Network maker Cisco will be making an investment of $500 million in Germany in the next three years for supporting digitization.

Earlier, Cisco announced investment plans for digitization acceleration in the U.K., France and Italy in Europe.

The focus of Deutschland Digital will be on innovation, security and education. Cisco will be investing funds for digitization projects, research projects, expansion of the Cisco Networking Academy, and investments in venture funds, as well as to human resources and infrastructure spending.

Chuck Robbins, CEO of Cisco, said: “With our investments in education, innovation and security, we can help create a digital Germany that can bring greater value to the country and its citizens.”

openBerlin, a Cisco innovation center opened in 2015, will play an important part in the innovation efforts of the US-based technology major.

Cisco will organize innovation workshops, focusing specifically on mid-sized companies. Startups and other partners will be invited, and participants will work together on digital solutions and business models.

Cisco will also expand its investment in start-ups and venture funds in Germany with priority areas such as security, cloud, and Internet of Things (IoT).

Cisco is also looking to partner with the public sector and contribute to large-scale transformation projects such as smart cities and regions as well as healthcare and utility networks.

As part of the project, Cisco will be investing in a research initiative that translates the German privacy and data protection regulations into a software architecture for cloud services in Germany.

Cisco plans to set up a Security Center of Excellence in Germany. Cisco will also offer dedicated IT and cyber security training programs as part of Cisco Networking Academy.

Cisco will be expanding the Networking Academy – focusing on Internet of Things (IoT). Cisco plans to increase the number of graduates in Germany from currently 35,000 a year to 80,000 in three years.

Vina Krishna
[email protected]