Cisco Opens Center of Innovation in Brazil to Develop Technology Solutions Specifically Tailored to Local Needs

Cisco Opens Center of Innovation in Brazil to Develop Technology Solutions Specifically Tailored to Local Needs The center will foster innovation, transformation and socio-economic development, expanding Ciscos presence in the country and highlighting the importance of investments in information and communications technology for the countrys growth and competitiveness

Jordi Botifoll, Rodrigo Dienstmann and Rob Lloyd during the inauguration of the Rio Center of Innovation

-- -- RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL, August 22, 2013. - Cisco today announced the opening of a Center of Innovation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Center of Innovation, or COI, will integrate Cisco's portfolio with technology from local players to create solutions that meet the needs of the Brazilian market. The Center of Innovation is part of the investments package announced last year in Brazil.

The COI will be a key resource for Cisco as it creates long-lasting relationships with the Brazilian government and customers and works with them to identify their needs and provide solutions that support their success.

The Rio Cisco COI will initially focus on developing local solutions for key markets that are relevant for Brazil, including education, urban development (Cisco Smart+Connected Communities ), sports and entertainment, public safety and security, health care, smart grid, and oil and gas.

Education

Technology has the potential to increase access to education as well as improve teacher training and student learning, one of the main challenges for Brazil.

The Cisco Rio COI will look to extend Cisco solutions to the specific needs of Brazil to continue improving the quality of instruction and education assessment, create innovative learning models, improve decision making and reduce costs with administrative efficiency.

Urban Development

The Cisco Rio COI will support the efforts of Ciscos global Smart+Connected Communities in Brazil, which aim to implement Cisco technologies via a service-delivery platform to enhance access to Internet-based services, spur economic development, and reduce the cost of government operations.

These solutions are vital to the development of a more efficient urban infrastructure and the growth of Brazilian cities, both in developments and in the redevelopment of existing areas.

Sports and Entertainment

The Cisco Rio COI will look to support Brazil's preparations for the World Cup and Olympic Games, developing solutions to serve the unique needs of the country, using Cisco Connected Sports solutions. These solutions are focused on transforming the nature of sports and entertainment experiences through network-based innovation.

Public Safety and Security

The Cisco Rio COI will use Cisco's open platform for security solutions. Through Cisco's ecosystems of partners, Cisco intends to help customers in the public and private sectors to protect the general population and optimize the resources used to respond to situations, improving precision and timeliness. This is achieved through the convergence of security systems such as sensors, video, telephony and radios, with systems integrated on a common Internet Protocol platform. Once these systems are integrated, the response of organizations to critical situations will be more appropriate, because they will have the information at the necessary time and place, and in a format that facilitates the operation.

Health Care

The shortage of medical specialists in certain regions, the rising costs of health care, and the growing proportion of people with chronic diseases are some of the challenges faced by health care providers in Brazil. Using the network as a platform, Cisco HealthPresence solutions combine high-definition video, audio and clinical information for patients to increase the efficiency of medical professionals and their organizations; make available health care to more people; improve patient experience; and increase the availability and flow of information. The Cisco Rio COI will develop specific health care solutions for the Brazilian market.

Smart Grid

Worldwide, electric utilities face the challenge of modernizing an obsolete and aging infrastructure to support the delivery of a more reliable and efficient service. Cisco and its partners are helping the energy industry to modernize the electric grid generation, distribution and consumption with highly secure, reliable and scalable communication solutions. Cisco Smart Grid allows utilities and other energy industry organizations to build highly secure networks based on IP to efficiently manage the demand of generation, distribution, storage and electricity consumption. With the convergence of tracking systems and control in a single IP network, the industry can reduce operating expenses and help ensure that network operations and traffic management are given high priority. The convergence network also enables service interruptions to be reduced as well as the time needed to respond, identify, isolate, diagnose and repair faults.

Oil and Gas

Exploring oil reserves sustainably, safely and with maximum efficiency is the main goal of oil companies and society. Cisco oil and gas solutions developed in Rio will play a fundamental role in enhancing productivity and operational efficiency in exploration and production. For example, Cisco drives collaboration between on- and offshore field teams, and helps to engage specialists remotely for mission-critical activities. With Cisco integrated network architecture and collaboration solutions, the oil supply chain becomes more efficient from well to pump. The opening of the Rio COI is part of Cisco s plan to invest over R$ 1 billion in the next four years in Brazil, as announced on April 2012 (Cisco Announces Strategic Investments in Brazil to Foster Innovation, Transformation and Socio-Economic Development).

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