SAN
JOSE, Calif., May 28, 2008 - Cisco® today announced an evolved
architecture that helps empower businesses to meet and exceed mobility
demands and move beyond basic wireless networking into the next
generation of business mobility - transforming the way business is done
by fostering broader collaboration and new levels of productivity. This
announcement is part of Cisco Motion - Cisco's innovative vision for
business mobility that delivers practical solutions to integrate mobile
devices, applications, security and disparate networks into a unified
platform.
The cornerstone of the Cisco Motion vision is the Cisco 3300 Series
Mobility Services Engine (MSE). This appliance-based platform offers an
open application programming interface (API) for consolidating and
supporting an array of mobility services across wireless and wired
networks. Cisco is releasing four initial software offerings for the
MSE: Cisco Context-Aware Software, Cisco Adaptive Wireless Intrusion
Prevention System (wIPS), Cisco Secure Client Manager and Cisco Mobile
Intelligent Roaming. The Cisco MSE and its software integrate with the
Cisco Unified Wireless Network portfolio, Cisco Unified Communications
Manager and Cisco-compatible devices to expand the reach and value of
an enterprise's mobility system.
Numerous application and solution partners have integrated or plan
to integrate with the MSE. This partner ecosystem includes Nokia and
Oracle, technology partners like AeroScout, Agito Networks and
Airetrak, as well as industry-specific application partners like
IntelliDOT and Johnson Controls (healthcare) and OATSystems
(manufacturing).
"Today's business mobility challenges cannot be solved using only
traditional wireless LAN solutions when multiple network elements are
converging and need to collaborate. Cisco's Motion approach is a true
services-oriented network architecture that creates a mobility network
as a platform for integrating key business strategies, processes and
goals," said Brett Galloway, senior vice president of Cisco's Wireless
and Security Technology Group. "To meet and exceed business mobility
expectations, IT must secure and manage a range of devices, integrate
multiple networks, enable applications, access information with a high
level of security, and help ensure a consistent experience regardless
of network connection or location."
Cisco Motion: Accelerating the Evolution of Business Mobility
Information Technology (IT) departments must increasingly manage
disparate networks (Wi-Fi, cellular, passive RFID, personal wireless,
sensors, Ethernet), to handle a rising number of devices and more
applications. The Cisco Motion approach includes the industry's first
mobility architecture that addresses these challenges in the following
ways:
"Cisco's mobility vision mirrors Oracle's approach to application
development, which focuses on efficiently connecting users to the
information they need to make better business decisions," said Jon
Chorley, vice president of product strategy at Oracle. "Integrating
Oracle's enterprise applications with Cisco's open mobility platform
creates tremendous value for our customers."
The Cisco MSE's initial service offerings include the following software components:
Cisco Context-Aware Software captures contextual information from a full range of sensors, mobile
devices and RFID tags over the Cisco Unified Wireless Network, allowing
businesses to move beyond basic location tracking and gather detailed
information about assets like location, temperature, availability, and
the application used. Information is channeled into applications,
increasing asset-management intelligence. Context-Aware Software
supports enhanced received signal strength indication (RSSI) and time
difference of arrival (TDOA), improving location accuracy and
performance indoors, outdoors and in challenging RF environments.
Flextronics, a valued Cisco partner and global leading Electronics
Manufacturing Services (EMS) provider for Cisco and OEMs, is looking to
the Cisco Context-Aware Mobility solution to track Cisco's capital
assets as a service at its global manufacturing sites. In Austin,
Texas, the company tracks high-value assets like thermal chambers and
testing equipment used to manufacture products, enabling it to account
for Cisco capital equipment and easily locate it in real-time.
"We need to locate customers' assets immediately throughout our
large facility in real time and conduct regular inventory checks,
regardless of location in the manufacturing process. Flextronics'
adoption of Cisco's location solution is the foundation for supporting
capital-equipment logistics management that also enhances our
capabilities to reduce inefficiencies and provide true cost-avoidance
opportunities," said Mel Day, director of engineering services of
Flextronics. "Looking forward, we see more assets coming into our
facilities and devices that need to connect to the network, and Cisco's
new Mobility Services Engine can help alleviate the challenge of
managing multiple siloed networks and devices that need to
interoperate."
Cisco Mobile Intelligent Roaming facilitates seamless handoff of dual-mode mobile devices between Wi-Fi
and cellular networks based on availability, real-time network
information and user location. It integrates with numerous offerings
from service providers, third-party vendors and mobile device
manufacturers. By utilizing network intelligence and client software
integration from its open ecosystem of partners, Cisco Mobile
Intelligent Roaming software gives IT additional control of mobile
devices while helping to create a seamless mobile experience.
"As users access more applications and services on their mobile
devices, businesses need a unified approach to managing the mobile
networks and securing their data. A unified mobility system approach
like Cisco Motion helps enhance the mobile experiences and ease the
automatic handoff between wireless networks in offices and cellular
networks in public environments," said Tom Furlong, senior vice
president, Services & Software, Nokia. "Nokia is targeting to
deliver automatic handoff to Cisco's internal Nokia Intellisync Call
Connect users and other customers in its next software release."
Cisco Adaptive Wireless IPS is a
new intrusion-prevention system that delivers the feature depth of an
overlay solution with the full benefits of an integrated solution. It
integrates wireless threat detection, mitigation, vulnerability
scanning and performance monitoring into the wireless network. It
assists in protecting against rogue access points and clients, wireless
hacking and day-zero threats. RF spectrum analysis provides
self-healing protection. Proactive prevention includes automated
vulnerability analysis, management frame protection and infrastructure
authentication. Purpose-built collaboration between wired and wireless
intrusion prevention helps provide full protection (Layers 1 to 7) by
detecting inappropriate network activity or malware spawned by wireless
clients. The Cisco MSE centrally processes, analyzes and correlates
events from the Adaptive Wireless IPS monitors, providing broad
mobility threat protection.
The final announced MSE software product, Cisco Secure Client Manager,
centralizes the security and management of provisioning various mobile
devices via the Cisco Secure Services Client 802.1X solution over
wired, Wi-Fi, cellular and other wireless networks. It addresses one
challenge faced by IT: managing the connectivity and security of Wi-Fi
and other mobile devices. The MSE's open API enables integration with
third-party device management software and solutions.
Availability
The Cisco 3350 Mobility Services Engine is scheduled to begin
shipping in June 2008 with prices beginning at $19,995 USD. The Cisco
Context-Aware Software is scheduled to begin shipping in June 2008. The
Cisco Unified Wireless Network Software Release 5.1 ships in May 2008,
and includes critical new mobility features, as well as support for the
Motion architectural approach. Both the Cisco Adaptive Wireless IPS
Software and Cisco Mobile Intelligent Roaming Software are scheduled to
ship in the second half of 2008, and the Cisco Secure Client Manager
Software is scheduled to ship in the first half of 2009.
Find More Information Online: Cisco Mobility [1] | Cisco Wireless [2]
Technorati Tags: Cisco, wireless, mobility, enterprise, Wi-Fi, WLAN, RFID, open API
About Cisco
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transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information
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Links:
[1] http://www.cisco.com/en/US/netsol/ns175/networking_solutions_solution_segment_home.html
[2] http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/wireless/index.html
[3] http://www.cisco.com/
[4] http://newsroom.cisco.com/