In collaboration with Joel Barbier

To stay aggressive, and to draw and retain workers, a rising variety of corporations have adopted a hybrid work mannequin: designing the work expertise round and for staff, wherever they’re.

This implies enabling workers to work equally successfully on the workplace, at dwelling, and — once you’re an automotive firm — on the street.

Ford Motor Firm has enlisted Cisco’s assist to do exactly this — convey the hybrid work expertise to drivers and different automobile occupants. The businesses are collaborating to supply next-generation buyer experiences in Ford’s newest battery electrical autos (BEVs), together with the Mach-E Mustang car and F-150 Lightning truck.

The joint initiative contains integration of Cisco Webex into new Ford BEVs. In reality, the immersive, extremely collaborative mobile-office expertise could flip Ford BEVs into the absolute best place to carry a gathering. And, simply as you wouldn’t experience in a BEV with out your seatbelt fixed, Cisco has protected Webex with our full safety stack, together with Cisco ThousandEyes, Umbrella, Duo, and Meraki software program.

The partnership is the product of shut collaboration between Ford, the Cisco account crew, Cisco engineering enterprise entities, and Buyer Zero.

“Permitting individuals to stay productive by utilizing Webex in automobiles will unlock actually thousands and thousands of hours for purchasers,” stated Ford Motor Firm President and CEO Jim Farley.

Cisco Webex permits Ford to take mobile-office conferences to the subsequent stage

Ford’s integration of Cisco Webex into its new BEVs makes it the primary auto producer to run native Cisco software-as-a-service in autos. Whereas utilizing Webex, drivers can take full benefit of the beneficiant 15-inch show and high-end sound system featured within the Mach-E Mustang and F-150 Lightning BEVs, which offer a completely distinctive, “always-on” hybrid work expertise.

To keep away from the opportunity of distracted driving, all Webex assembly capabilities are accessed hands-free by way of voice instructions whereas the automotive is in movement. As soon as the Ford BEV is parked, nevertheless, drivers can benefit from the full Webex video collaboration expertise.

This initiative additionally extends the Cisco community into Ford’s new BEVs – basically offering a lifeline from every automobile again to Cisco. One function – Webex Calling – assigns a novel cellphone quantity to every automobile, enabling connectivity from just about wherever, whereas additionally permitting Ford to contact the driving force if needed. Webex will present optimum audio efficiency by leveraging the automobile’s modem and antenna – and thru helpful options equivalent to cabin noise cancellation.

Cisco safety software program makes every Ford BEV a safe “cell system on wheels”

To change into and stay viable, hybrid work options should guarantee extremely safe connectivity from any location – together with electrical autos. Because of this, Ford will likely be incorporating Cisco’s full safety stack in its Mach-E Mustang and F-150 Lightning autos. This package deal will embrace the next safety elements:

• Cisco ThousandEyes: Presents proactive community visibility/troubleshooting and dependable buyer/automobile community connectivity
• Umbrella: Offers DNS question safety; visibility into – and prevention towards – ransomware assaults; and menace intelligence
• Duo: Performs multifactor authentication, permits Hybrid Work Zero Belief (any automobile, any firm), and ensures a tool safety posture
• Meraki: Adjusts entry and enforces safety coverage based mostly on compliance, whereas additionally authenticating every person’s id based mostly on SM set up standing with Duo

… And there’s far more to come back, with Cisco performing as “Buyer Zero”

As a part of their partnership, Ford and Cisco are instituting a fleet program that may assist make Cisco workers extra productive on the street, whereas additionally decreasing their carbon footprint. Consequently, Cisco will provide BEVs for its inside automobile fleets beginning in 2023. What’s extra, 4,000 Cisco EMEA workers could have the choice to obtain a BEV as their firm automobile – making Cisco a large Ford buyer and offering an lively laboratory for testing the businesses’ joint options. (And our EMEA workers aren’t complaining, both).

The Ford-Cisco partnership will in the end embrace the next extra components designed to strengthen any firm’s cell collaboration capabilities:

• Utilizing Webex because the UI/UX for partaking with roadside infrastructure. This perform has the potential to dramatically enhance security by enabling Webex to convey alerts about street circumstances, visitors, pedestrians, roadside work zones, and extra.
• Leveraging the Webex Predict AI platform to allow interactions with the individuals who have the most important impression on success.
• Bidirectional vehicle-to-vehicle charging, permitting BEVs to distribute their cost to different close by autos. As well as, autos will likely be charged by connecting a particular plate on the underside of the automotive to inductive coils within the asphalt of a car parking zone.

“In my 40-year profession, I’ve by no means had the prospect to enhance merchandise and invent new capabilities for purchasers after we launch the product,” defined Ford President and CEO Jim Farley. “Shifting to a digital product and having software program be the massive differentiator goes to utterly change the sport for Ford.”

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