When QA Engineer Liam H. joined Cisco and its Inclusive Communities, he discovered a place where he could truly bring his full self to work.

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Last year, when I joined Cisco as a QA engineer on the Windows@Cisco Team, I remember being particularly worried by all the anti-trans and anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric appearing in the news at the time. So, I knew I was going to attend Pride, and Cisco gave me the opportunity.

Luckily, London Pride was coming up a few months after my starting date. I joined the PRIDE Inclusive Community to meet other employees via Workday, which was very straightforward. The UK & Ireland chapter organised things very well before the parade, where we would have a Cisco float.

The night before London Pride, my flatmate, Anthony, who also works for Cisco, and my partner at the time, who was welcomed as my plus one, made the 2-hour train trek from Cardiff to London in the middle of a heatwave to join in the fun. We dropped our bags at the hotel and went to pick up our t-shirts at the Cisco Finsbury Circus office, seeing Cisco adverts for Pride on the Underground in Central London along the way. We got used to seeing the ads around the city as Cisco was not only a London Pride sponsor but also helped supply the Wi-Fi infrastructure for the event’s essential communications.

The t-shirt design stood out in pink and green. It featured a Pride version of the Cisco logo with flowers above to incorporate our theme of sustainability and transformation. We were told to come as bright and colourful as an English garden to match our amazing float. Some people even dressed up as butterflies or bees!

Once the parade started — later than planned — bubble machines turned on from our float. We handed out Cisco rainbow umbrellas, initially meant to cover us in case of the unpredictable British weather, but during the heatwave, most of us used them as cover from the heat and to prevent sunburn. When we set off, music started, and bubbles were in full flow; it felt much more like a party than a parade.

As is often the case, not all of the crowd came to support the cause. When we walked past the protesters, I kissed my partner, the music grew louder, we continued dancing, and I took comfort in knowing that, at least for this weekend, their views were in the minority.

So, I can hear you now, “That story was lovely, but what’s the point, Liam?”

My point is Cisco is a great company to work for as a queer employee. I’ve always felt encouraged to bring my entire self to work. It was mentioned to me during my interviews when joining the company and frequently throughout the induction week. But in my experience, you can never be too sure until you’re working day-to-day with your team. At previous companies, I remember feeling somewhat self-conscious about what I wore, feeling the need to beige myself or tone myself down, especially when going into the office. I’ve not felt like that once since joining Cisco. I’ve always been the type of person who wears a bright and colourful shirt. I try not to think about it too much, as they are just clothes at the end of the day, but wearing what makes me feel comfortable helps me focus on my work, whether that’s a knitted vest covered in happy and sad faces or a yellow shirt with cartoonish in-flight safety cards on it.

Cisco’s Inclusive Communities, like PRIDE, make it super easy to connect with other LGBTQIA+ employees (and allies, don’t forget the allies) and branch out to meet other people outside of your immediate team, office building or department. I have also felt comfortable and found some helpful tips amongst the chatter in the Neurodiversity Webex Space as someone with dyspraxia myself. It’s a sub-community made in partnership with the Connected Disability Action Network (CDAN), another Inclusive Community. However, muting the notifications helps me focus because the chat can get a bit rowdy. 🙂

Looking back at my experience of my first eighteen months at Cisco, I really was able to bring my full self to work on my Windows@Cisco Team, Device Experience Team, and the communities I’ve found through PRIDE and CDAN. With Pride celebrations finally upon us, I look forward to going to London Pride again this year. Maybe I will see some of you there.

Be you, with us. See all the ways Cisco is powering an inclusive future for all — it’s Our Purpose.

Subscribe to the WeAreCisco Blog.

"}]]  When QA Engineer Liam H. joined Cisco and its Inclusive Communities, he discovered a place where he could truly bring his full self to work.  Read More Cisco Blogs 

Cisco NGO Partner Simprints plans to expand their biometric technology by developing and open sourcing an ethical and inclusive AI Face ID model, helping millions without formal IDs access healthcare and humanitarian aid.

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In 2021, Cisco published a blog post on Simprints’ touchless, facial biometric ID technology. See how Simprints is now working to open-source this solution and assemble inclusive and ethical AI training datasets with support from Cisco’s Global Impact Grant program.

