This post was authored by Allison Liu, a recent UX Research Intern on the Experience Design & Incubation (XDI) Team, part of the Customer Partner Experience (CPX) Team.

When I started at the… Read more on Cisco Blogs

​

This post was authored by Allison Liu, a recent UX Research Intern on the Experience Design & Incubation (XDI) Team, part of the Customer Partner Experience (CPX) Team.

When I started at the University of California, Irvine, I was a music nerd looking to teach little children music. But then the pandemic hit, and I saw its impact on various musicians. It ranged from being unable to play music in person in orchestral, chamber music, and solo playing situations to struggling to transition to online teaching settings. This hit me hard since I didn’t know what to do if I could not pursue music alone. I didn’t feel secure.

With more time on my hands, I decided to explore new areas I’d never experienced, especially technology. I focused on taking fundamental computer science, along with joining clubs related to that field. However, I realized the logic behind detailed code doesn’t click inside me.

It wasn’t until one day I stumbled upon the UX/UI Design field, which unveiled that creative thinking in technology through a different approach was possible. From learning the fundamental design process to building my first project, I love how I can leverage real-world data from users to come up with creative and innovative solutions. I added a second major in Informatics, which examines the interplay of people and technology. From there, I gained the fundamentals of design and worked on solo and nonprofit projects, helping those needing assistance redesigning their website platforms. I was fortunate enough that all those experiences in school and extracurriculars led me to my role at Cisco as a UX Design Intern in 2022 and UX Research Intern in 2023.

You might wonder why I would return to Cisco for two summers in a row. The main reason is that I’m gaining valuable career experience as a full-time intern and am still able to pursue my passion for music because Cisco offers flexibility in both my personal and work life.

When I heard about the emphasis Cisco places on work-life balance, I was skeptical at first. Now, back for my second year, I know the company has a true focus on employee well-being, and this is just part of it. My manager fully trusts me to get my work done, allowing me to have a flexible schedule, attend intern events, attend meetings, have solo work time, and take breaks when needed. During those break times, I study the scores for potential music that I’m interested in playing, practice my instrument, or even take a quick stretch outside for some sunshine, and when I come back, I’m more engaged with my team, more focused on my design and research work, and less stressed. Then, when I wrap things up, I fully shut down work and turn on music mode.

I volunteer at various music organizations, including Through the Staff, where I mentored two cello students who were unable to afford music lessons, and the Jenny Lin Foundation, where I played in a string quartet to raise funds and promote the importance of child safety and music education. I also spend time jamming some chamber music with my friends around the Bay Area. We play a variety of music, including anime, pop, classical — you name it.

In the end, Cisco helps me achieve my dreams as a musician while making me a better employee. I’ve gained valuable career experience, enjoyed a flexible work schedule, completed project work that interests me, and experienced the work-life balance Cisco is so well-known for, making it a great place to work.

Are you ready to strike the right balance in your career? Find an opportunity now.

Subscribe to the WeAreCisco Blog.

  See how UX Research Intern Allison L. embraced the valuable career experience and unbeatable work-life balance Cisco offers, returning for a second year.  Read More Cisco Blogs 

Cisco Live Melbourne is right around the corner. I couldn’t be more excited to spend time with Cisco customers and partners at this energizing event December 5-8, 2023.

Cisco Live is all about you, an… Read more on Cisco Blogs

​

Cisco Live Melbourne is right around the corner. I couldn’t be more excited to spend time with Cisco customers and partners at this energizing event December 5-8, 2023.

Cisco Live is all about you, and our CX team has so many plans to celebrate our customers and partners this year while providing you with the information you need to have a faster path to value. I can’t share everything, for the risk of spoiling a few surprises, but I can tell you that you won’t lack for ways to interact with CX this year.

