufacturers, Atheros is collaborating with Cisco to build a compelling end user experience through our support of Cisco Compatible Extensions services on the company's state of the art mobile WLAN solutions."

Supporting Resources:

Cisco is holding a special Cisco Mobility TV broadcast to discuss how to deliver and manage a high-performance wireless network to support the collaborative experience across any workspace.
When: Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 10-11 a.m. Pacific Time
Where: Pre-register now at www.cisco.com/go/semreg/analystpr

Tags / Keywords:

Cisco, Collaboration in Motion, collaboration, wireless, WLAN, mobility, Mobility Services Engine, MSE, OfficeExtend, Aironet 1140, 802.11n, WLAN, enterprise, Cisco Developer Network, five to thrive, network as a platform, new business models