Cisco chooses Israel for investment and development of the digital future
Israeli Missions Around The World London Commercial News Cisco chooses Israel for investment and development of the digital future

Cisco chooses Israel

  •   Cisco chooses Israel for investment and development of the digital future
  • 6/26/2013
    •    
    ​
    John Chambers, Chairman and CEO of Cisco, envisions a digital future where “Internet of Things” is a big deal, and he has chosen Israel as his playground “This is where the real revolution is taking place, and we are supplying the architecture for it.” (Times of Israel)
    The “digital nation” experiment, as defined by John Chambers will kick off with the installation of Israel’s FTTH infrastructure and network by ViaEuropa consortium, and will be based on Cisco technology. ViaEuropa has been chosen to build a super-fast Internet network across Israel that will compete with existing phone and cable companies (Ynet). For Chambers, what happens in Israel over the next five or so years as the network is installed and deployed is a “test case” for the rest of the world. “Some will make it in the digital age, and some won’t. We believe that Israel is a good place to start.”
     
    Chambers trusts Israel so much, he said, that he sees it as a great place to invest the $40 billion in cash that the company is sitting on. Cisco already has about 2,000 employees in Israel and has acquired several Israeli companies totalling over $1.5 billion over the past 15 years, excluding the $5 billion it paid for NDS.
    Cisco is also investing $15 million in “support integration of Israelis and Arabs and the development of innovative security technologies.” The money will be invested via venture capital funds, a Cisco representative said, with most of the money geared to cyber-security start-ups.
     
    During his visit to Israel last week, Chambers addressed Israel’s place in his vision “If I were an Israeli start-up, this is where I would want to be.” Chambers continues to praise Israel “world-class countries and companies don’t lose focus, and I am sure we will all keep the momentum going. This is what we are about, and that is what Israel is about.” (Times of Israel)
    Cisco is not the only tech company that sees opportunity in “Internet of things” as more people, systems and devices get connected. Everyone from system makers like IBM and Hewlett-Packard to chip vendors like Intel and ARM has talked about the Internet of Things, and are offering products designed to better enable it. (eWeek)
  •