The CX team’s theme for this year’s event is ‘Jump into the future. Together.’ The theme is all about building a better future for Cisco customers and partners with our expertise, innovation, and unwavering commitment. We work together with you every step of the way and every interaction with CX should inspire confidence in your choice to work with Cisco while reinforcing the message that Cisco CX is a trusted partner always helping you move forward to get the full value of your IT investment. Here’s a little preview.

As part of the Keynote: Vision for the Future on Wednesday, December 6, I will show how we are helping our customers transform by innovating the future, optimizing for speed and efficiency, and securing business resiliency.

On December 7, we’ll Jump into the Future with Lifecycle Innovations. Our CX Innovation Session will share innovations in services design and support, automation, and AI/ML-driven insights that anticipate your needs to execute with confidence. We’ll also share how we’re helping customers maximize IT investments to deliver tangible business value faster with an end-to-end lifecycle delivery approach.

Want more? We celebrate the great things that you do with your technology investment with our Customer Hero Awards. These customer heroes all come from a pool of nominees showcasing the excellence of our customer base while highlighting how CX helped them succeed. The nominees go through a judging process, and in the past, the winners have been announced in a private ceremony.

However, this year, we are announcing the winners on stage in our CX stand theater. It is a celebration of all the hard work customers like you have put in, along with the trust and investment in Cisco. It’s not the only place to engage with our CX team at this year’s Cisco Live though.

Engage with Cisco CX at Cisco Live

Before we even go to the event, you can always get the most up-to-date information on the CX at Cisco Live web page. Consider it your one-stop shop for updates, but here are a few specific areas I want our customers and partners to prepare for:

CX in the World of Solutions  – Our CX team has more than 240 square meters of space in the World of Solutions this year. Come participate in demos, lightning talks, a fun car racing simulation, and more.
CX Subject Matter Expert Access  – Want to meet 1×1 with one of our CX engineers or our executives in Melbourne? Our Cisco sales team is actively nominating accounts now on a variety of topics. Be sure to reach out to your Cisco representative and have them nominate you to meet with our experts onsite at Cisco Live.
Next Stop, The Future Sweepstakes – Participate in our digital passport sweepstakes program for a chance to win an incredible racing and gaming-themed prize package. Simply scan QR codes at our lightning talks and our Innovation Session, at our demo kiosks in the CX Stand, and at other locations around the show floor.

There is going to be so much more going on in Melbourne at Cisco Live, I can’t possibly point it all out here. Drop by our CX Stand in the World of Solutions if you’re going to be at the show in person to learn how we can help you accelerate your business outcomes — or just stop by and take a spin in one of our racing simulators and grab a photo with us. The team is ready to meet you. I’m excited to go, and I’m going to be in the CX stand as much as I can too.

Maybe we will run into each other there. If not, please leave a comment here or reach out to your account managers and let us know how we can help.

Let’s jump into the future. Together.

  Cisco Live Melbourne is right around the corner. I couldn’t be more excited to spend time with Cisco customers and partners at this energizing event December 5-8, 2023.  Read More Cisco Blogs 

In the security industry, there is a constant, undeniable fact that practitioners must contend with: criminals are working overtime to constantly change the threat landscape to their advantage. Their… Read more on Cisco Blogs

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In the security industry, there is a constant, undeniable fact that practitioners must contend with: criminals are working overtime to constantly change the threat landscape to their advantage. Their techniques are many, and they go out of their way to avoid detection and obfuscate their actions. In fact, one element of obfuscation – command-line obfuscation – is the process of intentionally disguising command-lines, which hinders automated detection and seeks to hide the true intention of the adversary’s scripts.

Types of Obfuscation

There are a few tools publicly available on GitHub that give us a glimpse of what techniques are used by adversaries. One of such tools is Invoke-Obfuscation, a PowerShell script that aims to help defenders simulate obfuscated payloads. After analyzing some of the examples in Invoke-Obfuscation, we identified different levels of the technique:

Each of the colors in the image represents a different technique, and while there are various types of obfuscation, they’re not changing the overall functionality of the command. In the simplest form, Light obfuscation changes the case of the letters on the command line; and Medium generates a sequence of concatenated strings with added characters “`” and “^” which are generally ignored by the command line. In addition to the previous techniques, it is possible to reorder the arguments on the command-line as seen on the Heavy example, by using the syntax specify the order of execution. Lastly, the Ultra level of obfuscation uses Base64 encoded commands, and by using Base8*8 can avoid a large number EDR detections.