The case for biometric identification

Safe, reliable, and portable forms of ID are necessary to access critical services like healthcare and humanitarian aid. But an estimated 850 million people globally lack formal ID, making it challenging for governments, international development organizations, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to ensure essential services and resources reach their target populations. To address this problem, nonprofit Simprints has developed a new kind of technology for good: biometric ID, with privacy at its core. Simprints’ biometric solutions give people a safe digital identity and ensure every vaccine, every dollar, and every public good not only reaches those who need them most, but does so accurately, efficiently, and equitably. Research shows a digital biometric registry is 12.5 percent more accurate and can be searched three times faster than paper records. And, biometrically tracking reliable health data over time can play a vital role in assessing the success of campaigns like immunization series.

Woman and child authenticating with face recognition on phone

Cisco began supporting Simprints in 2018 as part of our One Billion Lives goal—an ambitious mission to  change one billion individual lives through social impact investments. That year Simprints started testing mobile phone camera-based facial biometrics as an alternative to their existing fingerprint biometric solution, making identification all the more accessible. Operating facial biometrics on Android phones (used commonly in low-resource and last-mile humanitarian contexts) removes the need to produce and distribute separate hardware, thereby cutting costs and increasing scalability. Now, our latest Global Impact Grant is helping Simprints advance their ethical, inclusive face recognition AI and make it open source.

Ethical inclusive AI for face recognition

Face recognition is already widely incorporated into everyday technology, seen in cell phones, security cameras, and even used to tag friends in social media posts. But a 2019 National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) that many commercial face recognition solutions exhibit bias; mis-identifying African and Asian faces up to 100 times more than Caucasian faces. This bias, rather than an issue with the technology itself, is a byproduct of training AI matching algorithms with datasets that are predominantly male and Caucasian.

Simprints aims to reduce bias in their face recognition models through rigorous training and testing on diverse data sets. They are also exploring the application of training datasets with synthetically-generated face images, an innovative approach that enables countless variations on characteristics like skin color, hair style, facial features, and facial expressions. In using a synthetic dataset, there is no need to capture and retain personally identifiable information (PII) from real individuals, helping to further maintain data privacy. To foster trust and confidence among their partners and users, Simprints strictly adheres to policies such as the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and continuously explores and researches state-of-the-art methods in biometric template protection to ensure subjects are shielded from potential harm or misuse of their biometric data.

Impact across geographies

Simprints’ solutions have been used by humanitarian organizations working in Nigeria, Somalia and Kenya to prevent fraud and ensure that cash and aid distribution programs reach the intended recipients. Simprints has also partnered with various international Ministries of Health including Ethiopia, Uganda, Ghana, Bangladesh, and Rajasthan, and continues to explore expansion into new geographies. In Ethiopia, they are engaged in the ground-breaking roll-out of the electronic community health information system (eCHIS), through which patients are registered and identified by Simprints’ fingerprint scanners. In rural Uganda, Simprints is expanding the capacity of frontline community health workers to effectively deliver vaccines that fight infectious diseases such as COVID-19, HPV, hepatitis B, and tetanus. In Ghana, their ground-breaking technology is already improving access to critical maternal and vaccine services in 30 health centers, with a plan to scale reach across 500,000 children by 2025.

Why open source?

Some technology is so valuable, it’s worth gifting to humanity for the greater good. This is why with support from more than 30 organizations, including governments, researchers, and privacy experts, Simprints has embarked on a journey to make their biometric solutions fully open source. With a mission to transform the way the world fights poverty, Simprints is making their code available to the world and inviting developers, partners, advocates, and all those passionate about addressing global challenges to join their collaborative community. By going open source, and integrating with the leading data collection platforms that serve nearly 50% of the world’s population, Simprints envisions to increase their impact tenfold and empower teams to reach 20 million people with healthcare and humanitarian aid.

Toby Norman, Simprints CEO

“We value the ongoing support of Cisco enormously as we continue our journey to becoming a digital public good. 

The latest Global Impact Grant is game-changing for us. This new funding enables our team to accelerate the integration of ethical AI into our platforms and supports our move to open source. Together with Cisco, we’re amplifying the impact of our biometric tools, helping ensure thousands more people across the world can access life-saving health and aid.” —Toby Norman, Simprints CEO

For more information:

To learn more about Simprints, visit their website.
See how Cisco’s One Billion Lives campaign has supported other NGOs and reached its goal over two years early.

