Now that financial services employees have sampled hybrid schedules, they want to keep that tune playing. A classic hip-hop song offers inspiration for making a mix of remote and in-person work… Read more on Cisco Blogs

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Now that financial services employees have sampled hybrid schedules, they want to keep that tune playing. A classic hip-hop song offers inspiration for making a mix of remote and in-person work succeed to the satisfaction of CEOs and employees alike. The keys are empowered associates, smarter workspaces, and technology that fosters collaboration while safeguarding networks and data.

The 1988 hip-hop classic “It Takes Two” by Rob Base says, “It takes two to make a thing go right. It takes two to make it outta sight. Hit it!” Sure, he wasn’t talking about hybrid work in the 1980s, but when it comes to hybrid work in the 2020s, it actually takes three to make it out of sight.

We were indirectly taught what those three things are that can make it “out of sight” way back in elementary school. A noun is a person, place, or thing, and that is exactly what it takes to power hybrid work: people, workplaces, and technology (that thing).

More specifically:

Empowering people with capabilities that enhance team flexibility, improve productivity, and expand innovation.
Transforming office environments into smarter workplaces that connect people in new ways to help support their health and well-being.
Improving collaboration, security, and networking technologies to ensure people can work securely using any device whether in the office, at home, or in between.

It is well known that many Wall Street bank CEOs want to see their employees back in the office. According to KPMG’s 2022 U.S. banking CEO outlook (Figure 1) published in October, banking CEOs envision the working environment for traditional office jobs in the next three years to be 69% fully in-office with another 24% hybrid. That’s 93% of employees in the office on a weekly basis.

Figure 1. Banking respondents envision office-based corporate roles changing in three years.

This thinking is not limited to Wall Street banks. It’s apparent in other areas such as insurance and wealth management. Many are following guidance similar to what USAA has communicated to their employee base—anyone living within a 60-mile vicinity of USAA’s San Antonio headquarters is expected to be in the office three days a week.

However, consulting firms will say that the future is hybrid. So how can a financial institution prepare? A lot of employees aren’t going to happily resume the time-consuming commutes of yesteryear if the destination is the same office environment they left years ago. They are not going to like dealing with any friction involved in toggling between remote and in-person. Everything needs to be more efficient, seamless, and secure. Let’s take a deeper dive into the three things it takes to make hybrid work out of sight.

The people

Bank executives expect most employees to return to the office, definitely within the next three years. What that looks like from institution to institution will differ—even within organizations, because different roles are more suited for the flexibility of hybrid work schedules.

In the fall of 2022, about 65% of Goldman Sachs employees were in the office on a given weekday. That figure is down from 75% pre-pandemic.

Even companies that have touted the importance of workplace culture and tutelage have room for hybrid work.

For most employees, the Cisco Global Hybrid Work Study 2022 shows that working from home increased their financial, physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being (Figure 2). As well as the benefits realized for individual employees, a positive collective impact is also seen when it comes to building and maintaining a strong and healthy corporate culture.

Figure 2. Impact on well-being across areas: Improvement (significant or somewhat)

Hybrid work can improve company culture and make employees happier, more motivated, and more likely to stay. Let’s assume most employees are encouraged to come in a minimum of three days a week. Employers need to learn how, when, and where people perform best.

One of the main reasons CEOs want employees back in the office is their perspective on employee productivity. This rear-view mirror perspective is understandable, as many institutions are early in the hybrid work journey to reimagine processes across the business.

The road ahead must be paved with purpose-built technology that supports the creation of new “muscle memory,” allowing employees to focus on work, increase efficiency, and enjoy their hybrid experience.

Intelligent technologies and teamwork both support intuitive collaborations and lead to more connection and engagement. Different points of view drive innovation, and a united team promotes productivity. Most importantly, it’s important to choose a hybrid work strategy that encourages inclusivity and diversity.

The workplace

Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins sums up the objective of the modern workplace: “The office needs to be a magnet, not a mandate.” Employees come to the office to collaborate, socialize, innovate, and learn. They do not come to the building just to sit in cubicles or offices, or attend meetings or calls all day that can just as easily be done at home.

Free snacks, lunches, or even foosball tables might be part of the new workplace; however, investments that enable frictionless workspaces, blending physical and digital seamlessly, improve the way associates engage and get work done. Agility, productivity, and sustainability also factor into the reimagined workplace.

Hot desking, open collaboration spaces, big and small conference rooms, and private rooms are needed for an agile workplace. Not all of these workspaces are available at financial services locations. Companies need to think and act like the technology firms they’ve strived to be and create an office setting that meets their new needs.

