Cisco IOx brings apps to network edge in latest Internet of Things play
First there was cloud computing. Now Cisco is going deeper with what it refers to as "fog computing."
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The networking giant has unveiled a new platform, once again revolving around the Internet of Things.
This time the focus is on software being that the Cisco IOx platform is an architecture that will provide routers and switches with computational abilities for the purpose of managing massive amounts of unstructured information pouring out of connected data points.
Cisco provided an example use case of a remote oil pipeline set up with a networked router and sensors to detect leaks.
Cisco IOx is also touted as an open platform, serving as an intersection between the open source Linux operating system and Cisco's IOS network operating system.
This means that customers in virtually any industry from transportation to utility agencies will be able to develop, run, and manage their own apps on Cisco-branded networking devices, including IP video cameras as well as switches and routers.
Cisco IOx capabilities will start to roll out for Cisco's industrial routers initially this spring, with more solutions to follow as the company continues to hammer out industry partnerships and sign on customers for IOx-based solutions.
It's been a big week for Cisco. On Tuesday, the San Jose-headquartered operation launched the next phase of its Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) vision with a series of application programming interfaces and software designed for connecting enterprise datacenters with public and private clouds.