Kyle Carruthers

CISCO Integrates Intent-Based Networking Innovations into the Internet of Things On Thursday, Cisco unveiled a series of tools targeted at aiding businesses in unlocking the daunting potential of the internet of things (IoT) using intent-based networking (IBN). According to Cisco, businesses often struggle with scaling, securing and adapting IoT environments. The toolset introduces new networking platforms, developer tools, blueprints and partner trainings intended to combat these issues. The networking platforms provided by the new industrial Integrated Services routers and Catalyst industrial switches are specialized for IoT environments. The modular focus of this infrastructure purports to allow increased flexibility as evidenced by presenting the industry’s first 5G-ready IPv6 deployable routers. “We operate and deploy our connected grid with thousands of Cisco routers via Field Network Director zero touch provisioning, with an agile, highly secure and future proof network using IPv6 to address our scalability constraints,” said Didier Hinguant, telecom director at Enedis, a French company which manages public electricity distribution. The automation of certain aspects of platform management by the Cisco DNA Center is intended to ease the growing pains of scaling up, as do the blueprints of tested IoT architectures. These proven designs also add the advantage of reducing security risk. “By providing scale, flexibility and security, we’re turning the network into a secret weapon for our IoT customers,” said Liz Centoni, senior vice president and general manager of IoT development at Cisco. “And, with a new DevNet IoT developer center, we’re empowering thousands of partners and developers around the world to build upon our IoT platform.” The IoT Developer Center provides learning labs for teaching app development, sandboxes for infrastructure experimentation and an exchange system for sharing apps and solutions between developers. In order to aid businesses in leveraging these tools, Cisco has begun building a web of IoT partners through training and specialization programs. Certified partners are connected to sales teams and customers as advisers. The web also extends to industry partners, ISVs, machine builders and service providers who can all be connected to customers.