Internet of Things World Forum Event Aims to Accelerate Innovation, Inspire New Ways to Transform Governments, Industries and Lives

SAN JOSE, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 03/07/13 -- To accelerate the development of the rapidly emerging Internet of Things market, Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) today announced the inaugural Internet of Things World Forum, a global event that will unite thought leaders, business leaders and practitioners in business, industry, government and academia. This event will unite leaders and innovators who will come together to create a framework for collaborative industry innovation and market adoption that will accelerate the impact of the Internet of Things on the global economy, society and the environment.

The Internet of Things World Forum will take place in October 2013 in Barcelona, Spain. The event will bring together global leaders, professionals and innovators representing markets such as manufacturing, transportation, oil and gas, utilities, healthcare, sports and entertainment, government, education and retail.

The Internet of Things World Forum is guided by a steering committee representing businesses, universities, cities, governments and thought leaders. The steering committee, which met for the first time February 20-21 in San Jose, Calif. in a meeting hosted by Cisco, is committed to working together to drive industry standards and solutions that will seize the transformational capacity of the Internet of Things. The goal of the committee is to shape the agenda and tracks of the Internet of Things World Forum based on top market opportunities and challenges that will address global, political and environmental issues. The event will also address topics that aim to improve the lives of citizens in broad areas such as health, education, innovation, transportation, job creation and security.

The Internet of Things World Forum steering committee participants include representatives from Accenture, Airbus, Alstom, Barcelona City Council, Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy (BRIE) at UC Berkeley, Bosch Software Innovations, City of San Jose (CA), City24/7, City Protocol Society, COSM - A Division of LogMeIn, Continental, EVRYTHNG, Ford Motor Company, GainSpan, General Electric, Grundfos, Honeywell, Internet of People, IT Leadership Academy, Itron, Johnson Controls Building Efficiency, Misfit Wearables, National Information Society Agency of Korea, New York Academy of Sciences, Oracle, Panduit, Qualcomm Technologies Inc., Rockwell Automation, SAP, Shell, Smart Cities Council, Tata Consultancy Services, Thales, TTTech, Verizon Wireless, Wind River, and World Wide Technology, Inc.

The objectives of the Internet of Things World Forum include:

• Addressing social, policy, technological and environmental issues pertinent to the Internet of Things
• Fostering cross-industry, cross-discipline innovation and best practices
• Defining relevant standards and solutions in areas such as security, policy, compliance, and interoperability
• Addressing common issues and requirements across industries to create a technology platform for the Internet of Things
• Accelerating the market for the Internet of Things

According to recent Cisco research, the Internet of Everything -- defined as the intelligent connection of people, processes, data and things -- is predicted to create business opportunities of up to $14.4 trillion in private sector economic "value at stake" over the next 10 years. A critical component of this $14.4 trillion in created value is the predicted flood of networked sensors, devices and things that will enable the Internet of Things, radically transforming today's business operations into dynamic, intelligent, data driven and innovative business processes.

Supporting Quotes

• Doug Merritt, senior vice president, Product, Solutions and Industry Marketing, Cisco:

"Cisco is a strong proponent of the opportunities created by the Internet of Things, and is committed to developing the technologies and alliances to move the industry forward. Cisco looks forward to our continued work with the Internet of Things World Forum steering committee in order to advance the development of industry alliances and working groups that will help create a sustainable business and technology environment for the Internet of Things."

• Wim Elfrink, chief globalization officer and executive vice president, Emerging Solutions, Cisco:

"Over the next decade, 700 million people will be urbanized, existing cities will be revitalized and 100 new cities of more than a million people will be built. These changes are creating a need to transform the way services are delivered to citizens and organizations. The Internet of Things based on an intelligent network infrastructure, in combination with the trend towards open data, apps and cloud-enabled applications, will be at the heart of this transformation and will enable the delivery of education, healthcare, transportation, real estate, safety and security and other services in more productive, secure and responsible ways. We believe that cities need to be competitive and sustainable -- economically, socially and environmentally."

