Guest Blog by: Steve Gorretta, Manager, Product Management, Cisco Service Provider Software and Solutions

When you hear Cisco leadership discuss the transformation of our business and the drive to be the#1 IT company, you will no doubt hear some recurring themes around cloud management, big data analytics, security, and Internet of Things (IoT). These themes play a major role in how Cisco drives value across every major market, and the same can be said about a space to which we can all relate: the Connected Home.

As I've discussed before, the home network is a constantly evolving intersection of devices, applications and content that provide both convenience and confusion for consumers. The emergence of the IOT-enabled home (or "smarthome") means even more devices, including appliances and sensors, are now joining that landscape. Our strategy at Cisco is to provide service providers with applications that simplify and enhance the connected home experience, and allow them to monetize new opportunities that emerge as the home evolves. We already manage many millions of subscriber home devices with Cisco Prime Home, and we are expanding the portfolio with some exciting new applications that build on that strategy.

At CES this January, we will be demonstrating the entire suite of Cisco Connected Home software applications, which are geared towards helping service providers and their subscribers gain better visibility, security, and reliability from their digital home. One new offer, Cisco Home Guard?, provides complete cybersecurity protection for all devices in the home, and perfectly complements the monitored home security offered by some ISPs. We are also launching Connected Analytics for Home, part of Cisco's broader Connected Analytics initiative, which enables real-time and historical analysis on a wide range of connectivity and security issues within the home.

In addition to these applications,we offer a complete services applications framework (SAF) for home devices, and are leading the evolution towards cloud-hosted virtual CPE, which means our customers have even more flexibility in how to deliver these new capabilities into the home.

Please visit us in the Connected Life -IOE area at the Cisco CES demonstration in the Wynn Resort to see a live demo or come to the "Personalization and Big Data: Securing Consumer Privacy" at 3:45PM January 6, 2016 in the Venetian Hotel, Level 4, Marcello 4501 and learn more about our Connected Home offerings!