Cisco announces winners of 2011 Innovation Awards

Cisco today announced the winners of its 2011 Innovation Awards, which recognise organisations that embrace new and advanced technology whilst leading the field in delivering tangible benefits for business and society.

The winners, which represent a diverse range of industry sectors encompassing technology, communications and service delivery, were chosen for their achievements in the deployment and implementation of innovative technologies. All shortlisted finalists and winners participated in an awards ceremony hosted via Cisco TelePresence, the ‘real-life’ meeting experience delivered through ultra-high-definition video, on Monday 11 April 2011.

The 2011 Cisco Innovation Awards are as follows:

Most Innovative Data Center Project – awarded to Saudi Telecom Company, Saudi Arabia, for STC VBlock Managed Data Center. Judging was based on the demonstration of a new or significantly rebuilt data center facility that showed innovation in the areas of data center design, building and operation, and the adoption of a new business model such as pay as you go, pay per use, risk sharing or revenue sharing. 

Most Innovative Mobility/Virtual Enterprise Project – awarded to Polish Border Guard, Poland, for the Polish Border Guard Wireless Communications Network.

Most Innovative Hosted/Cloud Service – awarded to Euronet Worldwide,  EFT Europe, Hungary, for New Cloud Model: Virtualized Hosted Finance Application Services for the EMEA Region. 

• Most Innovative Collaboration Project – awarded to Magyar Telekom, Hungary, for VideoGate Videoconferencing Solution. 

Most Society Impacting Network – awarded to Qatar Foundation, Qatar, for Qatar Foundation Research and Education Network. The winner offered an Internet Protocol-based solution based on Cisco’s IP Next-Generation Network architecture, which benefits society and provides the ability to collaborate in community building. The network needed to have independent, easily accessed locations for all citizens as well as an architecture, built on top of a Cisco Borderless Networks platform, that improved GDP productivity through next-generation services. 

Most Innovative Business Impacting Network – awarded to Emirates Aluminum, United Arab Emirates, for Cisco Ethernet-to-the-Factory. The key winning criterion in this category was the provision of innovative network-centric services such as flexible and highly secure network access, collaboration technologies, and solutions aimed at improving life and health . Through utilising the network, the winner improved its customers’ experience, optimised its financial, human and environmental resources, and enabled new business models. 

Duncan Mitchell, senior vice president, Cisco Emerging Markets: “I was extremely pleased to host our Innovation Awards ceremony via Cisco’s TelePresence technology. From Dubai, United Arab Emirates, we connected 16 nations, spanning a total of 50,000 air miles, with Doha, Qatar, as our nearest location and Santiago, Chile, as our furthermost location. Together, we celebrated the very best talent and technology in action, whilst uniting and recognising a collaborative and sustainable community that will continue to harness the power of ICT to accelerate change throughout organisations and nations.”