GreenBeat: Cisco has a blank check for Smart Grid, but what will it do with it?
Cisco Systems put no limit on its budget for Smart Grid development, the company’s grid guru Laura Ipsen told the audience at GreenBeat 2009 — albeit quoting her boss John Chambers.
The question now is what Cisco (a GreenBeat 2009 sponsor) will use that money for — currently, it looks like the company is racing to get in on every nook and cranny of the Smart Grid business, from hardware to IP networks to cybersecurity measures…. Continue Reading
Cisco, German utility Yello Strom team for Smart Grid pilot project
Cisco Systems has recently stepped up its participation in the Smart Grid — the formation of a cleaner, more efficient electrical grid. Two weeks ago, it formed a coalition of Smart Grid companies that agreed to ensure interoperability between their devices and services. Today, it announced that it is partnering with top German utility Yello Strom, to roll out a Smart Grid pilot program aimed at giving energy consumers the information they need to cut… Continue Reading
Latest speaker at GreenBeat 2009: Cisco’s Smart Grid guru, Laura Ipsen
I’m pleased to announce that Laura Ipsen, VP and General Manager for Cisco Systems‘ Smart Grid Business Unit, will be joining us as a speaker at GreenBeat 2009.
Over the next several days, you’ll be hearing more announcements about our exciting lineup for GreenBeat 2009, the seminal conference on technologies that are disruptive to outmoded parts of our electrical grid, and which push forward the Smart Grid.
The event will take place in the San Francisco Bay… Continue Reading
Trilliant, ABB partner to make Smart Grid technologies interoperable
Trilliant, provider of communications infrastructure used to beam energy consumption data between so-called smart meters, utilities and their customers, announced today that it is partnering with automation company ABB to make sure their technologies can talk to one another. This type of interoperability is one of the major issues impacting how and how fast the Smart Grid — a cleaner, more efficient electrical grid — takes hold in the U.S.
It seem to be all the… Continue Reading
Cisco recruits Smart Grid players into interoperable consortium
A day after IBM announced its new SAFE software package providing a standard infrastructure platform for utilities and Smart Grid startups, Cisco Systems has announced its own consortium of companies adopting common IP-based communications standards. In doing so, the company hopes to network Smart Grid stakeholders into a completely interoperable ecosystem for sending and receiving energy consumption data.
Cisco has recruited a number of impressive names for this consortium including major meter makers Itron and Landis+Gyr,… Continue Reading
Emergent Game Tech gobbles up $14M for game development platform
Emergent Game Technologies, builder of applications for video-game development, has snapped up $14.4 million in equity, amending a filing from February reporting that the company raised more than $12.5 million, according to VentureWire.
Based in Calabasa, Calif., the company says it can slash game development costs by eliminating some need for back-end support. Its platform is used by high-profile clients like Disney and Electronic Arts and is capable of building games for the Playstation 3, Xbox… Continue Reading
Vyatta lands $10.3M for open-source networking
Vyatta, maker of open-source network software, has raised nearly all of its planned $10.3 million round of equity. It adds this amount to the $11 million in second-round funding it brought in two years ago from ArrowPath Venture Capital, Comcast Intractive Capital, Fuse Capital and J.P. Morgan Partners, reports VentureWire.
Based in Belmost, Calif., Vyatta positioned itself as a rival for Cisco Systems when it first launched in 2006. In fact, its web site’s tagline is… Continue Reading
Roundup: Twitter’s ready for its close-up, Apple says yes to the Kama Sutra, and more
Here’s the latest action:
Twitter on the tube – More producers are turning to the micro-blogging service for television-based projects, and the site is only too happy to go Hollywood.
Auctions on the way down for eBay — The site is frantically trying to reinvent as its core business starts to decline in earnest. The Wall Street Journal has the details.
The Apple of North Carolina’s eye? — The state may be changing its tax policies to lure technology companies,… Continue Reading
San Francisco launches EcoMap, busts high-emission zip codes
The city of San Francisco has launched a revolutionary online mapping project, called the Urban EcoMap, that tracks the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced by its various neighborhoods — and beyond that, what has produced them: transportation, energy use or waste. Basically, it’s borrowing the concept of environmental contests run on college campuses to encourage students to be more eco-friendly — only on a metropolitan scale.
Announced by mayor Gavin Newsom on Earth Day last… Continue Reading
Cisco joins the race for a leaner, cheaper smart grid
Cisco Systems threw its hat into the increasingly crowded smart grid ring today, laying out a more defined strategy and projecting that this market could soon be worth up to $20 billion a year. The core of its plan is twofold: to partner with utilities to lower costs at every stage of the energy distribution process and to upgrade grid infrastructure to reduce outages and improve security.
