Tech for Good: Cisco Empowers Healthcare Innovation through Digital Convergence
Recently, at the “2022 World Summit on Medical Technology,” Cisco was honored with the “VB-Find Award: Top 100 Most Innovative Medical Technology Products (Solutions) of 2022” for its “IT/OT Convergence and Data Acquisition Solution for Medical Technology.” As a co-organizer of the summit, Cisco delivered compelling presentations centered on hot topics such as “Digital Transformation” and “Global Expansion of Chinese Enterprises,” contributing to the integrated innovation of digital information in pharmaceutical technology and scaling new heights.
Science and technology are the primary productive forces, and innovation is the primary driver of development. In an era marked by increasingly frequent interdisciplinary scientific and technological advancements, the cross-pollination and integration of technologies across various fields have spurred a growing number of innovative breakthroughs, with the healthcare sector being no exception. Driven by three core hard technologies—biotechnology, digital information technology, and new materials coupled with intelligent manufacturing—the traditional healthcare and wellness industry is reaching a new inflection point through continuous innovation, integration, and upgrading. The future of medical technology holds great promise.
In this context, byVCBeat VB100, VCBeatThe 2022 World Summit on Medical Technology, hosted by VCBeat, concluded successfully at the Shishan International Conference Center in Suzhou. Held on December 14–15, the event featured two main forums, one closed-door meeting for government and enterprise representatives, and one ecosystem exhibition, bringing together over 40 guests to discuss advancements in medical technology. Centered on the theme of empowering healthcare through technology, the summit showcased novel applications of three core hard technologies—biotechnology, digital information technology, and new materials combined with intelligent manufacturing—in medical scenarios. The event attracted 682 industry professionals to register for in-person attendance, with more than 200 participants attending on-site.
1“Innovative Digital Technologies”
“The Era of ‘Healthcare+’ Has Arrived”: Global Technological Innovation Enters a Period of Vigorous Activity, and the Scientific and Technological Revolution Is Accelerating Toward Deep Integration with Healthcare. On the Occasion of This Grand Gathering for Medical Technology Innovation,“ VB-Find Award ”Also conferred industry-recognized endorsements from the healthcare sector upon enterprises, products, and solutions that are empowering the pharmaceutical industry to achieve digital innovation.
VB-Find Award：aimed at discoveringMedical Technology Innovation Products (Solutions) with Advanced Technology, Meeting Clinical Medical Needs, and Demonstrating Outstanding Industry Leadership, to create a platform for showcasing cutting-edge research and application achievements in medical technology, empowering the brand growth of medtech companies. This selection process specially invitesIndustry association experts, senior investors, researchers at VCBeat Institute, and medical industry media professionalsForm a jury, adoptAFIC-12Ps Assessment Model, for medical technology products/solutions participating in the selectionApplication Value, Driver Support, Innovative Iteration, Interactive DisseminationWeighted scoring and evaluation of annual performance across 12 indicators in four dimensions.
As a globally recognized IT solutions provider, Cisco is committed to helping medical technology enterprises leverage digital technologies to securely connect healthcare professionals, patients, and other staff, thereby creating inclusive healthcare services for all. This approach addresses emerging challenges and meets future needs. Featured in this ranking, Cisco’s “Medical Technology IT/OT Converged Data Acquisition Solution” encapsulates years of technical expertise in manufacturing (OT) and enterprise informatization & internet (IT). By integrating IT network automation with industrial automation, the solution significantly drives the development of medical technology enterprises, promotes digital transformation, breaks down data silos across the entire industry chain, and provides a robust platform foundation for better leveraging big data and AI in healthcare. Particularly on the IoT side, it combines Cisco’s strengths in connectivity and security with pharmaceutical R&D operations and stringent compliance requirements. On the back-end business systems side, it leverages high-performance computing and big data platforms to comprehensively empower the digitalization of medical enterprises.
Cisco’s “Healthcare Technology IT/OT Convergence and Data Acquisition Solution” is highly pioneering, innovative, demonstrative, and instructive within the industry, offering strong practical and reference value for healthcare technology enterprises seeking to achieve smart manufacturing enhancements.
