Hang loose on the edge, but stay strong at the core: Cisco

Companies considering Web 2.0 technologies face a conundrum: how will they reconcile user-empowering applications such as wikis and blogs with evermore-strict data-protection and governance rules? According to one IT industry insider, firms are finding an answer in a resilient network core coupled with loose edge architecture."We've heard customers talk about...the edge of the network as an innovative, open collaborative environment using consumer tools and methods, separate from this resilient, corporate core," said Robert Lloyd, senior VP, US and Canada operations at Cisco Systems Inc., in an interview during the Cisco Partner Summit on April 5.He was considering what one technology reporter called the consumer-enterprise paradox.On one hand, companies are turning to Web 2.0 as a productivity improvement mechanism; wikis have become viable application development platforms and blogs are idea generation stations. But at the same time, businesses face increasingly stringent information stewardship laws because customer data must be protected and financial details have to be locked and verified.A certain do-it-yourself attitude surrounds Web 2.0 technologies, but companies are obliged to control as much of the corporate infrastructure as possible. Intuitively, the two sides don't mix. Will cultures clash?According to Lloyd, businesses are starting to build networks that support consumer-informed technologies at the edge, and control at the core so certain kinds of data never find their way into wikis or blogs, thereforemitigating the consumer-enterprise crunch."Companies are all struggling to figure out how to use these technologies," Lloyd said. "For most of us, these are early days. But there's no doubt it's going to continue to emphasize how important the network is, how foundational it is to how businesses run."Cisco's mantrasCisco's mantras - "the network as a platform" and "the human network" - infused the Partner Summit, held in Las Vegas. But discussions of Web 2.0 applications also informed the event, which saw Cisco executives explain the company's direction to retailers, systems integrators and others that sell its gear to end-user organizations.The firm's representatives talked up the myriad ways in which it's drinking the Web 2.0 Kool Aid. According to CEO John Chambers, Cisco developed an internal wiki to collect ideas from its own staff members. "Why don't we mine our whole internal base?" he said, describing the idea behind using the technology.Sue Bostrom, Cisco's chief marketing officer, pointed out that the company is collecting ideas from employees for a Cisco-brand sound - a trademark tune that will instantly remind listeners of the networking giant. While Cisco has collected a few, not all of the suggestions are good. She played one that was based on a Mexican guitar riff. It sounded like a visit to the O.K. Corral. "When you put the human network to work, it isn't always pretty," she noted.Nonetheless, Cisco seems committed to trying new things, even in its marketing. The company is on a product-placement kick. You'll find Cisco phones and applications in TV shows such as 24, House, Medium, and movies like Mission Impossible 3 - all in an effort to boost the firm's recognition beyond IT circles."We have to be reaching out to new customers," Bostrom said. "One of the ways we're doing that at Cisco is extending our brand."Second Life showroomLloyd noted that Cisco now has a showroom in Second Life. "It has the full capability of our products and a demonstration centre so people can see how our technology works."Chambers participated in a demo for network technologies in sports facilities that would see digital signs change from advertisements to exit-directions as needed, and let people with ballgame tickets watch the match on their smartphones if they couldn't make it to the field. He said Rogers Communications Inc., which runs a national wireless network in Canada and owns the Rogers Centre, where the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team plays, is a prime candidate for the technology.According to Lloyd, many of Cisco's clients are keeping their eyes on new communication and collaboration methods. "The CEOs of our customers absolutely know these collaboration technologies are transformational. They're just trying to figure out how, in what ways," he said. But many of them don't know how the new stuff will affect their businesses. Despite its embracing Web 2.0, neither does Cisco. "We're just learning like everyone else," Lloyd said.

Hang loose on the edge, but stay strong at the core: Cisco

News | April 9, 2007

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