A few weeks ago, Cisco sponsored the 26^thARC Industry Forum, and it was truly a pleasure to be back together in person. We enjoyed meeting with leaders from various industrial sectors. They shared with us how the pandemic exacerbated their need for digital transformation.

The challenges and opportunities of digitizing industries -including manufacturing, power utilities, oil and gas, public transportation, mining and more -were top of mind for everyone. Organizations are accelerating deployment of even more IT innovations into their industrial operations. Among their goals are to increase agility, enable remote and hybrid work, and drive productivity, profitability, and safety.

Cisco is best known for its leading IT networking and security solutions, fewer know that we have also been developing products that meet the specific needs of these industries for more than 15 years. The ARC Industry Forum highlighted an exciting milestone: the ARC Advisory naming Cisco the market leader in industrial ethernet switches. This industry analyst recognition builds on momentum from 2021, when Forrester Research named Cisco a leader in industrial control systems (ICS) security solutions.

We offer a unique combination of a leading networking portfolio, comprehensive industrial security solution and deep expertise in operational technology (OT) constraints and use cases. Every day, industrial organizations leverage Cisco's strengths to securely accelerate their digitization projects.

During the conference, I had a chance to sit down with Sid Snitkin, VP, Cybersecurity Services at ARC Advisory. We covered drivers and challenges of digital transformation in industrial environments, pressing cybersecurity concerns for industrial networks, and the importance of strong partnerships between IT and OT in any industrial organization.

I encourage you to watch the short video below and then reach out to explore how we can help you overcome your industrial networking challenges.