In the wild, this is what an un-obfuscated command-line would look like:

One of the simplest, and least noticeable techniques an adversary could use, is changing the case of the letters on the command-line, which is what the previously mentioned ‘Light’ technique demonstrated:

The insertion of characters that are ignored by the command-line such as the ` (tick symbol) or ^ (caret symbol), which was previously mentioned in the ‘Medium’ technique, would look like this in the wild:

In our examples, the command silently installs software from the website evil.com. The technique used in this case is especially stealthy, since it is using software that is benign by itself and already pre-installed on any computer running the Windows operating system.

Don’t Ignore the Warning Signs, Inspect Obfuscated Elements Quickly

The presence of obfuscation techniques on the command-line often serves as a strong indication of suspicious (almost always malicious) activity. While in some scenario’s obfuscation may have a valid use-case, such as using credentials on the command-line (although this is a very bad idea), threat actors use these techniques to hide their malicious intent.  The Gamarue and Raspberry Robin malware campaigns commonly used this technique to avoid detection by traditional EDR products. This is why it’s essential to detect obfuscation techniques as quickly as possible and act on them.

Using Large Language Models (LLMs) to detect obfuscation

We created an obfuscation detector using large language models as the solution to the constantly evolving state of obfuscation techniques. These models consist of two distinct parts: the tokenizer and the language model.

The tokenizer augments the command lines and transforms them into a low-dimensional representation without losing information about the underlying obfuscation technique. In other words, the goal of the tokenizer is to separate the sentence or command-line into smaller pieces that are normalized, and the LLM can understand.

The tokens into which the command-line is separated are essentially a statistical representation of common combinations of characters. Therefore, the common combinations of letters get a “longer” token and the less common ones are represented as separate characters.

It is also important to keep the context of what tokens are commonly seen together, in the English language these are words and the syllables they are constructed from. This concept is represented by “##” in the world of natural language processing (NLP), which means if a syllable or token is a continuation of a word we prepend “##”. The best way to demonstrate this is to have a look at two examples; One of an English sentence that the common tokenizer won’t have a problem with, and the second with a malicious command line.

Since the command-line has a different structure than natural language it is necessary to train a custom tokenizer model for our use-case. Additionally, this custom tokenizer is going to be significantly better statistical representation of the command-line and is going to be splitting the input into much longer (more common) tokens.

For the second part of the detection model – the language model – the Electra model was chosen. This model is tiny when compared to other commonly used language models (~87% less trainable parameters compared to BERT),  but is still able to learn the command line structure and detect previously unseen obfuscation techniques. The pre-training of the Electra model is performed on several benign command-line samples taken from telemetry, and then tokenized. During this phase, the model learns the relationships between the tokens and their “normal” combinations of tokens and their occurrences.

The next step for this model is to learn to differentiate between obfuscated and un-obfuscated samples, which is called the fine-tuning phase. During this phase we give the model true positive samples that were collected internally. However, there weren’t enough samples observed in the wild, so we also created a synthetic obfuscated dataset from benign command-line samples. During the fine-tuning phase, we give the Electra model both malicious and benign samples. By showing different samples, the model learns the underlying technique and notes that certain binaries have a higher probability of being obfuscated than others.

The resulting model achieves impressive results having 99% precision and recall.

As we looked through the results of our LLM-based obfuscation detector, we found a few new tricks known malware such as Raspberry Robin or Gamarue used. Raspberry Robin leveraged a heavily obfuscated command-line using wt.exe, that can only be found on the Windows 11 operating system. On the other hand, Gamarue leveraged a new method of encoding using unprintable characters. This was a rare technique, not commonly seen in reports or raw telemetries.