"}]]  Cisco NGO Partner Simprints plans to expand their biometric technology by developing and open sourcing an ethical and inclusive AI Face ID model, helping millions without formal IDs access healthcare and humanitarian aid.  Read More Cisco Blogs 

Grander than ever. Check out what the Cisco Store Tech Lab was up to at Cisco Live in Las Vegas!

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The Cisco Store at Cisco Live was grander than ever this year — we’re talking a giant leap to 7,500 square feet of eye-catching technology and merchandise. A real crowd magnet, the store hosted over half of the 23,000 attendees at the whole show. 519 lucky people snagged a spot on one of our 26 Cisco Store Tech Lab tours to learn how we power a real retail environment with Cisco and partner technology. Plus, retail proved to be very much alive and well: merchandise sales were up 34% from last year, showing that the love for the Cisco brand is stronger than ever.

Cisco Store Tech Lab Tour in Vegas

Powered by Cisco + partner technology

The technology stack behind our Cisco Live Amsterdam store went on a global adventure, landing in Las Vegas to energize the Cisco Store there. We ran the whole show on a full Meraki stack, featuring the latest gear like the MS130 switches, access points, nifty sensors, handy buttons, and even power monitoring sensors. Plus, we teamed up again with some stellar partners like EVERYANGLE, VusionGroup, CAE Labs, Wipro VisionEDGE, Webex Connect, and more to amp up the experience.

Visitors were especially wowed by VusionGroup’s Captana, which alerts staff when items are out of stock as well as checks for merchandise planogram compliance.

EVERYANGLE also turned heads with its in-store conversion rate generation for our brick-and-mortar spaces. Attendees got the inside scoop by touring with the pros who run the Cisco Store, getting a firsthand look at how we make retail magic happen.

Like Amsterdam, we also deployed 15 Meraki MT40 smart power controllers throughout the store to baseline our power consumption during the show with the help of CAE Labs’ WiserWatts platform. We plan to schedule our power at both of next year’s shows to compare our energy and cost savings: after baselining and scheduling power at our San Jose store, we have reduced our energy consumption by 66%, helping us fulfill our core principle of sustainability.

Can’t wait to see it for yourself? Check out our Cisco Store Tech Lab Tour video to dive into the action from wherever you are!

Along the way, tour attendees could experience how the Cisco Store powers an inclusive future for all: our donation tower was once again set up at the entrance of the store. Every token dropped into the tower represented a $1 donation to organizations such as Green Our Planet, Wine to Water, and Replate, totaling up to $1,207 by the end of the show.

Let’s go shopping

The Cisco Store unveiled an array of new merchandise, thoughtfully crafted by Cisco’s internal creative agency, The Hatch, presenting the brand in an innovative and sophisticated manner. In light of the robust partnership between Cisco and McLaren, and with the notable presence of McLaren CEO Zak Brown and racing driver Oscar Piastri participating in the keynote Q&A, the store introduced a new line of Cisco | McLaren products. These items, aligning with the partnership’s prominence in the Cisco Showcase, were met with overwhelming demand (nearly selling out), underscoring the partnership’s resonance with not only Cisco but also with our customers and partners.

McLaren merchandise at the Cisco Store

Following the fervor of the first day’s keynote, the Cisco Store launched a limited-edition Cisco | McLaren hoodie, which was met with such enthusiasm that it sold out on the same day.

Concurrently, AI was a prevalent theme at the event, with Cisco’s AI hub being a focal point on the show floor and the campaign video being featured prominently in the keynote. To complement this, the Cisco Store introduced merchandise that allowed attendees to own a piece of Cisco’s new AI campaign featuring the campaign artwork.

Furthermore, the acquisition of Splunk, a significant topic of discussion and a notable presence at Cisco Live, marked one of the largest transactions in the technology sector’s history. To commemorate this milestone, the Cisco Store offered exclusive merchandise as part of the “It’s a new day” campaign, allowing attendees to celebrate this pivotal moment alongside Cisco.

