News Summary:
- Cisco reinforces its commitment to Spain’s digital transformation through projects aimed at fostering entrepreneurship and innovation, building digital infrastructure, developing digital skills, and enhancing cybersecurity.
- The renewed ‘Digitaliza’ initiatives will extend to 2024. They are aligned to the goals of the Government’s España Digital 2025 plan and the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience plan for a digital, green, and inclusive recovery.
- Cisco plans to help educate and reskill close to 100,000 new students and workers in digital skills within the next 2 years.
Madrid (Spain), July 15, 2021 – Cisco today announced the launch of a renewed framework under its Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) program. The aim is to help accelerate digitization across Spain in support of broader pandemic recovery measures, and to power an inclusive future for all. The framework extends the former ‘Digitaliza’ program which was announced in March 2019 to 2024.
Building on Success
The first wave of CDA targeted mass-scale digitization initiatives across industries and sectors which were developed at Cisco’s Barcelona Co-Innovation Center and Sevilla Futura Open Innovation Association, or driven by direct investment in specific pilot projects.
Highlights included the deployment of a hybrid education platform in collaboration with the Ministry of Education; helping Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA) solve key collaboration and sustainability challenges; driving the evolution of IFEMA’s network to WiFi-6; leveraging Artificial Intelligence in collaboration with Intel to accelerate COVID-19 diagnosis via remote healthcare; and research on 5G network slicing with Telefonica and Vigo University. In addition, close to 100,000 people were trained in digital skills through the Cisco Networking Academy program, adding to the 200,000 students previously trained since 2000. The program had a strong focus on reskilling women to bridge the ICT gender gap, and helping groups at risk of digital exclusion.
Renewed Focus Areas
Building on the sustained success of the first wave, the renewed Digitaliza program in Spain will align closely with the goals of the Government’s España Digital 2025 plan and the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience plan for a digital, green, and inclusive recovery. The focus will be on 6 key pillars: Digital Healthcare; Digital Education; Digital Government; Digital SMBs and the Future of Hybrid Work; Bridging the Digital Divide; and Sustainability through Technology.
By investing in key technologies like 5G/WiFi 6, IoT, artificial intelligence, cloud, and next-generation networks, through 2024, the CDA program will extend to all industry and social areas in Spain, from Critical Infrastructures to Public Services, along with strategic sectors including Manufacturing, Energy, FinTech and Smart Tourism.
As part of the program, Cisco also plans to educate and reskill 100,000 students, workers and unemployed people, providing them with digital skills through Networking Academy courses. As a result, the total number of Spanish Networking Academy graduates should come close to 400,000 by mid 2023.
“Our purpose as a company is to harness the potential of our technology to make our communities more prosperous and inclusive. Our work has never been more relevant, as nations and businesses prepare for a post-pandemic future which will bring a host of opportunities, but also new challenges. Through tireless innovation and collaboration, we are confident that this new round of CDA investment in Spain will facilitate an inclusive pandemic recovery and spark economic growth,” said Guy Diedrich, Cisco VP & Global Innovation Officer.
“We believe the Governments’ digital plans will bring a major breakthrough in digitization and country modernization in Spain. For this to succeed, we need structural innovation, wide-spread adoption of latest technologies, as well as training of the next-generation workforce. We are extending our program Digitaliza to the beginning of 2024 to contribute to this strategic moment for our country,” said Andreu Vilamitjana, General Manager Cisco Spain.
Cisco’s CDA team collaborates with national, state, and local governments in 40 countries around the world to help accelerate their national digitalization agendas and deliver beneficial services to their citizens faster and more effectively. CDA has over 900 active or completed projects spanning several verticals in close partnership with government, industry and academic leadership.
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Ariadna Hernández