Raspberry Robin:

Gamarue:

The Electra model has helped us detect expected forms of obfuscation, as well as these new tricks used by the Gamarue, Raspberry Robin, and other malware families. In combination with the existing security events from the Cisco XDR portfolio, the script increases its detection fidelity.

Conclusion

There are many techniques out there that are used by adversaries to hide their intent and it is just a matter of time before we stumble upon something new. LLMs provide new possibilities to detect obfuscation techniques that generalize well and improve the accuracy of our detections in the XDR portfolio. Let’s stay vigilant and keep our networks safe using the Cisco XDR portfolio.

We’d love to hear what you think. Ask a Question, Comment Below, and Stay Connected with Cisco Security on social!

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  Obfuscation is often used by adversaries to avoid detection. This article describes a new approach to detect obfuscation using Large Language Models.  Read More Cisco Blogs 

Hybrid work is a flexible work model that combines in-office, remote, and on-the-go working. It provides the flexibility to be impactful wherever work is accomplished. However, while the term may be… Read more on Cisco Blogs

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Hybrid work is a flexible work model that combines in-office, remote, and on-the-go working. It provides the flexibility to be impactful wherever work is accomplished. However, while the term may be relatively new to many businesses and organizations, the foundational operational elements of hybrid work are not new to successful, high-performing organizations.

Resiliency: The need to establish a resilient environment that ensures the business or mission continues to operate even in times of emergencies, where an emergency could range from an ice storm that closes roads and offices to catastrophic events that demolish buildings or critical infrastructure.
Distributed: Based on availability and diversity to sustain essential functions, irrespective of where those functions are performed — in-office, remote, or mobile.

Continuity of Operations (COOP)

For those familiar with the words “Continuity of Operations,” it should be no surprise that the ability to agilely operate in a resilient environment to sustain continuity of critical operations is a national priority.

National continuity programs are based on the continuous performance of NEFs by sustaining essential functions performed by departments and agencies. Indeed, Presidential Policy Directive 40 (PPD-40) codified that “it is the policy of the United States to maintain a comprehensive and effective continuity capability through Continuity of Operations (COOP), Continuity of Government (COG), and Enduring Constitutional Government (ECG) programs, ensuring the resilience and preservation of government structure under the United States Constitution and the continuous performance of National Essential Functions (NEFs) under all conditions.”

The Federal Continuity Directive 1 (FCD-1) helps implement PDD-40 by establishing the framework, requirements, and processes to support the development of continuity programs and by specifying and defining elements of a continuity plan for federal executive branch departments and agencies. [1]

Continuity of operations is an effort within individual organizations (i.e., Federal executive branch departments and agencies) to ensure that Primary Mission Essential Functions (PMEFs) continue to be performed during a wide range of emergencies, including localized acts of nature, accidents, and technological or attack-related emergencies. FCD-1 outlines eleven Continuity Capability Elements[2] that are fundamental to a successful continuity program and that must be addressed in Continuity of Operations (COOP) plans.[3]

One critical element outlined in the directive is communications and information systems, specifically: “the availability, diversity, and redundancy of critical communications and information systems are critical to sustain essential functions performed at primary and alternate locations including devolution locations as well as telework or mobile work environments. Communications and information systems provide the connectivity between and among key government leadership, internal elements, other organizations, and the public to perform essential functions. Telework and mobile work environments require use of portable telecommunications technology such as laptop computers, mobile telephones, and satellite communications equipment.  (Ref:  FCD-1).”

Read our white paper for insights on Hybrid Work for Government:

Cisco Government Thought Leadership:
Empowering hybrid work – a governmental imperative

Also explore Cisco’s Hybrid Work Solutions for Government

Agile and Resilient

So why highlight multiple Federal government directives?  Because the overarching logic is sound. Governments, companies, businesses and families need to build foundational resiliency to be able to operate in a crisis…whatever that crisis may be.

