One billion of anything is a large number, yet that’s the number of connected devices that Cisco Systems Inc. hopes to reach with its Jasper and Kinetic “internet of things” platforms. That might be a tall order given that the company’s technology is currently connected to only 60 million devices, with a growth estimate of 100 million by the end of 2018, according to its top IoT executive.

But the company is betting that a strategy of focused selling in major vertical markets combined with its expertise in enterprise software and hardware will go a long way toward expanding the IoT footprint. “We want to get to a billion connected devices, and Jasper is really helping drive that charge,” said Riaz Raihan (pictured), global vice president and general manager of IoT at Cisco Systems. “IoT today is ubiquitous, so it’s very important for Cisco as a leader in this field to demonstrate that leadership.”

Jasper was acquired by Cisco in 2016, and it provides a connectivity platform for IoT devices. Kinetic was announced last year as an operations platform to allow data extraction from connected products.

Raihan visited the set of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, during the Cisco Live event in Barcelona, Spain, and spoke with co-hosts John Furrier (@furrier) and Stu Miniman (@stu). They discussed Cisco’s IoT go-to-market strategy, potential competition with cloud providers, and device security. (* Disclosure below.)

Focused on five industry verticals

With Jasper and Kinetic in its portfolio, Cisco intends to aggressively pursue IoT business in five key vertical areas: cities, manufacturing, energy, transportation and retail. “That’s really our go-to-market strategy,” Raihan said.

Given the company’s strong commitment to IoT, it raises the possibility that this now places Cisco in competition with major cloud players who are angling to control device-generated data at the edge. The company’s top IoT executive doesn’t see it that way.

“We are not competitive at all with the cloud vendors; as a matter of fact, we’re complementary,” Raihan said. “Their mission is to drive as much data to the cloud as possible, and our mission is to extract data from difficult-to-extract places.”

What about security? The vulnerability of IoT devices to simple hacks has generated concern among security professionals that connected products are making networks more vulnerable.

“Cisco’s point of view on this is very simple: Security is something we start with; it’s not an afterthought,” Raihan said. “Jasper is one of the most secure IoT platforms on the planet, if not the most secure.”

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of Cisco Live Barcelona 2018. (* Disclosure: Cisco Systems Inc. sponsored this segment of theCUBE. Neither Cisco Systems nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE