SAN JOSE, Calif., April 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The
National Football League (NFL) and Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO), a
leader in enterprise networking and security, today announced a new
multi-year partnership naming Cisco an Official Technology Partner
of the NFL. Central to this partnership, Cisco will use its
industry-leading expertise to jointly develop a Connected League
platform with the NFL, unifying the league on a singular foundation
of connectivity with greater speed, intelligence, and security.
"We are excited to have Cisco as an official partner of the NFL.
We have relied on Cisco for many years now and it is a natural fit
that they now have become our partner," said Michelle McKenna, NFL Chief Information
Officer. "In an increasingly digital world, speed, reliability
and security are paramount to our success and we welcome the
leadership Cisco will bring to the NFL for these key aspects and
more."
"The NFL shares our view that a connected world offers
incredible opportunity, and we are excited to become an Official
Technology Partner of the league," said Chuck Robbins, Chairman and CEO at Cisco. "When
Cisco started its journey in sports and entertainment years ago, we
knew the right technology would reshape the fan experience, and
with this partnership, we are continuing our progress toward
creating a more dynamic future."
In 2008, Cisco introduced the idea of a single converged network
supporting the future of connectivity for a venue. Fast forward to
today and Cisco's view remains the same regarding a single unified,
intent-based networking architecture, but instead of being
building-centric, it is focused on developing a league-wide
infrastructure to support gameday operations such as security and
digital signage solutions.
Currently, every NFL stadium's replay control room is built on
Cisco technology and connected back to the Art McNally Gameday
Central in New York City via a
Cisco network. In addition, nearly all of the league's Official
Partners and two-thirds of NFL stadiums rely on Cisco technology,
including SoFi Stadium and State Farm Stadium, sites of the next
two Super Bowls.
"We have deep experience in this field creating innovative
solutions that have enabled the sports industry to deliver superior
fan experiences, streamline business operations, and drive
incremental revenue," said Brian
Eaton, Director of Global Sponsorship, Cisco. "We look
forward to working with the NFL to implement a platform that will
bring significant value to the entire league ecosystem."
In addition, Cisco and the NFL believe that technology will help
build an inclusive future and bridge the digital divide. Cisco will
contribute to the NFL's Inspire Change initiative by collaborating
with the league to deliver technology education and career
advancement opportunities to people in underserved communities.
Cisco's belief is that connecting everyone not only creates more
equality, but also meaningful and positive impact.
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Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks
of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A
listing of Cisco's trademarks can be found
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mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of
the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between
Cisco and any other company.
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SOURCE Cisco Systems, Inc.