Having had the good fortune of working at Cisco for over 20 years, I’ve had the opportunity to experience the benefits of a hybrid environment personally. I worked at my mother’s house after her major surgery, at my husband’s bedside after an accident, and from my couch after my surgery. From an organizational perspective, as an AF Reservist assigned to the Pentagon, we operated thru 9/11.  And at Cisco, we operated thru COVID without missing a beat.

The concepts are familiar, but the technology necessary to securely and agilely execute these concepts continues to rapidly evolve, providing an even more seamless and effective operational environment connecting organizations and individuals across the globe. And if your “standard way of doing business” is in an agile resilient context, then you, your organization, your business, and your country can survive and thrive in whatever life sends your way.

Hybrid work isn’t about being able to do laundry while attending a conference call. Hybrid work is about more effectively meeting operational requirements from an often distributed and agile environment whenever and wherever needed to continue mission operations.

[1]  U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency: Federal Continuity Directive 1 – Federal Executive Branch National Continuity Program and Requirements  – PDF

[2] U.S. Department of Homeland Security: Federal Continuity Directive 1 (FCD 1) – PDF

[3] U.S. Department of Energy:  Continuity Capability Elements (definition)

  Learn about the importance of maintaining operational resilience and the need for adaptable technology in emergency situations.  Read More Cisco Blogs 

This year’s Cisco Partner Summit was filled with announcements, awards, and portfolio updates. I am thrilled by how Cisco continues to come together, especially at Cisco Partner Summit 2023, to truly … Read more on Cisco Blogs

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This year’s Cisco Partner Summit was filled with announcements, awards, and portfolio updates. I am thrilled by how Cisco continues to come together, especially at Cisco Partner Summit 2023, to truly Fuel Partner Success and drive an increase in productivity and profitability. The theme of Greater Together is one that draws us away from individual silos and toward a common cause.

Henry Ford once said, “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.”

Since I’ve joined Cisco, I’ve seen how our combined efforts drive success. I’ve especially seen this in how we work with our distributors to drive success for our partners.

Greater Together

This theme surmises many strategic areas of Cisco’s business because of the unique partnerships we have cultivated over the years. You, our distributors, bring a vast set of skills and expertise to our combined business. By expanding our Partner Experience Platform (PXP), we are adding functionality that will help you and your partners driver greater differentiation and take hold of additional business. We’ll be helping you redefine what it means to drive growth, profitability, and productivity through this tool. Jason W. Gallo, Global VP, Partner GTM Acceleration, shares a deep dive into the specifics of the updates to PXP on his latest blog, Key Announcements from Cisco Partner Summit 2023.

Growing a Managed Service Practice

As you learned at Cisco Partner Summit 2023, we have a new support offer that will expand the value partners can bring to their customers. CRN reported, “Partner Advanced Support for Providers gives MSPs more choices and higher levels of support so that they can proactively prevent disruptions, speed time to resolution with faster access to the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC), and to help their customers reach their outcomes faster with guided API support.”

Through Cisco Partner Advanced Support, we are helping them become “smart-bonded” with Cisco. This will help partners utilize automation to be more proactive or prescriptive in resolving issues. Denzil Samuels, Cisco Global Customer Experience (CX), and Alexandra Zagury, VP, Partner Managed Services and aaS Sales, share more in their latest blog, Simplified Partner Tools: Cisco’s First-Ever MSP Support for Exceptional Customer Experiences.

Simplified Security

Cisco Security has shifted into three focused security suites. With new simplified pricing and promotions for partners, we are working to improve the security deal registration so the process can become streamlined. Within our teams at Cisco, we have added a great emphasis to know the Cisco Security story through the Cisco Security Cloud. This comprehensive view provides better security outcomes. Our data-informed Global Growth Sprints centered around Firewall Modernization, User protection, and Power of Platform, will help enable partners to have greater outcome-focused conversations. You can read more about this strategy in Brian Feeney, VP, Global Security Partner Sales, latest blog, Speeding to Growth: Greater Together with Cisco Security.

