Bringing Intent-based Networking to the extreme IoT Edge

As IT connects and secures a growing array of sensors, cameras and other devices at the IoT Edge, the challenges can get sticky – not to mention hot, cold, wet, dirty and dangerous! Building on what Cisco IoT launched at Cisco Live EMEA in Barcelona, we announced four new or enhanced products this week at Cisco Live in San Diego.

Here are some examples of challenges at the IoT Edge – and how our solutions overcome them with simplicity, security and scalability:

Secure connectivity in harsh industrial settings.
Manufacturers and other organizations see the value in connecting devices, sensors and machines to boost productivity and reduce operational expenses. With an IP67-rated design for water and dust resistance, Cisco’s Catalyst IE3400 Heavy Duty Series Switches are mounted without a cabinet but still stand up to water, extreme heat and shock and vibration. What’s more, intent-based networking makes it easy to define and segment IoT endpoints – and establish security policies for protecting the network at the IoT edge.

Pervasive wireless connectivity in oil and gas refineries.
Manual monitoring of gas turbines, pipes and other refinery infrastructure is costly and inefficient. It also puts people’s safety at risk. Pervasive wireless connectivity makes it possible to use sensors to gather critical data while enabling mobile workers to access data feeds and make decisions using tablets while on the go. Oil, gas and other companies can realize that vision faster with Cisco’s Catalyst IW6300 Heavy Duty Series Access Points. They deliver connectivity that’s resilient, scalable and secure – and are the only purpose-built wireless access points for hazardous locations offered by a major networking company. Protected by a sealed, corrosive-resistant enclosure with IP67 dust and water resistance, they also support Cisco Resilient Wireless Mesh based on 802.11ac Wave2 – with Power-over-Ethernet and fiber ports. This mesh architecture delivers reliability and resilience. If one access point goes down, another can cover – ensuring data is transmitted and there are no blind spots.

Future-proof your digital transformation with Cisco’s Catalyst IW6300 Heavy Duty Series Access Points and partner IoT modules that support industrial multilingual access capabilities, such as WirelessHART, ISA100, and more. Watch the Cisco + Emerson story of how we enable this for our customers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIICcjgpZc8

Embedded access points for Smart Cities solutions.
Communities are working to get “smarter” with everything from smart lighting and waste management to sophisticated public safety solutions. Companies that design, integrate or manufacture these solutions need wireless access points that meet steep requirements: Built-in security. Easy installation. And a form factor that’s compact and light yet rugged enough to withstand extreme temperatures.

Cisco 6300 Series Embedded Services Access Points deliver. They support Cisco Resilient Wireless Mesh – with Power-over-Ethernet ports, one USB port and one fiber port for flexible integration. And they offer the benefits of intent-based networking, including simplified management and Cisco end-to-end security with Identity Services Engine and WPA3 for stronger encryption. These access points also support IOx to securely execute IoT applications for intelligence at the edge.

Enterprise network management across utility sites.
As utilities adopt IoT solutions, network management is becoming more important – and more complex. With the addition of SD-WAN functionality, the Cisco IR1101 Integrated Services Router Rugged now enables utilities to extend enterprise network management to thousands of mission-critical sites. Using the Cisco vManage console, IT can reduce workloads for faster rollouts with intelligent monitoring of failovers and policy management. They can ensure critical infrastructure is uninterrupted with prioritization of data and traffic control. And they can automate security setup – from enterprise to edge – with secure segmentation and Cisco Umbrella.

Whether hot or cold, wet or dry, dusty or dangerous, the IoT Edge offers tremendous potential value. Deploy with confidence with the leader in Industrial IoT Edge networking.

IHS Markit® has recently named Cisco #1 not only in the Industrial IoT Edge Networking category but also in the sub-categories of Switching, Routing and Wireless Access.

“Cisco is the leading supplier of industrial edge networking components and since 2016 has continuously strengthened its position in this market. Based on our 2018 market data, Cisco is ranked #1 in wireless access points, routers, managed layer 2 and layer 3 switches for industrial edge networking.”

We’ve earned accolades from the ARC Advisory Group, as well:

“Industrial Ethernet switches play a pivotal role in connectivity-enabled business transformation initiatives. Cisco has emerged as the leading global manufacturer of Industrial Ethernet Switches and continues to lead the market in adoption of new value-added network infrastructure developments.”

– Chantal Polsonetti, Vice President, ARC Advisory Group

For more information, please visit www.cisco.com/go/iotnetworking.