A glimpse into 2017: As the world gets more crowded so does the Internet

Posted on June 17, 2013 by

Every year we release our annual Visual Networking Index (VNI) report that examines trends in Internet usage and adoption, and forecasts four years into the future to predict what the world, and Internet, may look like.

As the global population continues to rise, so does the number of Internet users and devices connected to the Internet. But where does it end? Does it end?

In 2012 there were 2.3 billion Internet users, accounting for 32 per cent of the of the world’s population. This is a pretty surprising statistic until we look ahead to 2017. Over the next four years, it appears that the pervasive nature of the Internet and mobile devices will continue to diminish the “digital divide”. We forecast that by 2017 there will be 3.6 billion users worldwide, in the hands of 48% of the global population. Continue reading →

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How cool is this? Connecting students to researchers via video from the classroom

Posted on June 14, 2013 by

Inspiring our Canadian youth to get excited about science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) is critical to all of us. Our youth will be key to helping Canada succeed in a more fierce global competitive market. While we have amazing post-secondary universities and colleges I have noticed a trend over the years, even as my own children have grown up, that sciences, technology and engineering have become less attractive to many young people (see Figure6-2 here). If we are to reverse this trend and foster our next generation of innovators and technology workers we need to start working earlier to inspire our children.

With this concept in mind, last month at Cisco Connect Toronto, Cisco Canada announced a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Partners In Research and Sheridan College that will work to support teachers and help children across this country. Partners In Research is a non-profit organization that runs a program called Virtual Researcher On Call (VROC) that originated in Ontario, and is now expanding across Canada. The VROC program provides a full array of tools for teachers including podcasts, a video portal and a program called Experts on Demand that allows teachers to bring an expert into the classroom over two-way Telepresence or Video Conference technology. This allows a teacher to augment the subject they are teaching with a real-life expert.    Continue reading →

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How Cisco technology is helping the NHL® enhance its fan experience Part 2

Posted on June 13, 2013 by

By Mark Collins, VP of Marketing, Cisco Canada

This week we’re talking with Lyndsey Read, NHL® Network Producer, about how Cisco technology is used in the delivery of NHL Network™ content. In part one of our discussion, we looked at how Cisco TelePresence is impacting the quality of content the NHL Network is providing fans across the globe.

MC: We’re excited that Cisco can work with the NHL to find solutions that help you enhance your product. To that end, another relatively new broadcast feature is the Cisco NHL Arena Cam. Can you tell us what the Arena Cams are and how they impact NHL Network productions?

LR: The NHL Arena Cams are remotely controlled cameras that are used to capture footage for broadcasts. The cool part is that they’re operated from our control rooms in New York City and Toronto, and the content is exclusive to NHL Network. This again gives our fans unprecedented access to our game, with content they can’t find anywhere else.

NHL Studios
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How Cisco technology is helping the NHL® enhance its fan experience

Posted on June 12, 2013 by

By Mark Collins, VP of Marketing, Cisco Canada

Here’s a fact you probably didn’t know. As the Official Technology Partner of the NHL®, Cisco technology plays a pivotal role in the delivery of NHL Network™ content. So with the Stanley Cup® Playoffs underway and hockey’s popularity at a fever pitch across Canada and the United States, I invited Lyndsey Read, an NHL Network Producer, to talk about how technology helps the NHL enhance the broadcast experience for fans.

Mark Collins: Lyndsey, welcome and thank you for discussing the role of technology in your broadcast. First things first, let’s talk about the fans and how Cisco technology is helping them get closer to the game. Outside of the actual delivery of the broadcast, how is technology – products or applications – impacting the end product that fans experience at home?

Lyndsey Read: When you think of television, you think of a visual experience. However, hiring camera crews, setting up interview shots and literally getting people in front of a camera can be a very expensive and complicated process.  Cisco has simplified that process for our daily 2-hour show, Cisco NHL Live™, by providing the technology and integration of cost effective and mobile video solutions. What does this means for fans? Simply put everything.

Cisco TelePresence (TP) puts the equipment right into the homes of our weekly reporters so they don’t need to leave in order to join our program lives. This creates a truly dynamic experience for us and for fans because we can call upon any reporter at a moment’s notice to provide insight into breaking events. And Cisco also provides the technology to bring our fans closer than ever to the action, with Cisco NHL® Arena Cameras located in 29 of 30 arenas equipped with the technology to do live remote interviews. Continue reading →

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Cisco opens new office on Grande Allée in Québec City

Posted on June 11, 2013 by

This week we, along with special guests that included Quebec City Deputy Mayor Michelle Morin-Doyle, proudly opened our new offices in Québec City. Our new location in the heart of the city, at 500 Grande Allée East, demonstrates just how much we’ve grown in Québec City over the past few years.

