Countless new innovations and solutions are launched everyday, and it's really hard to keep up. How do you cut through the noise and get quality information? One way to do it is by attending Cisco Live, the premier educational event that top industry engineers attend to stay updated with the latest and greatest innovations. But even so, the amount of information may still be too much to digest in a few days. Like one of the customers I met at Cisco Live said,"The amount of innovation is amazing, but it is impossible to check out all of the solutions here by my own. I wish I could clone myself". 

Image Source: Link

Inspired by this customer's comment, on the last day of Cisco Live U.S. 2016, I walked around the  World of Solutions floor, and randomly picked attendees to ask them"What is your favorite solution?" What a practical way to filter information right?!

Following are some of people's favorite solutions:

1. Cisco Unified Computing System (Cisco UCS)

"Cisco Unified Computing System (Cisco UCS) is a groundbreaking approach to computing. It is designed for IT innovation and business acceleration. The product portfolio includes blade and rack servers, edge scale computing, converged infrastructure, composable infrastructure, and hyperconverged infrastructure solutions. More than 50,000 Cisco UCS customers are experiencing the benefits now." (Cisco Unified Computing System)

1. Cisco Hyperconverged Infrastructure

"Extend the benefits of distributed storage technology to more applications and use cases. Cisco HyperFlex HX-Series combine compute, storage, and networking into an easy-to-use system that brings new levels of speed and efficiency to IT. Use our HyperFlex technology to unlock the full potential of hyperconverged infrastructure today."

1. Cisco Tetration Analytics

"Our new Tetration Analytics platform delivers visibility across everything in your data center in real time. It uses hardware and software sensors to give you behavior-based application insight with deep forensics. Get a highly secure and reliable zero-trust model. Dramatically simplify your operations. Migrate applications faster. Make changes intelligently." Learn more and ask questions in the comments section here.

1. Cisco Nexus Switches

The all-new Cisco Nexus Switches that were presented at Cisco Live U.S. 2016 were the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches. One thing that makes them different, as mentioned by a customer in the video -is the Cisco Cloud Scale ASIC. Read Dave Dhillon's blog to find out what makes is so unique: link

1. Cisco Security Solutions

As attackers are becoming more and more sophisticated, Cisco has put a strong emphasis in security. Many attendees commented that Cisco is the leader in its field, and when it comes to security related issues, they trust in Cisco's legacy, and rely on Cisco for the best security solutions. Check out Cisco's complete portfolio of security solutions here.

1. Group-Based Policy (GBP)

Group-Based Policy (GBP) framework, designed to offer a new set of API extensions to manage OpenStack infrastructure through declarative policy abstractions. GBP is designed on the principle of capturing application requirements directly rather than converting the requirements into a specific set of infrastructure configurations. It introduces a new declarative API for automating OpenStack infrastructure. Learn more here: link

1. DevNet, DevNet Hackathon

If you are a developer, DevNet is your to-go place to leverage tools, resources, and code you need to build innovative, network-enabled solutions. Visit website here.

1. Bill Shields

Woolala! Cisco Introduces, the all-new Cisco Bill Shields! Just kidding, but it's amazing that when I asked people "what is your favorite solution at Cisco Live" and I get "Bill Shields". This tells you that he is someone worth following to get quality information. Bill is the marketing manager for UCS Mini and UCS M-Series modular servers. He manages the development Cisco's UCS TCO/ROI tools; provides sales team and partner tool support; in charge of server competitive analysis and positioning. Follow him @HighTechBill

1. Cisco Intelligent WAN (IWAN)

With IWAN, you can deploy branch offices quickly, simplify SD-WAN management, reduce costs and mitigate risks, and deliver a great user experience. Watch this super concise video, and you will be impressed! Link

These are just some of the technologies mentioned by Cisco Live attendees; watch the following video to find out what other attendees say about their favorite technology:

Note: Given the limited time I had on the show floor, and I only picked few attendees randomly. If other technologies and solutions aren't mentioned in here, it doesn't mean they weren't impressive.

What about you? If you attended Cisco Live U.S. 2016, what was your favorite solution? Please comment below and share.