The Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG) at Cisco, set up four and a half years ago, is a group of in-house specialists providing networking and information technology consultancy to clients in vertical industries such as service providers, retail and the public sector at the executive level.

The aim is to give companies some insight into Cisco's own IT strategies and business models-and through this process the products and solutions it brings to market. IBSG's 200 consultants worldwide specialize in areas such as supply chain management and workforce optimization. The group has also been helping to develop and refine Cisco's IT strategies internally.Which vertical sectors are currently showing strong demand for networking and IT solutions? Toby Burton. We're focusing on the government sector worldwide--their budgets have not been hit as much as in the private sector. Local governments have been particularly strong. What's interesting is that because the public sector doesn't tend to invest quickly in IT, it now needs to upgrade antiquated systems and make a big step change. They're looking at technologies such as IP telephony, and they've switched from being laggards to leaders. The pharmaceutical sector is also looking strong. One that's still to come, but we believe will pop, is the insurance sector.