Cisco Systems recently unveiled its first Internet of Everything (IoE) Partner Playbook that provides a blueprint for partners to capitalized on what Cisco says will be a $19 trillion market in the next decade.

The networking giant is looking for partners who are eager to dive into four vertical markets – public sector, manufacturing, transportation, and utilities – to solve problems for customers through Internet of Things (IoT) and IoE.

The opportunity lies with solution providers who are willing to engage with businesses and organizations on the operational technology (OT) side, which some Cisco partners haven’t needed to do yet. The convergence of IT and OT technologies is one of the key enablers of IoE.

By having traditional IT partners work with OT partners, one can seek out new businesses, such as a factory, an oil rig, or a utility company that it might never have partnered with before. Cisco says these types of partnerships can help prepare for and access future IoE opportunities.

"You need to understand who to partner with in any one of these verticals in order to provide that capability or service that is related to networking, but that means getting involved with businesses that you were not involved with before," said Andres Sintes, Cisco's senior director of Worldwide Partner Organization - Enterprise Networking and IoT/IoE Solutions.

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