To accomplish these goals, the networking giant will create… Continue Reading
Roundup: Street View blinded, curtain to rise on new PS3 and more
Here’s the latest action:
It’s a pirate’s life for Asia — A new study indicates that software piracy is growing rapidly in Asia where the number of computer owners continues to skyrocket.
Street View’s prying eyes — Google must reshoot footage for its maps Street View tool in Japan after receiving complaints that the cameras were mounted high enough to see over residents’ fences. Earlier this week, the search company was banned from collecting images in Greece, also due… Continue Reading
Roundup: Ev Williams stumbles to the top, privacy goes obsolete, jet packs are back and more
Cisco eyeing Pure Digital? — The maker of the Flip video camera is in acquisition talks. TechCrunch has more.
Rocketeer envy going strong — The Wall Street Journal looks at the public’s fascination with jet packs, and the shape they’re taking today.
A series of fortunate events for Ev Williams – The Twitter founder recounted his haphazard ascent in the New York Times.
Nvidia takes a run at Intel — The company announced its plan to roll out an x86 microprocessor,… Continue Reading
Soonr raises $3M to give mobile access to home computers
Soonr, maker of software that lets people access content on their home computers from their cell phones, just raised $3 million in third-round funding from Cisco Systems, Clearstone Venture Partners, Intel Capital and Sand Hill Capital, reports VentureWire. Last month, it announced the launch of an iPhone app that lets people open Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files on their mobile devices. The Campbell, Calif. company accomplishes this by sending and retrieving information to and… Continue Reading
Roundup: New Android G2 makes an appearance, layoffs hit 300,000, Apple sales slowing
Here’s the latest action:
HTC’s G2 Android phone – Sites like Gizmodo are giving the new Android phone the thumbs up based on working demos available at the Mobile World Congress.
Hacking Caller ID – A service dubbed TrapCall from TelTech Systems of New Jersey lets people figure out who is calling them, even if that caller is trying to stay anonymous by using Caller ID. Now what will obscene pranksters do to hide?
Lots of cash, but no buying… Continue Reading
Force10 rolls out virtualization products
Force10 Networks, a developer of 10-gigabit networking hardware, will be launching a new line of products over the next half year to help companies set up automated and virtual networks. Currently, it provides routers and switches to web companies like Facebook and eHarmony, to help them manage large amounts of data over their local networks, reports VentureWire.
In this pursuit, Force10 faces a full field of competition including Woven Systems, Foundry Networks, Cisco Systems and Juniper… Continue Reading
Cisco Systems investing $100M more into India
Cisco Systems, the giant San Jose, Calif., networking company, said it will invest a further $100 million in venture capital initiatives in India.
The plan was mentioned by Chief Executive John Chambers yesterday. It follows two years after Cisco announced a plan to invest $1.1 billion in India over two to three years, including $100 million in venture investements.
This is a continuation of that plan.
Cisco gets serious about WiMax, buys Navini for $330M
Cisco, the large networking company, said it has agreed to acquire Navini Networks, a company that offers a WiMAX “upgrade” for mobile customers, for $330 million in cash and stock.
This shows that Cisco is getting serious about WiMax, a technology long in development but which is now being deployed in earnest. It differs from WiFi in that it has much longer ranges — as much as 10 miles vs. WiFi’s reach of a few hundred… Continue Reading
BroadLogic Network raises $17M more for cable provider chip
BroadLogic Network Technologies, a San Jose, Calif. company that makes a video-processing chip that lets cable providers upgrade their networks to provide faster internet access and more high-definition television content, has raised a $17 million round of financing.
Comcast, the nation’s leading cable provider, led the round, which included cable operator Advance/Newhouse and existing investors Intel, Cisco Systems, Time Warner Investments, Levensohn Venture Partners, Rho Ventures, Walden International and Presidio.
According to the Consumer Electronics Association, 28… Continue Reading
Cisco begins VC investing in Russia, announces deal: $18M in e-commerce site, Ozon
Cisco Systems has started a venture capital initiative in Russia, and the giant San Jose, Ca. networking company announced its first deal: Russian e-commerce site, Ozon.
Cisco hired a full-time investment manager, based in Moscow, the company said in a statement sent to VentureBeat yesterday.
It said it has made an investment in Russian e-commerce site, Ozon.ru, alongside Index Ventures, a venture firm which led the $18 million investment in the company. Index calls the site the… Continue Reading
Cisco buys anti-spam co., IronPort Systems for $830 million
Networking giant Cisco agreed to acquire anti-spam and spyware security company IronPort Systems for $830 million in cash and stock.
Ironport, of San Bruno, Calif., soaked up about $100 million from its founding in 2000, so this is a big win for its ten investors.
They include New Enterprise Associates, the big Silicon Valley venture capital firm, which invested $18 million into the company two years ago. Others are Allegis Capital, Amicus, Menlo Ventures, Chevron Corp., General… Continue Reading