Cisco research on hybrid work revealed that over 90% of meetings today and going forward will have at least one employee attending remotely or from home.

That is why hybrid work is both different and harder than how we worked before, when most people worked in a corporate office. It was common for employees to move between floors or buildings to attend meetings, or to dial in using conferencing tools. But to have associates regularly call in from home was very unlikely. Video was also not the norm as audio-only conference calls were common even if screen sharing on the call.

Times have changed and technology has paved the way. It is important to ensure that every participant gets an equal “seat at the table.” The goal is less about creating the same remote and in-office experiences than it is about engaging and connecting everyone.

Thus, the need to make workplaces better and smarter. Fully 96% of employees are eager for intelligent workplace technology, according to Dimensional Research.Financial institutions can make buildings as smart as digital assets with intuitive, web-based controls and dashboards.

The technology

Back in 1988 when Rob Base produced “It Takes Two,” few could have imagined the degree that technology would permeate all aspects of daily life. There’s no argument that of the three things that make hybrid work go right, technology is the enabler.

It’s a misconception to think the only technology needed for hybrid work is a meetings collaboration platform, although its impact on communications, business execution, team building, and relationships should not be underestimated. The set of technology solutions surrounding hybrid work and supporting people and the workplace is more extensive and critical for achieving business goals.

IT, human resources, finance, and facilities should work in tandem to ensure investments provide the best user experience while delivering robust security to remain compliant with regulations. These organizations can help determine the scope of solutions needed to update, retrofit, or build new workspaces with hybrid work in mind. Most importantly, advances in hybrid work technologies over the past few years necessitate a fresh look and approach rather than limping along with in-place technologies that haven’t been kept up to date.

Connectivity and security are critical enablers of hybrid work in and out of the office. Too often, remote workers cite complexity and inconsistencies connecting to corporate resources as a major drag on productivity. Poor employee experiences can have a follow-through impact on customer experience, especially if customer-facing interactions are inefficient. The goal is not to impede work but to enable it whenever—and from wherever—an employee is located.

Simultaneously, financial institutions must provide the security that the organization needs with the flexibility employees want. In a highly regulated industry, ensuring financial institution assets and customers’ assets are protected is not negotiable. More than three-quarters of employees say that cybersecurity is critical for making hybrid working safe, but less than two-thirds say their organization currently has the right capabilities and protocols in place.

Power hybrid work

For organizations to operate and grow with a hybrid workforce, it is important that investment in the right technologies and tools goes hand in hand with the right culture, employee engagement approach, and people processes. Leadership teams must embrace the new future of hybrid work and be the examples for their teams.

There is no one-size-fits-all strategy to hybrid work, but the key is the three interconnections of people, workplaces, and technology. If a financial institution does that well, then it will be as Rob Base concludes his hit song, “Now, when I count to three. I want you to get busy. You ready now?”

Visit Hybrid Work for Financial Services

  Financial services employees have sampled hybrid schedules, and they want to keep that tune playing. The three keys to keep it humming are empowered associates, smarter workspaces and technology.  Read More Cisco Blogs 

2000 partner attendees. 3 humid Miami Beach days. 1 powerful security message.

Last week, I got to join my colleagues on stage at my very first Cisco Partner Summit, or as I like to call it “Partner S… Read more on Cisco Blogs

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2000 partner attendees. 3 humid Miami Beach days. 1 powerful security message.

Last week, I got to join my colleagues on stage at my very first Cisco Partner Summit, or as I like to call it “Partner Super Bowl.” It was an invigorating event for our teams and global partners, only validating that Cisco is the place to be and partner with right now.

When off the stage, I was scurrying between 45+ partner meetings and trying to squeeze in a meal here and there. All worth it to hear partners leaning in on the theme “Greater Together,” which rings especially true with security. We need to win (and will win!) with our partners.

If you missed the event, you can catch up on the keynotes and breakout sessions on-demand—make sure to watch the Security Business Impact Session. You can also get more details about the announcements by visiting the Launches & Announcements partner community page.

Security Made “Suite”

We’ve now officially launched our Security Suites to the masses, which are designed to deliver better efficacy, better experiences, and better economics. These security suites address customer needs in three areas: User, Cloud, and Breach Protection.

And what’s it in for you, as a partner? You can provide customers superior security outcomes, while enhancing your profitability with up to 30% in blended margin.

