Cisco recently announced details on its go-to-market strategy for Cisco Private 5G together with partners, fostering a new wave of productivity for enterprises with mass-scale IoT adoption.
Most businesses are beginning to realize the benefits of digitizing, or ‘going digital’ – connecting their physical operations with information systems, and using analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), automation and machine learning (ML) to improve productivity and efficiency. Most businesses are used to connecting more people and things with Wi-Fi. What most businesses have not experienced yet – is what the power of Wi-Fi, 5G and IoT together can do for them to connect more and do more.
Alongside Wi-Fi, private 5G and IoT have the potential to transform industries and redefine the future of hybrid work. Cisco views private 5G as a complement, not a replacement for the investments businesses have made in Wi-Fi, Ethernet transport, and corresponding management systems. Private 5G is set to enable connectivity for a full range of use cases from factory floors, supply chains, university and enterprise campuses, venues, hospitals and more.
The foundation of the solution is built on Cisco’s industry-leading mobile core technology and IoT portfolio – spanning IoT sensors and gateways, device management software, as well as monitoring tools and dashboards. Open Radio Access Network (ORAN) technology is a key component of the solution. Cisco is working in close collaboration with ORAN vendors, JMA and Airspan, and is currently in customer trials utilizing their technology.
Key differentiators of Cisco Private 5G for Enterprises:
- Delivered as-a-Service: Delivered together with global service providers and system integration partners, the offer reduces technical, financial, and operational risks for enterprise private 5G networks.
- Complementary to Wi-Fi: Cisco Private 5G integrates with existing enterprise systems, including existing and future Wi-Fi versions - Wi-Fi 5/6/6E, making operations simple.
- Visibility across the network and devices: Using a simple management portal, enterprise IT teams can maintain policy and identity across both Wi-Fi and 5G for simplified operations.
- Pay-as-you-use subscription model: Cisco Private 5G is financially simple to understand. With pay-as-you-use consumption models, customers can save money with no up-front infrastructure costs, and ramp up services as they need.
- Speed time to productivity: Businesses can spare IT staff from having to learn, design, and operate a complex, carrier class private network.
Key Benefits of Cisco Private 5G for Partners:
- Path to Profitability for Cisco Partners: For its channel partners, Cisco reduces the required time, energy, and capital to enable a faster path to profitability.
- Private Labeling: Partners can private label/use their own brand and avoid initial capital expenses and lengthy solution development cycles by consuming Cisco Private 5G on a subscription basis. Partners may also enhance Cisco Private 5G with their own value-added solutions.
Jonathan Davidson, EVP and General Manager, Mass-Scale Infrastructure Group, Cisco
Cisco has an unbiased wireless strategy for the future of hybrid work. 5G must work with Wi-Fi and existing IT environments to make digital transformation easy. Businesses continuing their digitization strategies using IoT, analytics, and automation will create significant competitive advantages in value, sustainability, efficiency, and agility. Working together with our global partners to enable those outcomes with Cisco Private 5G is our unique value proposition to the enterprise.