Cisco Canada’s Paul Zed, Jean-Claude Ouellet and Mike Ansley with Quebec City Deputy Mayor Michelle Morin-Doyle

Cisco Canada’s Paul Zed, Jean-Claude Ouellet and Mike Ansley with Quebec City Deputy Mayor Michelle Morin-Doyle

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Iqualuit Students Explore New Turf with Cisco Canada

Posted on June 10, 2013 by

At the end of April, Cisco hosted 13 students and 3 teachers from Aqsarniit Ilinniarvik Middle School, in Iqaluit, on a visit to Toronto. Leveraging our partnerships with the Evergreen Brickworks, The Globe and Mail, CFL, Hockey Hall of Fame, David Suzuki Foundation and Ryerson, to name a few, the students had an experience they’ll never forget.  Here’s what they had to say about the trip.

We all agreed, our trip to Toronto would never be forgotten!  It was a whirlwind of fun and excitement.  Something we will remember forever!  We had so many cool activities planned for us; all different and all amazing!

Aqsarniit Ilinniarvik Middle School students gather around Cisco TelePresence to connect live with students from Kawartha School District.

Aqsarniit Ilinniarvik Middle School students gather around Cisco TelePresence to connect live with students from Kawartha School District.

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Cisco Canada and Canadian Green Building Council partner in pursuit of greener and smarter Buildings

Posted on June 7, 2013 by

The annual Canadian Green Building Council (CaGBC) conference in Vancouver this week (June 4 – 6) marked the inauguration of an exciting industry partnership between Cisco Canada and the CaGBC.

Smarter buildings are green buildings. This is not the first time you will have heard of this. As buildings are increasingly infused with leading edge information technology to provide for more economic (cost savings, efficiency, operations) and social (flexity, mobility, experience) infrastructure, so also we see a rapidly increasing opportunity to address the environmental aspects of our built environment (for instance, energy management and carbon reduction).

Building systems are entering the world of the Internet at an accelerated pace; the first Power over Ethernet (PoE) and Internet Protocol (IP) door locks, HVAC controllers, light fixtures, power meters and security systems are available and demonstrating tremendous impact on cost and energy reduction. Companies like Cisco are carving out their niche to play an instrumental role in smart and connected buildings: not only how buildings are used, but how they’re designed, built and operated – changing the real estate lifecycle in unprecedented ways. Continue reading →

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How Allstream is building on the power of Cisco with Hosted Collaboration Solutions

Posted on June 6, 2013 by

Last month Allstream launched its Hosted Collaboration Solution (HCS), a unified communication-as-a-service (UCaaS) offering based on Cisco’s UCS product suite.

In this clip, Allstream’s vice president of unified communications Tom Jolly explains why HCS could solve critical business challenges in the Canadian market, and why the partnership with Cisco is so important.


Continue reading →

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Cisco Partner Summit 2013: And the winner is…

Posted on June 5, 2013 by

Partner Summit is a special time of year for us at Cisco. It gives us a chance to show the world why Cisco’s channel partners are the very best. We also get a chance to see the great solutions partners have been working on and discuss what we have planned for the coming year. It’s always exciting to see the unique ways partners are implementing Cisco technology, working together and building innovative solutions.

But my favourite part of partner summit has to be the partner awards showcase. Held during Partner Summit, it is a time when the entire global Cisco partner community can come together to reflect on our successes over the past year and celebrate our achievements.

I was particularly excited to announce the Canadian winners at our annual Partner Summit Canada party this year. We’ve had a great year at Cisco Canada and our partner community is a big part of that. With great opportunities on the horizon enabled by the Internet of Everything, I know 2013-2014 is going to be another stellar year for our partners as they continue to connect people, process, data and things. Continue reading →

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The Future of our Smart Communities: Services

Posted on June 4, 2013 by

One of the great challenges every municipality faces is how to deliver higher quality services to its citizens and businesses while budgets consistently seem to shrink.

Several of Canada’s leading communities are taking a proactive role and experimenting with shared services (an outsourcing or regional consolidation model); and almost all of them look at the Internet as a low-cost channel for the delivery of these services. Both the move to shared services and consideration of the Internet to deliver these services, along with other strategies, are the right steps towards a smarter and connected reality. Municipal leaders, however, recognized that one can’t eliminate the much needed face-to-face interactions with constituents while delivering high-touch services – both from a quality and a security perspective.

Surely the transformation of governmental services can’t be a burden that should solely rest on the shoulders of the municipality. Although it is understood that municipalities are most in tune to the real needs and concerns of citizens and businesses in Canada,  what about the Federal services for which I have to go to Service Canada? I sat in their waiting room this week for 90 minutes so I could submit paperwork for a passport renewal. Or Provincial services for which I need to go to Service Ontario? Passports, driver licenses, health cards, and marriage certificates…does anyone know where to go for each? Add to this Canada Post with its 6,500 services outlet, or the municipal library systems (where there are more than books) and community centers all around the country for outreach and engagement. Continue reading →

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