Security Made Simple

As a newbie to Cisco, I heard a time or two (or three) the need to simplify. We’ve done just that with going from 30 product areas, down to three focused security suites. Get to know our consistent, compelling security story, backed by our AI-powered Security Cloud.

In addition, we have dramatically simplified security pricing and promotions for our partners. We’re removing stackable offers and instead driving higher front-end margins and more lucrative back-end rebates for suites. Our efforts include improving our security deal registration with a special support team to streamline the process and accelerate approvals.

Security Made Scalable

We’ve also been accelerating investment into Routes to Market, such as managed services and cloud marketplaces. The goal is to make it easier for customers to consume Cisco Security and easier for you to add value as a partner.

You have a choice with MSP programs, whether it’s Managed Services License Agreements (MSLA) and or through Duo MSP, which has just added role-based access control capability.

We’re tapping into incremental customer EDP spend with more security offers available in AWS Marketplace, including our Security Suites soon.

Everyone Selling Security

To drive our sales motions, we’re narrowing in on several data-informed Global Growth Sprints in FY24. For security, that’s Firewall Modernization to protect and expand our base with newer firewall offerings, User protection to provide secure access to applications, and Power of Platform to attach security to our Catalyst and Meraki refresh opportunities.

We want to enable you, our partners, to continue to have outcome-focused conversations with your customers and help them build an integrated security strategy while providing strong security margins to you.  In fact, get enabled on the customer and partner benefits of our – now generally available –  Cisco Secure Access solution at our next Security Partner Insights Forum on November 14 and on-demand after.

Thanks again to all our partners who joined us at #CiscoPS23, with a special congrats to World Wide Technology, our Security Partner of the Year.

Let’s be Greater Together!

Head over to the #CiscoPartnerLaunch 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

  Last week, I got to join my colleagues on stage at my very first Cisco Partner Summit. It was an energizing event and Security was everywhere! Read on to learn more about our main security announcements and to learn more about how you can partner to be “Greater Together” with Cisco Security.  Read More Cisco Blogs 

In case of disasters, a reliable communication network is critical. The emergency centers need to be able to exchange information to coordinate their response in the field. Service providers need to… Read more on Cisco Blogs

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In case of disasters, a reliable communication network is critical. The emergency centers need to be able to exchange information to coordinate their response in the field. Service providers need to keep their network live. Power utilities need to be able to keep the electric grid up and running.

In Europe, the communication networks used to control components of the power grid and all other critical infrastructure, are required to remain operational for at least 24 hours in the event of a power failure. This is well beyond what most commercial cellular networks can offer.

The solution identified by the energy industry is LTE 450. Public protection and disaster recovery (PPDR) regulations in Germany, Scandinavia, and parts of Africa allow critical industries to reserve the 450 MHz band in their areas to deploy private LTE networks, replacing legacy public safety voice networks with technology capable of data transmission.

This means LTE 450 can offer privileged access to the network, without public mass market services.

A key differentiator of the LTE450 MHz band is its long-range coverage. The high frequencies can deliver higher data rates to any number of smart devices, but they are affected by rapid signal attenuation and require dense base station coverage. On the other hand, the 450 MHz band sits on the other side of the spectrum.

With commercial LTE, a complete countrywide network might require tens of thousands of base stations to achieve full geographical coverage. LTE 450 only takes a few thousand base stations to achieve the same coverage and requires less power at the edge. This results in:

A reduced number of base stations need to be kept up and running; it’s easier to manage the network.
It’s easier to reach rural areas due to the extended coverage.
Backup battery power can be used to continue to connect critical devices in the event of a power failure.

In addition, the reduced attenuation coming from the low frequency signals of LTE 450, allows increased penetration through walls and other solid materials, bringing obvious advantages for devices deployed indoors, underground and in other hard-to-reach locations.

Thus LTE 450 is a resilient cellular communication network tailored to the needs of mission and business critical use cases. Few examples:

a private wireless network to connect thousands of SCADA systems used to control and monitor substations and other renewable energy assets;
a public network to serve a broad range of power utilities, including water, gas, heat distribution networks and smart power grids.

Cisco solution for critical networks

Cisco has introduced an LTE 450Mhz plug in module for the popular Cisco Catalyst IR1101 Rugged Router. This platform provides the ability to connect to 450Mhz networks and additionally provides a second fallback module for private 4G, 5G or commercial cellular networks.

Figure 1: The Catalyst IR1101 Rugged Router

Critical traffic (such as SCADA or other critical control traffic) can be routed via 450Mhz and non-critical traffic routed via the cellular connections.