In addition, the Cisco Store offered an exclusive opportunity for attendees to personalize their Cisco apparel with unique Cisco Live patches. This bespoke experience was facilitated by the innovative use of Webex Connect, which streamlined the customization process. Attendees were invited to scan a QR code, which prompted them to select their preferred item for personalization and their desired patch and specify its placement. This allowed for a seamless drop-off experience, with real-time notifications updating them on the progress of their garment’s construction and alerting them when their item was ready for collection. This personalized touch enhanced the attendee experience and showcased Cisco’s technology integration in creating a memorable retail interaction. You can witness The Patch Station in action on the Cisco Store Tech Lab YouTube channel!

The Patch Station

Leave us some feedback!

The Cisco Store set up a video feedback station called Fanvoice in a Box, powered by our technology partner Fanvoice, allowing store visitors to leave valuable merchandise and technology feedback for our team.

Fanvoice in a Box

Our visitors particularly loved being able to see real-world applications of technology that promise to drive the future of retail forward. And some merchandise requests? More McLaren gear.

Interested in demonstrating your technology? Please reach out to set up an activation with us!

If you would like to bring your customers through the Cisco Store Tech Lab as a stop on your CXC Tour, you can also schedule your visit now — we’ll have the Tech Lab personalized just for you!

"}]]  Grander than ever. Check out what the Cisco Store Tech Lab was up to at Cisco Live in Las Vegas!  Read More Cisco Blogs 

Cisco, a leader in networking and cybersecurity solutions, introduced a range of new security incentives and promotions to maximize your profitability when selling Cisco Firewalls. Let's dive into our latest offerings.

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Network security is the foundation of a customers’ security posture. Having a firewall that can adapt to your customers’ changing needs is essential to protecting their network. Cisco, a leader in networking and cybersecurity solutions, understands this need and has introduced a range of new security incentives and promotions to maximize your profitability when selling Cisco Firewalls. The new programs are designed to be simple for you to leverage as you help businesses of all sizes secure their data and IT infrastructure effectively.

Be sure to check out this video on the new incentives.

Now, let’s dive into our latest offerings.

Customer Assessment Incentive

Cisco values informed decisions, and with the Customer Assessment incentive, we encourage you to register and conduct customer security assessments to identify potential vulnerabilities, compliance gaps, and understand the security posture of your customers’ network. Upon completion and submission of a deal registration, you will earn significant incentives!

Targeted Competitive Firewall Program

To address the challenge of competitive firewall solutions in the market, Cisco has launched an aggressive discount to help you incentivize customers to consider switching from a competitor’s firewall. This program offers significant discounts to make the transition to Cisco’s firewall solutions both cost-effective and seamless. Explore the resources linked in the title to determine if your end customer is eligible for the promotion.

Security Suites: Residual Value Subscription Credits and Competitive Displacement Incentives

Cisco recognizes that security extends beyond firewalls; it’s also about comprehensive user protection. The User Protection Security Suite now includes the ability to apply residual value subscription credits from qualifying Duo, Umbrella, and Secure Access subscriptions. You can also leverage upfront or amortized competitive displacement incentives to alleviate costs for your customers when migrating to Cisco User Protection. For more information, reference the new Cisco Security Suites Investment Protection Fact Sheet.

Security Concierge Deal Support

Understanding that your time is valuable and with an eye to improving your deal velocity, Cisco has launched a Security Concierge Deal Support service to provide personalized assistance throughout the quoting and purchasing process. This new support team triages security deal registrations where partners have indicated a need for help in getting to the right Cisco resources. Ultimately, this ensures that partners have access to Cisco experts will accelerate registered security deals for partners by finding the resources to win. You can easily request support by using the QR code found on the program’s dedicated webpage.

Firewall Software Upgrade Offer – coming soon

Using a “pay as you upgrade” approach, Cisco will now pay partners for upgrading their customers’ existing firewalls from 6.x through 7.1 to 7.2.5 or higher. This new program, where partners can claim as they go, unlocks new critical features to enhance the security of your customers’ networks. Stay tuned for a dedicated webpage where you’ll find resources and additional information for how to leverage this new offer!

In his latest blog, Brian Feeney, Vice President of Global Security Partner Sales, highlights how Cisco’s new Security incentives and promotions demonstrate our commitment to improving your Cisco experience and empower you to maximize your profitability and enhance your customers’ cybersecurity posture. Whether you’re looking to upgrade your existing infrastructure, switch from a competitor’s product, or ramp up a security suite, Cisco has tailored options to suit your needs. To take advantage of these opportunities, check out our dedicated Security Promotion, Bundles, and Offers hub on SalesConnect, just for partners.

