Cisco, Monday announced a new Cisco IoT System that aims to address the complexity of digitization with an infrastructure that is designed to manage large scale systems of diverse endpoints and platforms, and the data deluge they create. The new system also boosts advanced data analytics in addition to connectivity management for IoT.
The new Cisco IoT System comprises of six critical technology elements or ‘pillars' and it has also announced 15 new IoT products within the six pillars that include IoT switches, wireless access points and industrial routers, a line of internet protocol surveillance cameras and physical security analytics products. The six pillars are summarized as following:
1. Network Connectivity: This pillar includes purpose-built routing, switching, and wireless products available in ruggedized and non-ruggedized form factors.
2. Fog Computing: ‘Fog' is a distributed computing infrastructure for the Internet of Things (IoT) which extends computing capability – and thereby data analytics applications - to the ‘edge' of networks. It enables customers to analyze and manage data locally, and thereby to derive immediate insights from connections. Cisco predicts that 40% of IoT-created data will be processed in the fog by 2018. Over 25 of Cisco's network products are enabled with Cisco's fog computing or edge data processing platform, IOx.
3. Security: The security pillar of the IoT System unifies cyber and physical security to deliver operational benefits and increase the protection of both physical and digital assets. Cisco's IP surveillance portfolio and network products with TrustSec security and cloud/cyber security products allow users to monitor, detect and respond to combined IT and Operational Technology (OT) attacks.
4. Data Analytics: The Cisco IoT System provides an optimized infrastructure to implement analytics and harness actionable data for both the Cisco Connected Analytics™ Portfolio and third party analytics software.
5. Management and Automation: The IoT System provides enhanced security, control and support for multiple siloed functions to deliver an easy-to-use system for managing an increasing volume of endpoints and applications, field operators need an easy-to-use management system.
6. Application Enablement Platform: Offers a set of APIs for industries and cities, ecosystem partners and third-party vendors to design, develop and deploy their own applications on the foundation of IoT System capabilities.
Kip Compton, VP/GM, IoT Systems & Software Group, Cisco
The Cisco IoT System provides a comprehensive set of IoT technologies and products that simplify and accelerate the deployment of infrastructure for the Internet of Things. This unique systems approach delivers a framework that makes it possible to deploy, accelerate and innovate with IoT.
Doug Davis, SVP and General Manager, Internet of Things Group, Intel
IoT is a significant opportunity but one that needs interoperability and scale to fulfill industry predictions of billions of connected devices. The IoT pillars, jointly defined by Intel and Cisco serve as a strong foundation for companies to build IoT solutions that can be seamlessly interconnected and achieve the scale that delivers value promised through IoT.