The IR1101 rugged router also provides secure encrypted tunnels for critical traffic from the remote site to a secure headend (e.g., Utility control center).

For management of remotely deployed IR1101 routers, the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN platform supports secure zero touch onboarding, provisioning, and visibility to allow IR1101 routers to be deployed easily in the field.

As a member of the 450MHz Alliance, Cisco will attend their upcoming conference, 23 – 24 November 2023, in Paris, France. Come and meet us to talk about our capabilities for your critical networks.

Learn more

Catalyst IR1101 Rugged Router Datasheet
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Solution
Cisco SD-WAN Validated Design for Distribution Automation

  Connect critical devices such as industrial control systems and physical security equipment over a private LTE network using the 450MHz band.  Read More Cisco Blogs 

At Cisco we are creating more business value by customizing Cisco tools and services for our partners.

In a recent survey 82% of Cisco Partner Summit attendees said they’re growing their managed s… Read more on Cisco Blogs

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At Cisco we are creating more business value by customizing Cisco tools and services for our partners.

In a recent survey 82% of Cisco Partner Summit attendees said they’re growing their managed services practice and it’s their top priority to meet customer needs.

So it is with great excitement that we are announcing Cisco Partner Advanced Support to create a premium support experience specifically geared to the needs of Managed Services Providers (MSPs).

With Cisco solution and architecture expertise, and the added benefit of guided access to API integrations that build on MSPs’ existing services, Cisco Partner Advanced Support features faster access to experts in Cisco’s TAC – a global organization that provides around-the-clock, award-winning technical support services online and over the phone. Cisco Partner Advanced Support enables MSPs to build new services for customers and gives access to Cisco AI and automation to scale an outcome-based service model that can lead to a 50% reduction in service request (SR) resolution time with increased CSAT.

“We have been asking for a Cisco program that fits the specific needs of MSPs. Our customers will benefit
from us having more access to APIs and Cisco’s world leading TAC’s solution architect expertise.”—Toby Alcock, CTO, Logicalis Group

Cisco Partner Advanced Support is truly taking Cisco and its partners into the world of digital and helping them become “smart-bonded” with Cisco; taking support issue resolution from analog processes such as email and telephone calls to sharing a digital interface that utilizes automation and AI capabilities.

Many of our largest partners are already smart-bonded, and many are working with these digital processes. Incredible progress has been made in the Cisco partner ecosystem in utilizing automation to get to resolutions faster; going forward, it’s about us all having the ability to go from reactive to predictive to proactive–and now even to prescriptive.

With this new service, partners can skip the TAC line and connect directly with a prioritized group of solution architects who handle the most complex issues. We are improving partners’ access to these qualified experts; paired with digital automation, this access will get us to faster resolutions — or even before issues happen.

When we say faster, we’re talking about resolving cases in minutes that could normally take weeks.

Partner Advanced Support for MSPs will also provide guided API use cases that leverage telemetry and insights so partners can build new services for their customers.

This groundbreaking support offer will transform the partner experience and bring even more value to our customers!

Visit the Partner Launch Experience

to learn about these announcements 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

  It is with great excitement that we are announcing Cisco Partner Advanced Support to create a premium support experience specifically geared to the needs of Managed Services Providers (MSPs).  Read More Cisco Blogs 

The CIO for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has recently issued DoD Manual 8140.03 Cyberspace Workforce Qualification & Management Program.

This is a role-based approach to identify, develop,… Read more on Cisco Blogs

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The CIO for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has recently issued DoD Manual 8140.03 Cyberspace Workforce Qualification & Management Program.

This is a role-based approach to identify, develop, and qualify individuals who have federal work roles that align with the DoD Cyber Workforce Framework (DCWF).  The new 8140 mandate will impact a larger number of federal employees and contractors. Additionally, vendors supporting programs may also need to qualify.

As the world of cybersecurity constantly changes, so do the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) that are associated with the technology. Therefore, the training needs to change to address these new threats to ensure they align with the new requirements. The Department of Defense (DoD) is in the process of transitioning from DoD 8570.01-m work roles and associated certifications to DoD 8140. Whereas previously, there were 14 work roles, there will now be 52 work roles. Cisco is currently evaluating our existing certifications and how they align with the new DoD 8140 work roles.

Cisco’s DoD 8570 Certifications

Today, DoD 8570 IAT certifications are still in effect. That means CCNA covers Information Assurance Tech (IAT) I & II (See DoD CIO waiver link), and CCNP Security covers IAT III. Additionally, CyberOps Associate is on the DoD 8570 CSSP analyst and incident responder categories.