Remember, the cybersecurity landscape is constantly shifting, and encouraging your customers to have up-to-date security products in place is crucial. With Cisco’s innovative solutions and incentives, you can ensure the network remains secure against the threats of today and tomorrow.

Mark your calendars for a Partner Interactive Webinar (PIW) where we’ll review all the new promotions in detail leaving you with a strong understanding about how these programs benefit your organization.

AMER: June 11, 2024, at 1:00pm EST | Watch the recording!

EMEA: July 11, 2024, at 3:00pm CET | Register today!

APJ: June 27, 2024, at 11:30am SGT | Register today!

We’d love to hear what you think. Ask a Question, Comment Below, and Stay Connected with #CiscoPartners on social!

Cisco Partners Facebook  |  @CiscoPartners X/Twitter  |  Cisco Partners LinkedIn

"}]]  Cisco, a leader in networking and cybersecurity solutions, introduced a range of new security incentives and promotions to maximize your profitability when selling Cisco Firewalls. Let's dive into our latest offerings.  Read More Cisco Blogs 

See how the DevNet Engineering team uses OpenAPI specifications to automate the task of updating the changelog and release notes.

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Go “Behind the Curtain” with DevNet Engineering

A single developer working on a product is very connected to the APIs that they expose. As they modify it over time, they can individually track what has changed from version to version. As a team grows, the task of updating the changelog plus release notes falls to a product manager or a collection of developers where detail may fall through the cracks. Only when a 3rd party developer trying to use the API finds that something does not work as expected or documented – is there a correction to the changelog and/or API.

DevNet engineering faces a similar challenge for all of the APIs we currently document on developer.cisco.com. The challenge is compounded by the governance required across many product groups and stakeholders. Some groups maintain a consistent narrative of changes and document those in the release notes plus changelog sections of their API documentation. Other teams may struggle for resources or time. In those cases an automated solution is needed.

Automated changelog solution

Our team has tackled this challenge by utilizing a part of the API development process that has become increasingly common, the use of OpenAPI specifications. The OpenAPI Initiative defines this as “…a standard, programming language-agnostic interface description for HTTP APIs, which allows both humans and computers to discover and understand the capabilities of a service without requiring access to source code, additional documentation, or inspection of network traffic.”

Since most of our product teams produce an OpenAPI Spec (OAS, now v3 or OAS3 for short) – we can use that file to automate the generation of nicely displayed documentation. Furthermore, using internally developed tools, we can compare versions of an OAS file, which allows detection of what has changed – i.e., a changelog.

API changes are categorized as new, deprecated, modified, and breaking. So, we have all the information needed to create automated changelogs which reflect most of the information a developer needs to see what has changed.

Still, an automated changelog doesn’t take into account the writing of a small narrative of why changes were made, or the removal of unimportant detail. The right approach ends up being a combination of automation with human oversight / editing, similar to AI-generated text.

What about your DevRel content teams? Have you used automation to tackle the API changelog challenge, or are you still doing it by hand? Let us know in the comments.

Take a look at our API documentation across products to get a sense of the scope of our challenge.

"}]]  See how the DevNet Engineering team uses OpenAPI specifications to automate the task of updating the changelog and release notes.  Read More Cisco Blogs 

Cisco Workflows provide seamless integration with hybrid cloud environments across millions of endpoints while ensuring unmatched security with unparalleled flexibility and efficiency, helpiong automate operations across public cloud and on-premises assets.

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Gartner’s Market Guide for Network Automation Platforms highlights that more than 65% of enterprise networking activities are performed manually, and only a small but growing percentage of large enterprises automate more than half of their network activities. Delivering superior digital experiences for an enterprise involves powering multiple, disparate networking domains and/or deploying multiple solutions within a single domain. This results in multiple challenges for network operators, including:

Cross-domain and cross-product integration result in “swivel chair” effect—context-switching between multiple management consoles and dashboards—and require expertise of individual products and services to drive the required configuration.
Existing community automation tools require scripting skills, as well as additional investment, to enable collaboration and governance, and support production-grade automation against different products and services in an enterprise setting.

As a result, users experience steep learning curves, lengthy implementation times, and ultimately suboptimal and under-maintained automation adoption across their global infrastructure.

