Cisco Unfurls Network Analytics Application in the Cloud

At the Mobile World Congress 2015 conference today Cisco (CSCO) announced Mobility IQ, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) analytics application for providing insights into events occurring across an extended number of types of networks.

Suraj Shetty, vice president of marketing for the Cisco Service Provider Group, said that for the first time MSPs and carriers will have a simple way to analyze not only network traffic in real time, but also events on the network that will drive additional business opportunities.

Driving more business

For example, Cisco is urging carriers to use that data to drive advertising opportunities. MSPs might use that information to help customers optimize a distributed business process.

In theory, a potential business opportunity for MSPs is to provide customers with insights into network traffic. But correlating that information in a way that makes it actually valuable has been a major challenge. By making that data accessible via a SaaS analytics application, Shetty says Cisco is opening a raft of new business opportunities for its partners.

More Big Data analytics applications are focusing on capturing data in real-time as it travels across networks. For MSPs such information could be leveraged at a time when pricing of basic network management services is under severe pressure.

Analytics expertise

For instance, gathering data in real time can allow MSPs to proactively identify issues before they occur, and that will help with more than cost reduction. It should also create opportunities to deliver any number of high-margin information services. The degree to which MSPs can capitalize on that opportunity will vary widely. But for those MSPs that do develop analytics expertise, the ability to deliver higher value services based on the information should make it less likely that customers will switch services.

Of course, from a Cisco perspective reliance on analytics applications delivered as a cloud service will bind MSPs and carriers that much more to Cisco networking equipment.

Cisco, Telstra extend relationship

For example, at the Mobile World Congress 2015 conference, Cisco also announced an extension of its relationship with Telstra to deliver a unified, on-demand suite of cloud and managed network services. The goal of the alliance is to eventually make network services available to customers via a self-service portal. Cisco also announced that it will be reselling small-cell products developed by SpiderCloud that is aimed at providing wireless services in large indoor venues such as stadiums and malls.

Clearly, each of those alliances represents new opportunities for Cisco and its partners to also apply real-time analytics in a way that provides business value that is sustainable over both the short and long term.