• Rob Soderbery, senior vice president, Enterprise Networking Group, Cisco:

"The Internet of Things requires innovation in key technology domains, including sensors, networks, data analytics and control systems. And it requires creative thinking about applying this new technology to diverse applications including manufacturing, process control, smart cities, healthcare, transportation, energy and beyond. The Internet of Things World Forum will bring together thought leaders from technology, industry and government to work together on these challenging problems."

• Jason Urso, chief technology officer, Honeywell Process Solutions:

"Honeywell has a long history of using open technology to help the process industry make better business decisions and be safer and more productive. As part of the Internet of Things World Forum, we want to help develop the innovative plant of tomorrow, that offers customers an even deeper and broader awareness of their plant operations."

• Vernon Turner, senior vice president and general manager, IDC:

"IDC sees the Internet of Things as a key transition which will impact organisations globally. The upcoming Internet of Things World Forum in October will provide an opportunity to learn and share experiences and come away with clear actions on how to ensure that your organisation fully benefits from this transition."

• Russ Vanos, senior vice president, Strategy and Business development, Itron:

"Faced by the competing trends of the world's growing population, government mandates for improving energy efficiency and the need to update aging critical infrastructure, Itron believes applying technology innovations to solve these pressing challenges has never been more imperative. The Internet of Things connects millions of devices and extends intelligence to utilities, city leaders and consumers, creating new opportunities for harnessing the power of information."

• Ellis Rubinstein, president, NY Academy of Sciences:

"The Internet of Things will disrupt -- for the good of humanity -- all kinds of industries. This will result in new opportunities for visionary institutions. And Cisco is at the forefront among companies that are committed to the change that is coming. This is why our Academy is looking forward to partnering with Cisco to make a meaningful difference in the world: in healthcare, education, poverty reduction, security, and so much more. And this is why we are looking forward to the Internet of Things World Forum."

• Judson Althoff, senior vice president, Worldwide Alliances and Channels, Oracle:

"The leaders in the Internet of Things era will be those who can turn the data from devices into actionable business opportunities. Oracle and its partners, with technologies that span from the device to the data center, are in the best position to make these types of solutions real. With its expertise in both embedded Java and data center systems, Oracle is well-positioned to help companies interested in leveraging this growing arena."

• Rob Chandhok, senior vice president, Qualcomm Technologies Inc.; president Qualcomm Innovation Center:

"Qualcomm believes that the Internet of Things will drive connections into devices that haven't been connected previously. Through both peer-to-peer and Internet connectivity Qualcomm sees the opportunity as exciting and relevant."

• Blake Moret, senior vice president Control Products and Solutions, Rockwell Automation:

"The Internet of Things brings together people, process, data, and things to make networked connections more relevant and valuable than ever before. Rockwell Automation is identifying specific value unlocked by this technology in a variety of different activities -- turning information into actions that create new capabilities and richer experiences. As the industrial space continues to become a more pervasive element of The Internet of Things, Rockwell Automation looks forward to advancing our collaboration with Cisco and the Internet of Things World Forum steering committee. Together we will help organizations use this technology and associated services to achieve greater productivity."

• Suhas Uliyar, general manager and GVP, M2M/IoT, SAP:

"SAP is delivering solutions built on our leading mobility, big data and cloud technologies that is at the core of all Internet of Things solutions. SAP is excited to be working with the partners in this alliance to help our customers achieve higher efficiencies and create new business opportunities."

• Chris Neisinger, Executive Director-Network Architecture & Planning, Verizon Wireless:

"With its commitment to innovation and its leadership in 4G LTE technology, Verizon believes the Internet of Things brings together people, process, data, and things to make networked connections more relevant and valuable than ever before -- turning information into actions that create new capabilities, richer experiences, and unprecedented economic opportunity for businesses and individuals."

Supporting Resources

• Cisco's view of the Internet of Everything
• Cisco's view of the Internet of Things
• Cisco Unified Access Enables the Internet of Everything
• Cisco white paper on the Internet of Everything "Value at Stake"
• Cisco white paper: "The Internet of Everything; How More Relevant and Valuable Connections Will Change the World"

Tags/keywords: Cisco, Internet of Things, IoT, IoE, Internet of Everything, Rob Soderbery, Doug Merritt, Wim Elfrink

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