Connecting the IoT edge

Chemical plants, oil refineries and mines represent some of the most challenging work environments on Earth. In these industries, connectivity and data are business-critical, with production downtime impacting the bottom line and worker safety. Today, Cisco is introducing new networking technology purpose-built to withstand the rigors of the harshest of environments while providing IT and OT teams with intent-based networking capabilities to scale and accelerate IoT projects.

 

Cisco IoT innovations include:

• Ruggedized Access: Catalyst Heavy Duty switches and access points are designed to withstand extended exposure to dust, water and other extreme environmental conditions. These IP67 rated products are managed by Cisco DNA Center, providing universal management, network assurance, and segmentation across campus, branch and operational technology (OT) environments.
• SD-WAN for IoT Edge: The new Cisco Industrial Router now supports Cisco SD-WAN capabilities to securely connect remote locations and elevate applications performance. This marks the first SD-WAN solution built for industrial IoT customers. 
• Securing OT environments: Cisco recently announced its intent to acquire Sentryo to provide unparalleled visibility into OT devices, allowing IT teams to collaborate and secure these sensitive networks. This includes devices that run critical infrastructure from electric utilities and oil refineries to manufacturing operations and distribution warehouses.
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“A secure connection is the foundation for every IoT deployment,” said Liz Centoni, senior vice president and general manager, IoT at Cisco. “By extending intent-based networking to the IoT edge, we are helping IT and OT teams work together to reduce operational complexity, boost the bottom line, and improve worker safety.” 

 

Intent-based networking represents a fundamental shift in the way networks are built and managed. Moving away from the manual, time-intensive methods by which networks are traditionally managed, these modern networks capture business intent and translate it into network policy. By bringing intent-based networking to IoT customers, organizations gain the ability to scale in an automated way and the flexibility to connect their legacy and future infrastructure, such as with 5G, all while securely connecting it all with built-in and layered on protection. 

 

Ecosystem innovation

For the oil and gas industry, better insights mean improved machine uptime, predictive maintenance, and reduced risk for workers. That’s why Cisco and Emerson are working together to bring to market a joint solution that combines state-of-the-art wireless networking with industry-leading process control systems.

 

“By integrating the new Cisco heavy duty access point with Emerson’s next-generation WirelessHART gateway, we are able to leverage sensor data from critical assets to eliminate blind spots, and improve productivity and safety of their operations,” said Bob Karschnia, vice president and general manager of wireless for Emerson’s Automation Solutions business.

 

As the network becomes increasingly programmable, Cisco’s ecosystem of partners and developers is crucial to drive innovation. Cisco’s developer program, DevNet, features a set of developer tools to unleash innovation at the IoT Edge. Ecosystem partners now have a consistent way to build and manage applications at the edge and enable the extra flexibility customers need to enable better business outcomes. The IoT Developer Center is complete with learning materials, developer tools and support resources so partners can start building solutions and applications today.