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US-based communications systems company Avaya keen on Smart City project with fabric technology

Smart cities require smart foundations. It includes components such as surveillance, communications and sensors to enable Internet of Things (IoT).

By , ET Bureau | Updated:
NEW DELHI: US-based communications systems major Avaya is hopeful of cashing in on India’s Smart City project with its new Fabric Network Connect technology which can provide what they call a ‘smart foundation’.

Smart cities require smart foundations. It includes components such as surveillance, communications and sensors to enable Internet of Things (IoT). “They have to be agile and can be delivered more efficiently with the Fabric Network Connect technology,” Jean Turgeon, vice president and chief technologist, networking & SDN, worldwide sales, Avaya said.

The Union government has earmarked Rs 7,060-crore for the first 100 smart cities to be completed by 2019 and plans to digitally connect 1.20 billion Indians.

In January this year, US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker met Minister of Urban Development Venkaiah Naidu, and agreed to take quick measures for development of Visakhapatnam, Allahabad and Ajmer as smart cities.

Avaya has a strong preposition in IP-based video surveillance globally and said that it is currently engaged with various storage providers and that their new approach to networking is the foundation for transforming India’s cities into truly smart urban centers.

“Digital India and Smart City programs hold potential and we expect to double Year-on-Year revenue numbers in India” Turgeon said, and added that they are staring video surveillance in India as there is tremendous headroom for growth and opportunity in the country.
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In the wake of growing public concern on school campus safety, Avaya has embarked on video-based public safety drive with its Safe School solution that allows mobile-based videos as well as video door lock and sirens in emergency scenarios.

The company is also restructuring its strategy and putting its focus on India, China, Russia and African markets and believes that developing regions would drive faster growth.

Lately, it has implemented the Fabric Network Connect solution in Bangalore International Airport. With it, the airport expects to handle 20 million passengers by 2017, compared with the more than 10 million passengers it handles now on a month-on-month basis.

The solution allows airport network to carry out simultaneous applications such as universal flight information system, airport operations software and SAP ERP system, critical voice service and common user self-service (CUSS).
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The company is also hiring 175 individuals at CXO-level worldwide to educate and communicate about their new Fabric Network Connect offering.

Turgeon said that the new network virtualization technology can offer software-defined network (SDN) benefits and Avaya is also set to launch SDN strategy in February, this year.
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Cisco's campus in Bangalore: Lessons for PM Modi's smart cities
1/15
Moinak Mitra, ET Bureau

As the Chief Globalisation Officer at Cisco, Wim Elfrink prides himself on applying digital overlay to physical infrastructure.

He's also the brain behind the 2.18 million square feet Cisco Smart Campus in Bengaluru that houses eight glass-and-concrete buildings showcasing a digitally connected and sustainable environment where 8,500-odd techies don't have an assigned workplace.

The campus ecosystem resembles a smart city and is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's big idea of digitising India by setting up 100 smart cities.
Moinak Mitra, ET Bureau

As the Chief Globalisation Officer at Cisco, Wim Elfrink prides himself on applying digital overlay to physical infrastructure.

He's also the brain behin..
Read More
Though Elfrink is based out of Cisco's global HQ at San Jose, he's been a regular to the Bangalore campus since his India stint in 2007.

In his words, the campus is a smart city in itself, even more advanced than the San Jose headquarters of Cisco Systems.
Though Elfrink is based out of Cisco's global HQ at San Jose, he's been a regular to the Bangalore campus since his India stint in 2007.

In his words, the campus is a smart city in itself, ev..
Read More
A walkabout in the Cessna Business Park where the 32-acre Cisco SEZ is the lone corporate surrounded by LG, InMobi and a few other companies outside its gates gives a sense of the expanse and an evolving digital architecture that caters to the demands of the Gen Y employees, who make up roughly 25 per cent of its population (Cisco India contributes to 60 per cent of Gen Y staff company-wide globally).

As the younger workforce prefers a seamless environment for day-to-day activities, it ties in quite naturally with the company's vision of work-live-play-learn.
A walkabout in the Cessna Business Park where the 32-acre Cisco SEZ is the lone corporate surrounded by LG, InMobi and a few other companies outside its gates gives a sense of the expanse and an evol..
Read More
Cisco employees can book a work station through the global network by scanning the QR code in their device. It then extends to a higher degree of personalization wherein the IT registration mode tosses up the employee's preferences—lighting, air-conditioning, TV channels, phone profile preferences, and even the blinds setup.

Simply put, you get to choose not only your workplace for the day but also your ambient light and temperature zone at the touch of a button.
Cisco employees can book a work station through the global network by scanning the QR code in their device. It then extends to a higher degree of personalization wherein the IT registration mode toss..
Read More
Employees can access their seat for the day much before entering the campus, be it next to friends at work or by the cool confines of a Zen-like garden.

And when they are done for the day, the seat is up for grabs again, thereby increasing space utilization campus-wide, which today sits at 58 per cent.
Employees can access their seat for the day much before entering the campus, be it next to friends at work or by the cool confines of a Zen-like garden.

And when they are done for the day, th..
Read More
Of course, Cisco is high on tele-presence, an innovation the company has perfected over the years and high-definition screens abound in the campus that hook on to 600-odd Cisco offices worldwide, as well as with the location of clients and partners.
Of course, Cisco is high on tele-presence, an innovation the company has perfected over the years and high-definition screens abound in the campus that hook on to 600-odd Cisco offices worldwide, as ..
Read More
The Bangalore campus is perhaps the most connected in the Cisco ecosystem.

People can pick any conference room, and adjust the lights, shutters or even control the AC.
The Bangalore campus is perhaps the most connected in the Cisco ecosystem.

People can pick any conference room, and adjust the lights, shutters or even control the AC.
Talking of security, the company's transport buses, used by 30 per cent of the staff, are fitted with GPS tied to the Transport Control Room.

Apart from route information, even if the driver deviates from the prescribed route or over-speeds, an alert is generated.
Talking of security, the company's transport buses, used by 30 per cent of the staff, are fitted with GPS tied to the Transport Control Room.

Apart from route information, even if the driver d..
Read More
Moreover, all transport vehicles come equipped with RFID tag readers.

In other words, staff are supposed to swipe in on entry and swipe out on exit. If they do not get off at a registered place, which is the drop-off point, an alert again gets generated. For those who prefer to drive down to work, parking is made easy.

Though the campus has room for 2,200 cars, there are sensors on the ground that pick up whether a parking lot is occupied or empty. So the employee gets to choose his parking lot much in advance over his registered device and can park without any hassle. The idea is to manage parking efficiently.
Moreover, all transport vehicles come equipped with RFID tag readers.

In other words, staff are supposed to swipe in on entry and swipe out on exit. If they do not get off at a registered plac..
Read More
On campus, efficiency flows even in the business of food. The five cafeterias can accommodate roughly 6,000 people. This is where the 'Connected Café' solution comes in handy providing information on where things lie.

While the main kiosk on the entrance to cafes is one way to look at things—menu, availability— anyone can do the same from their device. Giri Govindrajalu, Director IT, Cisco India swishes his iPad and goes to the Connected Café app where he pinpoints to a North Indian Thali with 1,259 kilo calories.
On campus, efficiency flows even in the business of food. The five cafeterias can accommodate roughly 6,000 people. This is where the 'Connected Café' solution comes in handy providing information on..
Read More
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