Partner Launch Experience

These three key announcements were just a few of the many insights provided throughout Partner Summit. If there were any sessions you were unable to attend or if you participated virtually, you could go back and review the sessions on the Partner Launch Experience. I look forward to what we will be able to accomplish together.

Head over to the Partner Launch Experience

for session recordings and more!

We’d love to hear what you think. Ask a Question, Comment Below, and Stay Connected with #CiscoPartners on social!

Cisco Partners Facebook  |  @CiscoPartners Twitter  |  Cisco Partners LinkedIn

  I am thrilled by how Cisco continues to come together, especially at Cisco Partner Summit 2023, to truly Fuel Partner Success and drive an increase in productivity and profitability. The theme of Greater Together is one that draws us away from individual silos and toward a common cause.  Read More Cisco Blogs 

Cisco Live Melbourne is right around the corner. I couldn’t be more excited to spend time with Cisco customers and partners at this energizing event December 5-8, 2023.

Cisco Live is all about you, an… Read more on Cisco Blogs

​

Cisco Live Melbourne is right around the corner. I couldn’t be more excited to spend time with Cisco customers and partners at this energizing event December 5-8, 2023.

Cisco Live is all about you, and our CX team has so many plans to celebrate our customers and partners this year while providing you with the information you need to have a faster path to value. I can’t share everything, for the risk of spoiling a few surprises, but I can tell you that you won’t lack for ways to interact with CX this year.

The CX team’s theme for this year’s event is ‘Jump into the future. Together.’ The theme is all about building a better future for Cisco customers and partners with our expertise, innovation, and unwavering commitment. We work together with you every step of the way and every interaction with CX should inspire confidence in your choice to work with Cisco while reinforcing the message that Cisco CX is a trusted partner always helping you move forward to get the full value of your IT investment. Here’s a little preview.

As part of the Keynote: Vision for the Future on Wednesday, December 6, I will show how we are helping our customers transform by innovating the future, optimizing for speed and efficiency, and securing business resiliency.

On December 7, we’ll Jump into the Future with Lifecycle Innovations. Our CX Innovation Session will share innovations in services design and support, automation, and AI/ML-driven insights that anticipate your needs to execute with confidence. We’ll also share how we’re helping customers maximize IT investments to deliver tangible business value faster with an end-to-end lifecycle delivery approach.

Want more? We celebrate the great things that you do with your technology investment with our Customer Hero Awards. These customer heroes all come from a pool of nominees showcasing the excellence of our customer base while highlighting how CX helped them succeed. The nominees go through a judging process, and in the past, the winners have been announced in a private ceremony.

However, this year, we are announcing the winners on stage in our CX stand theater. It is a celebration of all the hard work customers like you have put in, along with the trust and investment in Cisco. It’s not the only place to engage with our CX team at this year’s Cisco Live though.

Engage with Cisco CX at Cisco Live

Before we even go to the event, you can always get the most up-to-date information on the CX at Cisco Live web page. Consider it your one-stop shop for updates, but here are a few specific areas I want our customers and partners to prepare for:

CX in the World of Solutions  – Our CX team has more than 240 square meters of space in the World of Solutions this year. Come participate in demos, lightning talks, a fun car racing simulation, and more.
CX Subject Matter Expert Access  – Want to meet 1×1 with one of our CX engineers or our executives in Melbourne? Our Cisco sales team is actively nominating accounts now on a variety of topics. Be sure to reach out to your Cisco representative and have them nominate you to meet with our experts onsite at Cisco Live.
Next Stop, The Future Sweepstakes – Participate in our digital passport sweepstakes program for a chance to win an incredible racing and gaming-themed prize package. Simply scan QR codes at our lightning talks and our Innovation Session, at our demo kiosks in the CX Stand, and at other locations around the show floor.

There is going to be so much more going on in Melbourne at Cisco Live, I can’t possibly point it all out here. Drop by our CX Stand in the World of Solutions if you’re going to be at the show in person to learn how we can help you accelerate your business outcomes — or just stop by and take a spin in one of our racing simulators and grab a photo with us. The team is ready to meet you. I’m excited to go, and I’m going to be in the CX stand as much as I can too.

Maybe we will run into each other there. If not, please leave a comment here or reach out to your account managers and let us know how we can help.

Let’s jump into the future. Together.

  Cisco Live Melbourne is right around the corner. I couldn’t be more excited to spend time with Cisco customers and partners at this energizing event December 5-8, 2023.  Read More Cisco Blogs 

Cisco recently attended Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona, Spain where 25,000 attendees from 800 cities came together with a common purpose, to move cities towards a better future.

Cisco’s b… Read more on Cisco Blogs

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Cisco recently attended Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona, Spain where 25,000 attendees from 800 cities came together with a common purpose, to move cities towards a better future.

Cisco’s belief that technology holds the promise of transforming communities, powering opportunity, and creating a more sustainable future was on full display with an interactive booth, over forty theater presentations and numerous demonstrations.

A prominent theme at SCEWC was urban mobility and how technology is transforming critical transportation infrastructure to modernize operations, ensure physical safety, minimize carbon emissions, and secure systems. Achieving these outcomes requires secure, reliable connectivity and a unified, end-to-end architecture and this is where Cisco and its global partners are providing industry-leading solutions to address connected transportation initiatives.

Below are a few highlights from the transportation centric sessions Cisco featured at Smart City Expo World Congress.

EV Charging Station Infrastructure

Economic development, regulations, and public demand are increasing the pace of adoption for decarbonizing transportation. Likewise, the demand for electric cars is booming, with sales expected to increase 35% in 2023. Across the globe, EVs are an important priority of government investment and are integral to fighting climate change and achieving a more energy-efficient means of transportation; however, a side effect of publicly funded EV charging infrastructure that must be considered is the security vulnerabilities that are present, which are well outside of agency enterprise networking strategies.

Read more about the considerations for a secure electric vehicle charging ecosystem.

Modernization of the OT and Traffic Operations Network

Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) are providing an innovative approach to how transportation and traffic are handled on a large scale. These smart technologies and their integration into existing systems are providing more flexible, affordable, and accessible multimodal transportation option for citizens. Some specific use cases include:

Connected Freight – Using connected vehicle technology that allows trucks to communicate with traffic signals, businesses can reduce the impact delivery and freight trucks have in local communities, improve delivery time reliability, and provide cost savings to participating cargo companies.
Connected Fleets – With network connectivity for vehicle-to-everything communication, cities can better understand how to improve resident commuting experiences, upgrade traffic management system, and provide real time information to citizens.
Connected Citizens – Automated pedestrian detection and notification technology allows pedestrian crosswalk signs to be extended if someone, such as a young child or a sight-impaired individual, needs additional time to cross the street.

Bringing LiDAR to the Smart Cities

Last year, Cisco and Luminar, worked together to drive the world’s fastest autonomous race cars at the Indy Autonomous Challenge. The same technology used to keep autonomous race cars safe at speeds in excess of 150mph can also be used to improve safety on urban roads and public spaces.

Real-time, highly accurate, detailed data from long-range lidar sensors is making features like adaptive traffic signal control, crowd monitoring, and the design and optimization of roads possible. Discover more of Cisco’s solutions for connected roadways and intersections.

Cisco at SCEWC 2023

Cisco is uniquely positioned to be the bridge between the future of transportation and the secure infrastructure that connects in. At the core of Cisco’s mission lies a commitment to people, ensuring access to transportation services, driving sustainable solutions, and powering a more equitable future for all.