Please see the Cisco DoD 8570 Compliance and Recognition page for information.

Transition to 8140

Cisco is preparing for the transition to 8140 by actively working with the DoD to align our certifications to the DCWF. Cisco understands that this evolution of the framework is a major upgrade from the current DoD 8570.01-m Information Assurance Technician levels I, II, and III.  As mentioned above, the new framework will have over 52 work roles, with more to come.

The two Cyber Workforce elements in DoD 8140 that Cisco will be focused on are: Cyberspace IT Workforce and Cybersecurity Workforce. These two elements encompass over 14 work roles that are at the heart of Cisco technology.

Specifically, CCNA, CCNP Enterprise, and CCNP Security certifications cover the job roles that build, configure, and operate. To round out the skill requirements in these job roles, the CyberOps Associate and CyberOps Professional certifications train individuals who secure, defend, and monitor networks.

Stay tuned as Cisco and the DoD collaborate to bring the best in training and certifications to the market.

Resources

DoD CIO Issues DoD Manual 8140

U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Cyber Workforce

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  Cisco is actively working with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to ensure certifications align with the recently issued DoD Manual 8140.03, which introduces a role-based approach to qualifying individuals in alignment with the DoD Cyber Workforce Framework (DCWF).  Read More Cisco Blogs 

Omdia released its 2023 Omdia Universe: Risk-Based Vulnerability Management Solutions report, and we’re excited to say that Cisco Vulnerability Management (formerly Kenna.VM) is recognized as a L… Read more on Cisco Blogs

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Omdia released its 2023 Omdia Universe: Risk-Based Vulnerability Management Solutions report, and we’re excited to say that Cisco Vulnerability Management (formerly Kenna.VM) is recognized as a Leader!

Risk-based Vulnerability Management (RBVM) builds upon the legacy vulnerability management market with stronger vulnerability prioritization and response. RBVM tackles the problem of determining which vulnerabilities pose a real risk in your environment and need to be patched versus which vulnerabilities you can safely de-prioritize. Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of traditional vulnerability management tasks to proactively and continuously reduce risk is the focus of RBVM solutions.

Omdia Universe Evaluation Capabilities and Vendor Groupings

With its Omdia Universe: RBVM Solutions report, Omdia, a global unbiased research firm, assesses key vendors in the RBVM market to evaluate and make recommendations based on each vendor’s capability and customer experience.

Analysis of the following RBVM capabilities for each vendor is included in the report: Data collection, threat intelligence, telemetry and storage, risk analytics, vulnerability resolution, deployment and management, and pricing and packaging.

Vendors are grouped into one of three categories:

Market leaders understand the current threat landscape and the criticality of assets within each customer’s digital domain.
Market challengers show good breadth in their solutions, but not always a depth of features in every area.
Market prospects tend to be newer to the market and typically show strength in only a few of Omdia’s solution capability categories.

The Omdia Universe for RBVM

Omdia’s Analysis of Cisco Vulnerability Management

Cisco Vulnerability Management is recognized as a Leader by Omdia with one of the most mature RBVM products in the market.

Omdia highlights the strength of Cisco Vulnerability Management capabilities, including:

Threat Intelligence: Cisco Vulnerability Management collects an impressive level of threat landscape information to build vulnerability risk models, which includes data pulled from 19+ threat intel feeds, of which one is Cisco Talos, and OEMs.
Risk analytics: Cisco Vulnerability Management uses AI/ML for RBVM modeling, employing four distinct machine learning models for core risk scoring and innovative analytics for exploit prediction.
Vulnerability resolution: Cisco Vulnerability Management creates service tickets directly from the user interface or via API and creates risk-based SLAs tailored to the risk tolerance of an organization.

Omdia Universe ratings – Cisco Vulnerability Management

As stated in the report:

“Overall, Cisco Vulnerability Management is a strong RBVM option, particularly for large organizations. The product supports some of the most advanced analytics in the space, and it leverages leading threat intelligence feeds to provide near-real-time assessments of the threat landscape. Cisco’s focus on enterprise customers is also driving it to develop very sophisticated tools for measuring and managing remediation success. The sum total of its capabilities and their quality more than justifies its Leader position.”