Figure 1: Multiple touchpoints for an end-to-end network creates complexity

To address this complexity, we announced Cisco Workflows, a new set of capabilities at the heart of Cisco Networking Cloud, earlier this month in June at Cisco Live US 2024. Delivered as a cloud-hosted service, organizations can use Workflows to define, automate, and orchestrate configuration tasks within and across their domains—branches and sites, campuses, data centers, clouds—with just a few clicks using a low- to no-code environment. Cisco Workflows helps users focus on accelerating business value, increase infrastructure usage and efficiencies, and reduce costs and time lost to manual errors.

Figure 2: Jonathan Davidson announcing Cisco Workflows in the Cisco Live US Keynote

Workflows offers out-of-the-box automation across multiple products and domains, following design guidelines and best practices recommended in Cisco Validated Designs (CVDs). A powerful set of low- to no-code customization options (e.g., drag-and-drop API tasks, data transformation) enable users to easily modify and extend the automations for their specific use case. Workflows automates both cloud-hosted service APIs and on-premises network controller API endpoints. A secure cloud connectivity service hosted on-premises enables the connectivity from Workflows to the on-premises endpoints. Users get real-time updates to track workflows execution progress, pause execution to accept inputs from other users within the organization, and review audit logs of previous automation runs. Workflows will be accessible from within Cisco Networking Cloud’s Cross Platform Navigator, via single sign-on (SSO), and through embedded links in various Cisco controllers.

Today, Cisco Workflows includes the following Cisco controller adapters to run automation—Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI), Catalyst Center, Identity Services Engine (ISE), Catalyst SD-WAN, Meraki, and many more. The automation hub provides two ready-to-go sample validated automations using these adapters:

Campus to data center establishes a networking fabric, with macro- and microsegmentation, securely connecting users in campus (Catalyst Center and Identity Service Engine) to workloads and applications running in a data center (Application Centric Infrastructure).
Automated hybrid branch site deployment for branches that include a mix of Meraki (Wi-Fi and LAN) and Catalyst infrastructure (SD-WAN for routing). The automation performs inventory pre-checks, onboards devices within the Meraki and Catalyst SD-WAN, and establishes connectivity between them.
Figure 3: Benefits of Cisco Workflows

Workflows, as a low-code procedural automation capability, provides the fine-grained control and insights into execution flow required for the flexible implementation, debugging, and troubleshooting of cross-domain automation. Workflows resides on a platform that holds multiple certifications including ISO 27001, ISO 27017, SOC 2 Type 2, SOC 3, CSA, and STAR 1, underscoring our unwavering commitment to data security and compliance. The service is designed to effortlessly scale automation across millions of endpoints worldwide while ensuring unmatched security and seamless integration with hybrid cloud environments.

With this advancement, we continue to simplify the experience for our customers, empowering organizations to thrive in today’s dynamic digital landscape with confidence and ease. Customers and partners are already going through beta trials with Cisco Workflows.

“As beta testers, we are beginning to explore the new cross-domain automation functionality within Cisco Workflows. We are starting to migrate some of our existing automation scripts to the Workflows system and are excited to see how these capabilities will be able to simplify tasks for our customers in the future.”—Stefan Ronge, NTS (a managed service provider in Europe)

“We have been exploring the beta capabilities provided within Cisco Workflows and see a real potential to help automate key parts of the networking infrastructure. Our evaluation has been running on complex multi-domain infrastructures including Catalyst Center SDA and ACI.”—Ingmar Schön, EnvOcean Network Systems (a network consulting firm in Europe).

Sign up for the Cisco Networking Cloud Workflows beta trial for early access.

"}]]  Cisco Workflows provide seamless integration with hybrid cloud environments across millions of endpoints while ensuring unmatched security with unparalleled flexibility and efficiency, helpiong automate operations across public cloud and on-premises assets.  Read More Cisco Blogs 

Cisco Live 2024! The event brought together 21,000 industry leaders and technology enthusiasts. This year we had the opportunity to share how our customers can leverage the Visibility, Insights, and Action steps to create the future of the guest and fan experience.

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Cisco Live 2024! The event brought together 21,000 industry leaders, technology enthusiasts and visionaries. This year we had the opportunity to share how our customers can leverage the Visibility, Insights, and Action steps to create the future of the guest and fan experience.

