Sharing the Cisco Networking Academy Vision

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / December 15, 2023 / Cisco Systems Inc. - December 3 marks the United Nations' International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPwD). Treating all people equitably is about more than justice. Inclusivity means that everyone can achieve their true potential, which is a benefit to society as a whole.

Inclusivity is at the core of Cisco Networking Academy, but challenges remain.

Merely collecting data about people with disabilities is a challenge, however. The Washington Group on Disability Statistics was established in 2001 to address the issue, with the objective of providing basic information on disability that is comparable worldwide.

A World of Untapped Resources

According to the World Health Organization, 16 percent of people globally experience significant disability, but the World Economic Forum (WEF) says only four percent of businesses are focused on making offerings inclusive of disability.

The cost of exclusion of people with disabilities is significant. The WEF suggests that exclusionary policies could cost up to seven percent of GDP in some countries. Incentives to do the right thing are strong, as disability-inclusive businesses enjoy:

And while some progress is being made towards a more inclusive work environment, there remains a lot of work to do for true equality. For instance, employment for people with disabilities in the U.S. recently hit a record high, but that record high comes from a low base: people with disabilities remain nearly twice as likely to be unemployed.

Education also presents a barrier for people with disabilities. A 2018 UNESCO report on Education and Disability concludes that disabled people between 15 and 29 were less likely to have attended school than those without disabilities in almost all of the 37 countries for which data were available.

Partnering for an Inclusive Education

At Cisco our purpose is to power an inclusive future for all.

Cisco Networking Academy is committed to creating and delivering accessible curriculum designs. Our design vision is that all students should be able to access all web content. We continue to make enhancements across Skills for All, a powerful resource for our 11,700 global education partners, that align with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and standards, moving us toward our vision of inclusiveness.

Cisco works with wonderful partners who routinely push new boundaries in delivering an inclusive education for all.

Partners, such as Sight Savers in Kenya, do amazing work through The Bridge Academy. The impact they are having for learners like Benson, Divinah, Jacklyne, and Shanice in Nairobi, Kenya is inspirational.

And they're not alone. Last year, I highlighted the work done by UT de Santa Catarina in Mexico, Cisco Access for the Visually Impaired in Australia, The Royal National College for the Blind in the United Kingdom, and the abilITy Cisco Networking Academy in New York.

And there are so many inspirational stories of Cisco Networking Academy graduates living with disabilities who have gone on to help others.

188 thousand students have declared disabilities at the Cisco Networking Academy since 2019​.

Success Stories

After his vision started to change and he was no longer working, Jaques enrolled at college and undertook Cisco Networking Academy studies, which lead to a job as a United Airlines Cybersecurity and Incident Response Analyst in the United States.

Jacques subsequently volunteered to mentor teams from Wheaton Warrenville South High School for the Air Force Association's CyberPatriot youth cyber education program, earning Mentor of the Year for his efforts.

In Australia, Neil studied with Cisco Networking Academy after losing 35 percent of his vision, and went on to become an instructor at Cisco Academy for the Vision Impaired (CAVI) in Perth, Australia.CAVI provides information and communications technology training to students with varying and wide degrees of disability.

Neil has been a lecturer for over 13 years. He describes life before his vision loss as being carefree and feeling bulletproof.

"CAVI had a very profound effect on my life considering where I was going. I didn't really have a pathway, as opposed to now. Having a career and a pathway, that certainly wasn't there when I lost part of my vision."

"My students don't know that I'm visually impaired when I start teaching them. It usually comes out. And my running gag is that if you want to get away with anything, do it on the right side of my face so I won't see you do it."

One of the adaptive teaching tools Neil uses is a peg board to provide students with a tactile way to peg out an IP address which logically identifies a client on the network. And Neil's advice for others?

"I miss having vision, but I look at what I gained by the loss, the loss is not a loss anymore."

What Neil gained from Cisco Networking Academy after losing 35 percent of his vision

View original content here.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Cisco Systems Inc. on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:Spokesperson: Cisco Systems Inc.Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/cisco-systems-incEmail: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Cisco Systems Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com

Cisco Silicon One: Five Things To Know About Cisco's Plan To Power The 'Internet For The Future'

Cisco is betting big on its so-called "Internet for the Future" strategy. Here's what you should know about its new products and what these announcements means for the market.

Going Big

Cisco Systems is putting its chips on the table -- literally.

The networking giant last week revealed its roadmap for the next decade of networking. In the process, Cisco revealed a major shift in its networking strategy with the introduction of a new networking silicon architecture called Cisco Silicon One and a new high-performance router platform, the Cisco 8000.

Cisco is betting big on its new strategy, which it is referring to as its plan for the "Internet for the Future." That's because future applications are going to reach beyond what current internet infrastructure can viably support. As such, Cisco has been working on a technology strategy that centers on silicon, optics and software, that will help support customers in an advance digital world, the San Jose, Calif.-based vendor said.

Here's some added color around Cisco's latest strategy and its new products and what these announcements means for the market, channel partners, and end customers.

Cisco Silicon One

In a surprising announcement last week, Cisco revealed that it is entering a brand-new market with the introduction of Cisco Silicon One, its own programable ASIC for high-performance networking.