Zhang Shengyuan, General Manager of Cisco’s China Region within the Emerging Markets Business Unit for Greater China, stated:
“For the healthcare industry, the importance of IT/OT convergence is self-evident. By leveraging full-stack automation to enhance office and production efficiency, organizations can focus on improving core business operations while ensuring comprehensive security. Harnessing the advantages of visualization and intelligence, this approach accelerates digital transformation and industrial upgrading.”
2“Empowering Digital Transformation in Biopharmaceuticals”
Moreover, Cisco, a global technology leader, delivered a compelling keynote address at the main forum on “Digital Information Innovation and Integration” on the morning of December 15, 2022. Mr. Wang Haiying, Senior Systems Architect at Cisco, IT technology expert, and practitioner facilitating the digital transformation of the manufacturing industry, presented to the attendees. Mr. Wang stated that with the vigorous development of next-generation information technologies such as 5G, cloud computing, the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and big data, the integration of digitalized, networked, and intelligent facilities and solutions with healthcare scenarios is accelerating. The digital transformation of the healthcare industry is imminent; however, it must proceed in a systematic and step-by-step manner. Cisco identifies three key focal points for the transformation of the biopharmaceutical sector: connectivity, security, and automation. First, regarding connectivity, from the perspective of building digital transformation capabilities, organizations must first assess whether their underlying network infrastructure can align with future business development. Second, concerning security, connectivity without security lacks substance; therefore, a framework is required to implement long-term security hardening. Third, in terms of automation, organizations need to evaluate whether their operations and management capabilities can achieve visible collection of relevant data. Additionally, they should establish scaled operations, leveraging automation to effectively realize economies of scale and ensure resilience in facing the future.
Digital transformation in enterprises is never an overnight achievement. For biopharmaceutical companies, accelerating R&D speed, implementing lean cost control, achieving rapid commercialization at scale, and securing breakthroughs in international markets are essential to ensuring long-term survival and development. To this end, compared with traditional R&D, production, and operational models, pharmaceutical companies have begun to actively explore digital innovation and build up digital capabilities. By leveraging data and tools, they are effectively transforming high-cost and low-efficiency segments across R&D, manufacturing, distribution, and marketing. This is not only an inevitable path for all enterprises but will also become their core competitive advantage in the future.
3“Supporting Chinese Enterprises in Their Global Expansion”
On the other hand, the development of the digital economy has spurred globalized digital trade, with Chinese enterprises expanding overseas and shifting from “digital globalization” to “global digital transformation.”
As a global technology leader, Cisco is actively empowering enterprises in their globalization journey. Mr. Wang Haiying shared:
The primary challenges facing biopharmaceutical companies in their global expansion efforts fall into three categories: legal and compliance risks, risks associated with regional differences and time zones, and the lack of a stable supply chain. To assist Chinese enterprises in enhancing business agility, ensuring security and compliance, and mitigating potential risks, Cisco has proposed the “Three-Step Digital Framework for Global Expansion.” The IT capabilities of expanding enterprises, from initial scaling to maturity, can generally be divided into three developmental stages: “Exploration,” “Expansion,” and “Innovation.” During the Exploration phase, the priority is to ensure data connectivity and security compliance, leveraging digitalization to integrate applications and data. The second stage requires establishing a predictable IT architecture, adopting a multi-cloud hybrid architecture to help businesses build operational resilience, adaptability, and emergency response capabilities. The final stage involves achieving global standardization for the enterprise’s overseas operations.
4“Technology for Good, Building Dreams to Sail Far”
“Technology for Good” has always been the core mission driving Cisco’s relentless efforts and progress. Our goal is to positively impact one billion people by 2025 through the beneficial power of technology. This aligns perfectly with the original intent behind the continuous innovation and development of medical technology: as digital technologies expand the capabilities of the biopharmaceutical industry, create new value for patients, and deliver inclusive technological services accessible to all, healthcare enterprises will be well-positioned to effortlessly address emerging future challenges and meet the demands of innovative development as a natural outcome.
Cisco is deeply committed to continuing its partnership with the biopharmaceutical industry, leveraging digital technologies to create greater and more sustainable value for humanity. We aim to support the healthcare sector in achieving industrial upgrading through digital empowerment, exploring new frontiers of integrated innovation, and harnessing technology for a better future!