Optimize the fan experience

Cisco’s innovative approach is revolutionizing the way customers in retail, hospitality, sports, media, and entertainment optimize guest and fan experiences. At the core of this transformation is the powerful trifecta of AI capabilities: Visibility, Insights, and Action. By harnessing these tools, businesses gain an unprecedented level of visibility into the preferences and behaviors of their guests and fans. This deep understanding allows for a more tailored and engaging experience, as organizations can observe and analyze interactions in real-time, identifying trends and preferences that were previously hidden in the noise of data.

Actionable insights

The second pillar of this transformative strategy involves extracting actionable insights from the vast amounts of data collected. Cisco’s AI solutions empower stores, hotels and stadiums to decipher complex patterns and understand the nuances of guest behavior. This leads to the delivery of personalized services and experiences that resonate on an individual level. By analyzing data with precision, organizations can anticipate needs and preferences, creating a more intimate and satisfying interaction for each guest or fan.

Creating a guest-centric future

Finally, the strategic action steps that businesses take, informed by AI’s predictive capabilities, are what set Cisco’s customers apart. Leveraging the foresight provided by AI, companies can proactively address potential challenges and seize opportunities to delight their guests. This proactive approach ensures that operational visibility and insights are not just met but seamlessly exceeded, creating a guest-centric future that feels intuitive and responsive.

Cisco’s case studies from across various sectors demonstrate the tangible benefits of this AI-driven strategy, showcasing how businesses are redefining hospitality and entertainment to place guests and fans at the heart of every experience.

If you want to learn more, check out our session from Cisco Live that Shawn Jett and Kevin Yarnell hosted, it dives deep into how you can leverage the visibility, insights, and action steps to create the future of the guest and fan experience. To learn more about the use cases and architectures that are making a difference for Retail, Hospitality and Sports, Media and Entertainment, check out the Portfolio Explorer.

"}]]  Cisco Live 2024! The event brought together 21,000 industry leaders and technology enthusiasts. This year we had the opportunity to share how our customers can leverage the Visibility, Insights, and Action steps to create the future of the guest and fan experience.  Read More Cisco Blogs 

Cisco Live 2024! The event brought together 21,000 industry leaders and technology enthusiasts. This year we had the opportunity to share how our customers can accelerate digital transformation, fortify tech infrastructures, and enhance observability and vulnerability management for financial institutions.

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Cisco Live 2024! The event brought together 21,000 industry leaders, technology enthusiasts and visionaries. This year we had the opportunity to share how our customers can accelerate digital transformation, fortify tech infrastructures, and enhance observability and vulnerability management for financial institutions.

Rapid pace of digitization

The financial services industry is navigating through a period of significant challenges and disruption, primarily driven by the rapid pace of digitization. This digital shift has been further complicated by geopolitical uncertainties and an increased reliance on third-party IT suppliers, which introduces new risks and complexities. As most customer interactions now commence and unfold through digital channels, there is a heightened focus on ensuring secure customer engagement. Financial institutions must prioritize the protection of sensitive data and maintain trust by safeguarding against cyber threats. In this environment, regulators are closely monitoring how these institutions are preparing for and responding to cyber-attacks, as well as their ability to quickly recover and normalize operations after the incident.

Resilient finance

Amidst these challenges, new regulations are emerging that target operational resilience, placing additional burdens on IT, security, and risk management teams within financial services organizations. These regulations demand robust strategies to mitigate risks and ensure continuous service delivery, even in the face of disruptions. Financial institutions are therefore compelled to re-evaluate their business solutions, accelerating digital transformation initiatives to stay competitive and compliant. This involves not only reworking existing processes but also strengthening technological infrastructures to withstand and adapt to the evolving digital landscape. The focus is on creating resilient systems that can anticipate and respond to both current and future challenges.

Secure financial strategies

To effectively address these regulatory and security challenges, financial institutions can benefit from implementing comprehensive strategies that include observability and vulnerability management. Observability allows for a deeper understanding of complex systems by providing insights into their performance and health, enabling proactive identification and resolution of issues before they escalate. Vulnerability management, on the other hand, involves systematically identifying, classifying, and addressing security gaps within an organization’s IT infrastructure. By adopting these approaches, financial institutions can enhance their ability to detect and mitigate threats, ensuring the integrity of their operations and maintaining customer trust. Our strategies aim to guide financial services through this intricate landscape, demonstrating how a robust approach to observability and vulnerability management can lead to a more secure and resilient digital future.