Cisco said that the new chip will bring performance up to 25 terabits per second and will be available to third-party companies, such as cloud and service providers, looking to add high-performance networking to their infrastructures. The move is laying the foundation for Cisco's long term goal, which is to support future applications and services that will emerge onto the scene once 5G has been widely adopted, according to Cisco.

Cisco 8000 Series carrier class routers

Alongside Silicon One, Cisco also introduced a new high-performance router platform, the Cisco 8000, which is based on Cisco Silicon One and the company's new IOS XR7 networking operating system, and said it is qualifying its networking optics technology for use with Cisco and non-Cisco hosts. Cisco said the router has been in development for the past five years.

Cisco's largest customers have historically been cloud and telecom service providers, but the service provider business has been waning in recent years as these providers focus their efforts on virtualizing their networks. The new technology demonstrates that Cisco hasn't given up on its hyperscale customers, despite its service provider revenue falling 13 percent year over year during Q1 2020, the company's most recent fiscal quarter.

What it means for 5G

Cisco said that the new technology, especially its new Cisco 8000 router platform, will help service providers keep cost down when building out and operating large-scale networks. It will become even more useful as carriers design and build their massive 5G networks, according to Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins.

Many service providers are currently focused on building out consumer-based 5G services, but Cisco believes its service provider segment will improve when the carriers turn to Cisco for help building out their 5G enterprise networks that will require higher throughput for more traffic, which will likely happen by the end of 2021, Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins said during the company's Q1 2020 earnings call.

“The technology that we brought forward today will enable 5G to realize the potential that has been talked about for the last six or seven years,” Robbins said.

Upending The White-Box Movement

Cisco Silicon One will be available for white-box vendors or hyperscale providers that are designing their own networks -- a first for Cisco. The new technology puts Cisco in competition with silicon players such as Broadcom and Intel, as well as others, such as Arista Networks.

Cisco Silicon One will help businesses build infrastructure that meet the performance requirements of new applications including virtual and augmented reality, high-speed streaming, artificial intelligence, 5G networking, adaptive and predictive cybersecurity, IoT, and others yet to be developed, Cisco said.

The technology is giving the market "clean sheet silicon," or silicon that does not reuse any technology from previous generations, said Jonathan Davidson, senior vice president and general manager of service provider business at Cisco.

"Cisco Silicon One was built to be an architecture with all the features you would expect," Davidson told CRN. "But we also wanted to be power-efficient and compact."

Cisco Silicon One will also be critical in helping the company take on smaller vendors who are nimble and innovative, and are focused on software-defined features that run on any hardware, including white-box gear.

Cisco's Future product roadmap

Cisco's new direction with the introduction of Cisco Silicon One and its so-called "Internet for the Future" strategy is the most ambitious development project the company has ever undertaken, said David Goeckeler, executive vice president and general manager of the networking and security business at Cisco.

“Pushing the boundaries of innovation to the next level — far beyond what we experience today — is critical for the future and we believe silicon, optics and software are the technology levers that will deliver this outcome,” he said. “Cisco’s technology strategy is not about the next-generation of a single product area. We have spent the past several years investing in whole categories of independent technologies that we believe will converge in the future — and ultimately will allow us to solve the hardest problems on the verge of eroding the advancement of digital innovation."

Innovative Teaching Fellowship

Each semester, the Reinert Center for Transformative Teaching & Learning awards Innovative Teaching Fellowships to faculty selected to teach in Saint Louis University's Learning Studio through a competitive application process.

Applications are solicited at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters. Fellowships are for a two-semester period, with course development taking place the first semester and teaching in the Learning Studio taking place in the second semester.

Our current Call for Applications can be found on the Current Calls page.

All full-time, permanent teaching faculty at Saint Louis University are eligible to apply for an Innovative Teaching Fellowship. Priority consideration is given to applicants who have not previously received the Fellowship. (Note: No faculty member may receive an Innovative Teaching Fellowship in two consecutive years.)

The application process for the Innovative Teaching Fellowship includes the following steps: 1) attend a required Pre-Application Information Session; 2) secure approval of your chair/director and dean on the required form; and 3) prepare and submit a complete application.

The purpose of the information session is to provide additional information about the Learning Studio, the Fellowship, and the application process.

Faculty also may choose to attend an optional Pre-Application Consultation with Reinert Center staff prior to submitting their applications. These consultations provide an opportunity for faculty to share their ideas with an instructional developer and to ask questions about the application form. Pre-application consultations will occur after the information sessions and before the application deadline.

Applications will be reviewed by representatives from the Reinert Center staff and SLU faculty. Priority consideration will be given to applications that:

Applicants also are encouraged to consider including collaborative distance learning projects.

Benefits of receiving an Innovative Teaching Fellowship include:

During the course development phase of the fellowship (semester one), fellows meet weekly with a Reinert Center Instructional Developer; create and/or revise course documents; and submit a mid-term and end-of-term report on progress. During the teaching phase of the fellowship (semester two), fellows teach the newly (re)designed course in the Learning Studio, continue to work closely with the Reinert Center Instructional Developer, and share their fellowship experience with the larger SLU community. Fellows also may be asked to participate in research being conducted in the Learning Studio (as applicable). To better understand the Instructional Developer and Fellow relationship, applicants are strongly encouraged to read the Instructional Developer Statement of Practice.

For a list of current and previous Innovative Teaching Fellows and their bios, visit Innovative Teaching Fellows.