Cisco Advances Smart Grid Strategy
Posted by Jesse Ward on Tuesday, September 7, 2010 · 
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Cisco is aggressively pursuing the smart grid market, announcing last week that it will acquire Arch Rock Corp., a provider of IP-based wireless technology focused on the smart meter, and releasing news of a new strategic partnership with smart meter vendor Itron.
Based in San Francisco, Arch Rock technology is designed to enable utilities to connect smart meters and other distributed intelligent devices over a scalable, wireless mesh network.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Cisco expects the acquisition to be completed by the end of calendar 2010, and Arch Rock’s team will become part of Cisco’s Smart Grid business unit.
“Arch Rock’s wireless mesh technology enhances Cisco’s IP-based, end-to-end smart-grid offerings,” said Laura Ipsen, senior vice president and general manager of Cisco’s Smart Grid business unit. ”This acquisition further positions Cisco as a strategic partner to utilities working to better manage power supply and demand, improve the security and reliability of energy delivery, and optimize operational costs.”
The acquisition complements Cisco’s recently announced strategic alliance with smart metering vendor Itron to create solutions that enhance smart-metering technology.
Itron and Cisco will jointly develop a reference design for smart grid and smart metering network communications, utilizing the latest version of the Internet Protocol (IPv6).
Itron will license and embed Cisco IP technology within its OpenWay® meters, as well as distribute Cisco networking equipment and software as part of its smart meter deployments.
For more on smart grid technology, read NTCA’s Smart Grid ePaper series and attend NTCA’s webcast September 8, at 2:00 p.m. ET.
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