If you want to learn more, check out my session from Cisco Live that dives deep into how you can accelerate digital transformation, fortify tech infrastructures, and enhance observability and vulnerability management for your financial institution. To learn more about the use cases and architectures that are making a difference in Financial Services check out the Portfolio Explorer.

"}]]  Cisco Live 2024! The event brought together 21,000 industry leaders and technology enthusiasts. This year we had the opportunity to share how our customers can accelerate digital transformation, fortify tech infrastructures, and enhance observability and vulnerability management for financial institutions.  Read More Cisco Blogs 

At Cisco, we believe the growth of our company is inextricably linked to the growth of our people. Read to learn more about our premier learning and development opportunity, Cisco Illuminate, and our journey to power an inclusive future for all through innovative learning.

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At Cisco, we believe the growth of our company is inextricably linked to the growth of our people. That’s why we are proud to host Cisco Illuminate, our employee development series that shines a light on continuous learning and development. This company-wide event helps employees uplevel their skills throughout the year to compete in an ever-changing business landscape.  

Exciting Speakers on a Range of Subjects  

Cisco Illuminate lets participants tap into engaging sessions led by industry experts and cultural thought leaders from Cisco and beyond. Past events have included speakers like Oprah Winfrey, Andrew Ng, and Michelle Obama, covering topics that support attendees’ personal and professional growth. With sessions on a variety of subjects such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cybersecurity, Well-being, and Leadership Development, this event is designed to create a growth mindset and prepare our employees for the future of work. 

Interactive and Engaging Formats  

Learning comes in many forms, and we know everyone learns differently, so Cisco Illuminate features a mix of keynote presentations, panel discussions, and interactive workshops. Attendees can choose to livestream the event from home, gather at a watch party on campus, or peruse the recordings library. By embracing various learning modalities, we empower our employees to thrive. For us, it’s not just a moral necessity but a strategic advantage, helping us shape an inclusive future for all. Employees can continue to expand their skills on their own schedule with access to on-demand platforms like Masterclass, LinkedIn Learning, and Coursera.   

Next Illuminate is Approaching 

We are gearing up for our next Cisco Illuminate on June 25-26 that will enable Cisconians to enhance their skills in topics like AI, innovation, and well-being. In addition to Cisco and Splunk leaders and experts, employees will hear from James Clear, the New York Times bestselling author of Atomic Habits, on how to boost productivity and foster personal growth.  

 By fostering an inclusive environment that empowers our team to learn and tackle the world’s greatest challenges, we create a more inclusive future for all. Our employees are the heart and soul of Cisco Illuminate, and their experiences speak volumes. But don’t just take our word for it—read their stories and see the impact firsthand! 

“Grateful for Cisco Illuminate – our program dedicated to global employee development. Last quarter’s self-paced learning option promoted inclusivity and flexibility, accommodating the diverse schedules of Cisconians worldwide. This approach supports our commitment to an inclusive workplace by respecting our team’s varied work hours and their customer-centric problem-solving.”

Aurelia Takacs – Program Manager, Strategy and Planning, Belgium

“I loved participating in Cisco Illuminate Your Team! The transformative workshops provided invaluable opportunity to connect with our teams, fostering collaboration, connection, and trust – the very core elements that make teams thrive. We explored how open communication, mutual support, and shared goals drive exceptional business results”

Elena Lewis – Leader, Customer Delivery, North Carolina

“It’s not a surprise to many of my peers that I always look forward to Illuminate – in actuality, I’m sure I cause a couple of headaches talking about Lumi and the amazing team behind the event all year round. ???? As an attendee of the Illuminate events in the past, I have always admired how every session showcases the power of creativity and collaboration.”

Brinda Thangada – Communications Manager, Customer Experience, Chicago

Explore more ways that Cisco supports its employees’ learning and development in our latest FY23 Purpose Report.

"}]]  At Cisco, we believe the growth of our company is inextricably linked to the growth of our people. Read to learn more about our premier learning and development opportunity, Cisco Illuminate, and our journey to power an inclusive future for all through innovative learning.  Read More Cisco Blogs