10/26/2009 -- Cisco Systems Inc. last week unveiled its second-generation Integrated Services Router (ISR) Generation 2, or G2 for short.

The ISR G2 launch coincides with Cisco's announcement of a new strategy designed to address the needs of a highly distributed workforce.

That strategy centers on Cisco's Borderless Networks architecture and is predicated on what Cisco officials describe as a "five-phase plan" to retrofit -- to, in effect, altogether recast -- the delivery of applications and services.

According to Cisco, the new ISR G2 boasts up to five times the performance of its predecessor, which debuted five years ago.

The flagship of the ISR G2 line is the Cisco 3900 Series. It ships with a new "video-ready architecture" and features built in video digital signal processing capabilities. Officials also trumpet the addition of a "Services-Ready" Engine that permits customers to remotely deploy services in branch environments.

Cisco also tinkered with its ISR Services Module as part of the G2 refresh. The new-and-improved ISR G2 Services Module is nothing short of a behemoth, supporting up to 1TB of onboard storage, which Cisco representatives say can be tapped to support video surveillance or similar scenarios.

Cisco's ISR line is rounded out by the 2900 Series (a midrange offering) and the 1900 Series. The latter is available in a compact-modular form-factor. It supports a number of connectivity options, including the new 802.11n specification.

In a related announcement, Cisco unveiled a new platform for its Aggregation Services Router (ASR) line: the ASR 1002-F, a fixed-configuration version of its ASR 1000 Series.

Cisco officials sought to highlight the new ISR's ability to support video and other rich media services. "The...Integrated Services Router Generation 2 delivers a borderless network experience through service virtualization, new video-ready capabilities and operational excellence," said Richard Palmer, senior vice president of Cisco's Access Routing Group, in a statement. "High-performance, secure collaboration across time zones and devices with rich-media services will allow businesses to meet changing needs and increase employee productivity." --Stephen Swoyer