Cisco Vulnerability Management is a great option to consider for your future RBVM solution, especially if:

Your most important determinant of risk associated with vulnerabilities is an understanding of the current and predicted future landscape of software exploits
Your key requirements include flexibility in the customization of analytics and reporting, as well as in the presentation of findings and recommendations
You are currently a Cisco security customer and already using Cisco Talos

Read the full report now for Omdia’s in-depth analysis of Cisco and other vendors in the RBVM market, as well as details on market dynamics, market outlook, opportunities, and threats.

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

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  Cisco Vulnerability Management is recognized is a Leader in the 2023 Omdia Universe: Risk-Based Vulnerability Management Solutions report.  Read More Cisco Blogs 

Beginning in 2024, the Federal Government will release allocations of the $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) grant to state governments. States will then subgrant part of… Read more on Cisco Blogs

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Beginning in 2024, the Federal Government will release allocations of the $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) grant to state governments. States will then subgrant part of their funding to internet service providers, local governments, and others to fund community anchor institutions that lack access to gigabit-level broadband service.

Connected Communities include Community Anchor Institutions

A “Community Anchor Institution”, or “CAI”, is an entity such as a school, library, health clinic, health center, hospital or other medical provider, public safety entity, institution of higher education, public housing organization, or community support organization that facilitates greater use of broadband service by vulnerable populations, including, but not limited to, low-income individuals, unemployed individuals, children, the incarcerated, and aged individuals.

How does a Service Provider or local government get broadband funding to connect your Anchor institution?

While the process varies in each state, you should consult your state’s broadband office for the specific protocols and grant application deadlines. Following the approval by the NTIA of each state’s Initial Proposal and 5-Year Action Plan, states will draw on the first 20% of BEAD allocations to fund subgrants to state-regulated telecommunication carriers, internet service providers, publicly owned electric utilities, and non-traditional broadband providers such as municipalities and non-profits with significant experience deploying broadband networks.

Service Providers and Local Governments will be awarded BEAD Grants to deploy and/or
upgrade services, is your Community Anchor Institution listed in a grant application?

BEAD funding releases by the NTIA to states will be on a rolling basis beginning in 2024. Implementations shall be completed by 2028. Applicants for state grants are required to communicate with CAI’s and describe within the grant application the use of funds to connect CAIs.

Connectivity to your CAI and within the CAI are eligible for BEAD funding

Connecting to your Community Anchor Institution may include middle mile infrastructure in or through any area required to reach interconnection points, or otherwise, to ensure the technical feasibility and financial sustainability of a project providing service to an unserved location, underserved location, or eligible CAI.

Cisco’s approach to broadband access helps promote digital equity and an inclusive future for all. Our Converged SDN Transport architecture and Routed Optical Networking technologies are perfectly designed to build sustainable middle mile networks.

The Cisco Digital Divide with Extended Wireless Connectivity design provides a total solution to bridge the gap for the digital divide. It brings together Cisco Ultra-Reliable Wireless Backhaul radios, Cisco Industrial Ethernet (IE) switches, Cisco Meraki outdoor access points, and integrated security to extend any fiber or broadband network, such as one from a school to targeted areas or specific homes in the community. The result is reliable and secure Internet access to and within your Community Anchor Institution.

Is your Community Anchor Institution on the Eligible Area maps and will it be on “the funded list”?

If you are interested in finding out if your CAI is on the map of eligible locations or if your Internet Service Provider is proposing to connect fiber to your building, contact your state’s broadband authority or contact your Cisco Account Manager.

States will determine how the BEAD money will be spent, in addition to the subgrant processes and which localities and CAIs will benefit. Which CAIs are eligible and selected will vary from state to state and may include CAIs on tribal lands.

Officially, the final lists of broadband projects are yet to be written by each state, posted for public comment, scored based on objective criteria, and announced. Grants are awarded competitively; only the highest priority projects by the most qualified applicants with the best-written applications will be selected.

Unofficially, time is running out for CAIs to get the attention of state broadband offices, local governments, and service providers to learn about eligibility, funding priorities, and how to present the most compelling reasons for BEAD subgrantees to connect to your CAI. If you have further questions on the BEAD program or relevant technologies, please reach out to your Cisco Account Manager or Cisco Public Funding Advisor.

Additional broadband funding resources

Cisco Public Funding site
State and Local Government Assessment Tool
Solutions for State and Local Government
Going the “Middle Mile” to Transform Infrastructure

  Community Anchor Institutions are gearing up to capture a share of $42 billion in federal BEAD grants to build access to gigabit-level broadband service. Find out how it works and how we can help. All in our latest Public Funding blog.  Read More Cisco Blogs