Cisco has shipped a new set of switches and routers specifically designed for use in Internet of Things solutions.
The San Jose, Calif.-based vendor’s new Catalyst IE3x00 Rugged Series of Switches and IR1101 Integrated Services Router Rugged, both available now, are backed by new developer tools, implementation guides, and training resources also unveiled today.
“In IoT, the conversation is about business outcomes. It starts with secure connectivity as the foundation of every IoT deployment. 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 for IoT at Cisco, in a press statement. “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 new switches and routers both run on Cisco IOS XE operating system, a standards-based network operating system engineered to facilitate connectivity between Cisco hardware and third-party applications through open, programmable interfaces. Users can administer them through Cisco DNA Center, a management interface designed to provide a consolidated view of network resources across campus, branch, and IoT environments.
The new developer tools, delivered through a new IoT Developer Center in Cisco’s DevNet program, include learning materials, developer tools, and support resources integrators can use to build and manage IoT and edge computing solutions. An accompanying set of Cisco Validated Designs provide pre-validated blueprints for manufacturing and power distribution solutions, as well as solutions for managing remote and mobile assets. They’re designed to help partners progress from proof of concept deployments to full-scale implementation rapidly.
All of the new offerings fit within Cisco’s intent-based networking vision, in which network resources are configured around concrete business objectives. IoT projects that draw on intent-based networking products, the company says, can be completed faster, scaled more easily, upgraded more flexibly, and secured more thoroughly.
Recent IoT-related ventures by Cisco include the launch of a new smart cities initiative in partnership with Iteris Inc. aimed at promoting adoption of Cisco’s Connected Roadway solution.