  Cisco recently attended Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona, Spain where 25,000 attendees from 800 cities came together with a common purpose to moving cities towards a better future. Cisco’s belief that that technology holds the promise of transforming communities, powering opportunity, and creating a more equitable and sustainable future was on full display with an interactive booth, over forty theater presentations and numerous demonstrations.  Read More Cisco Blogs 

If you’re a sports fan, you’re probably aware of the term “Triple Crown”. That’s when a baseball player leads his league in three offensive categories: batting average, homeruns and runs batted in for… Read more on Cisco Blogs

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If you’re a sports fan, you’re probably aware of the term “Triple Crown”. That’s when a baseball player leads his league in three offensive categories: batting average, homeruns and runs batted in for hitters. Or for pitchers, he leads his league in these three categories: wins, earned run average and strikeouts for pitchers. In horse racing, a Triple Crown occurs when a horse wins the three biggest races in a year: the Preakness, the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes.

Whether it’s baseball or the “Sport of Kings”, the awarding of the Triple Crown doesn’t occur very often and when it does, it’s usually the result of a very memorable season and only happens to the best of the best.

That’s why it’s with great pride that we announce that Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) has taken home the gold in TrustRadius’ 2023 Best of Award Winner. Not in just one or two categories, but three times; as Cisco ISE has been named Best of Feature Set, Best of Value and Best of Relationship!

“Cisco ISE has secured first place in all three Best of Award categories in the Network Security category,” said Megan Headley, VP of Research at TrustRadius.

Three Categories, Three Cisco ISE Wins!

When breaking down the individual categories, Headley explains why Cisco ISE was at the head of the pack when it comes to having the Best Feature Set.

“This recognition is rooted entirely in customer feedback. Customers are delighted with the specific feature set attributes that make Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) excel,” she said.

She discussed the Best Relationship category and how ISE garnered that award.

“Cisco ISE secured the ‘Best Relationship’ award in the Network Security category,” Headley announced. “This award is based entirely on feedback from its customers. Customers express their satisfaction with the specific relationship attributes that set Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) apart.”

Finally, Headley explained the Best Value for Price award.

“Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) earned the ‘Best Value for Price’ award in the Network Security category,” she disclosed. “This achievement is entirely founded on customer feedback. Customers affirm their happiness with the specific value for price attributes that make Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) a standout choice.”

ISE and TrustRadius Background

ISE powers security resilience. It gives organizations the flexibility they need to prepare for, and withstand, unpredictable change. Hybrid multi-cloud Network Access Control accelerates the delivery of secure network access services to anywhere, from everywhere and for anything within a zero-trust framework.

When it comes to TrustRadius, according to its website, they’re a business-to-business platform that provides peer reviews of a bevy of products. The criteria for their awards are as followed:

Ten reviews needed to be sourced between January 1 and September 30, 2023.
The products need to be updated and be accessible through TrustRadius’ vendor portal before the end of September.
Also, additional vetting via textual review analysis will be performed by the TrustRadius research team and product’s newest review volume is heavily weighted.

“Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)’s achievement is founded entirely on customer feedback,” Headley explained. “Customers express their satisfaction with the feature set, confirm that the product lives up to sales and marketing promises, and provides good value for the price.”

Furthermore, according to the TrustRadius website, the reason why the company wanted to establish these awards is because, “Many tech providers struggle to stand out in the crowd. We wanted to provide and award to show not only that customers love [a company’s] product, but also why.”

It’s always great to be recognized in the industry, and when that recognition comes from our customers, that greatness is doubled. Major thanks to all of those who provided Cisco ISE reviews and to TrustRadius for creating these awards. Everyone here at Cisco is both humbled and glad that our customers love our product as much as we do.

Here’s hoping that we’re able to go back-to-back in next year’s horse race.

To learn more about Cisco ISE, click here: https://www.cisco.com/site/us/en/products/security/identity-services-engine/index.html

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