Cisco Technology Radar

Speed up technology foresight to stay at the forefront of innovation

Innovation is an integral part of the Cisco DNA. With 25,000 engineers, more than 19,000 patents, and leadership positions in 18 different IT categories, Cisco already enjoys a rich history of high-tech innovation. Cisco has successfully managed to stay one step ahead of the competition.

This success is largely owed to Cisco’s unique method of structuring, classifying, evaluating, and visualizing novel technologies. In particular, this approach aims at an early identification of new technologies and trends, enabling transparent and strategic decision-making, and promoting innovation.

profil-Sylvain-Baron — Sylvain BaronCorporate Strategic Innovation, Cisco

Innovation at Cisco

Supported by ITONICS Radar, Cisco was able to speed up its existing technology foresight process with the implementation of the unique Cisco Technology Radar platform.

Cisco’s unique method of collecting, structuring, evaluating, and visualizing information on novel technologies in place
Time-consuming process to connect all the information and link them to different business units
Missing integration of Cisco’s worldwide technology scouting team into a seamless technology foresight process

Objectives of a technology foresight platform

Fully digital process: Cisco was looking for a tool to digitize and optimize the already existing methodology.
Accelerate foresight: Moreover, they wanted to accelerate the existing technology foresight process.
Opportunity identification: One central ambition was also to identify technology-related threats and opportunities earlier than the competition.

Cisco’s global “go-to space” for technology management

Cisco Technology Radar, based on ITONICS, supports all technology management phases and activities from technology identification to selection, assessment, and dissemination.

Identification phase

Selection phase

Assessment phase

Dissemination phase

Every quarter the Cisco Technology Radar team publishes the results of the Cisco Technology Radar in a newsletter, website, and PDF report. The PDF report is automatically generated by the system and gives detailed information on the maturity and the business impact of each technology. The generated insights feed into Cisco’s innovation programs such as internal innovation, innovation centers, and concrete strategic actions like investment opportunities.

Achievements

Within a few weeks, a collaboration platform was created that was fully tailored to Cisco's workflows and needs.
Cisco Technology Radar functions as the single point of truth for technology management.
More than 150 technology scouts worldwide tracked over 200 technologies, 20 trends, and 300 companies.
Technology scouts can easily share their insights which allows for a radical scalability of a worldwide scouting community.
All information is published in a quarterly report. The report is a fundamental part of Cisco's technology intelligence, aiming at capturing and delivering information on technical trends, opportunities and stimulating internal and external innovation programs.
A simple technology submission process accelerated the identification phase of new technologies and trends and linked the scouting results directly to the radar platform.

Speed up technology foresight to stay at the forefront of innovation

Innovation at Cisco

Objectives of a technology foresight platform

Cisco’s global “go-to space” for technology management

Achievements

About Cisco

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