Cisco Demonstrates Next Generation Communications Capabilities

HostReview.com
Monday, October 24, 2005; 12:08 PM

Cisco Systems, Inc. (www.cisco.com) demonstrated today a communication system designed to easily integrate disparate push-to-talk radio systems together with other communication resources like voice, video and data devices. These next generation capabilities are designed to allow organizations to easily collaborate on daily operations, safety, security, and emergency management across different networks, both wired and wireless.

Cisco touted its advanced capabilities in Cisco Internet Protocol (based) Interoperability and Collaboration Systems (IPICS) technology and has announced that this will be a new emerging technology area of focus for the company.

Essentially, Cisco has developed a new systems-based approach which can improve operational efficiency, streamline organizational decision making and emergency safety and security management.

"Cisco views IP as the future for all communications systems," said Charles Giancarlo, Chief Development Officer, Cisco Systems. "Cisco IPICS technology has the potential to deliver a platform to provide an inexpensive solution for pervasive radio interoperability that helps organizations dynamically manage the flow of all types of information, collaborate across multiple networks and organizations, and improve overall operational effectiveness and efficiency."

Effective communications and collaboration are critical both for enterprise operations and emergency management. Enterprises will benefit from virtualizing different resources and making intelligent decisions based on parameters such as time, user roles and responsibilities.

Many organizations and agencies rely heavily on push-to-talk communication systems from their Land Mobile Radio (LMR) networks for their daily operations. Often, these radio networks remain isolated and do not work together with other wireless, voice, and data networks.

"As the largest container terminal operator in the Port of New York and New Jersey with over 5,000 truck transactions handled each day, reliable integrated voice and data communications that reach crane operators, field engineers and operations management from anywhere on our 450-acre terminal is business critical. In fact, all production stops without effective integration of voice and data communication," said Steven Rummel, Vice President of Information Technology, Maher Terminals at Port Elizabeth, New Jersey.

Many organizations have invested money, time and resources into push-to-talk radios. Cisco IPICS technology extends the reach of these radios to new communication systems without requiring a replacement of any of the existing radios or communications equipment or changing the way they use their existing radios.