By Jim Lundy
Cisco Live 2023: The Transformation of Cisco Under Chuck Robbins
I attended my 20th Cisco Live event this year and it’s clear that Cisco is now starting to fire on all cylinders. While we’ll have other research that discusses specifics on products, this blog is really talking about the massive transformation that has quietly been taking place under the leadership of chairman and CEO Chuck Robbins.
Chuck Robbins Not So Secret Mission to Transform Cisco
If anyone knows Cisco it is their customers and for years before Chuck Robbins took over in 2015, there was a lack of commonality across the Cisco products and services. This isn’t a surprise because Cisco grew so fast and acquired so many companies but at some point, it became amazing how well Cisco was able to keep making its number with products that sometimes didn’t talk to each other.
That was not the case at this year’s Cisco Live and the evidence of a push for better interoperability started at Cisco Live in 2022. First, there’s less tolerance by customers to put up with products that don’t talk to each other. Last year at Cisco Live it was the beginning of the journey and this year Cisco completely stunned customers with some very strong interoperability across networking products and a set of flagship collaboration offerings that customers are now starting to buy by the truckload.
The Race to AI and Cisco’s Quiet Shift
Cisco’s race started years ago when they first introduced the Catalyst family. With that product came their DNA offering that started to recognize and prevent attacks through the use of AI. Jumping back to the beginning of COVID, the Cisco collaboration group also doubled down on AI with its Webex assistant and a completely revamped Webex meetings platform and Webex contact center.
At this year’s Cisco Live, Cisco Chief Strategy Officer Liz Centoni talked about Cisco’s journey to AI, but she was humble. Cisco has been leading in AI in a number of areas but they’re doing it by embedding AI into their products and services and making them offer better capabilities to customers. However, this year, Cisco didn’t hold back on AI. They doubled down in a few product areas.
Generative AI and Cisco Collaboration
Cisco is not standing still in collaboration. A new generative AI feature called “Catch Me Up” will run as part of Cisco Webex Meetings and will allow users to catch up on interactions they missed, including meetings, calling, chats, and more.
Of course, Cisco’s collaboration portfolio has had intelligence for several years, including its flagship Webex assistant, which takes notes, lists action items, and transcribes spoken conversations into other languages, all in real-time. However, there was more AI news at Cisco Live.
The Cisco AI Security Cloud
One of the big news items was the introduction of the Cisco AI Security Cloud at Cisco Live. Cisco SVP Jeetu Patel introduced the new Security Cloud which was well received at the event.
Cisco Has Been Listening to Its Customers
Given the level of enthusiasm that we saw from customers at Cisco Live, it is clear that this is a different Cisco than what Chuck inherited way back in 2015. Cisco is transforming and it’s transforming before our eyes. Customers are slowly starting to recognize this and in some divisions that’s translating to higher sales. Whether this will lead to a much faster growth rate is hard to tell, but there is no doubt that the level of capabilities Cisco has today far exceeds what it had even three years ago.
Cisco is not perfect, but they have stepped up their game and customers are recognizing that.
Bottom Line
Cisco Live was a very successful event this year and one of the ways that we saw that was the high level of partner participation in the trade show halls of Mandalay Bay. It was mobbed and there was a lot of buzz about all the things partners were doing with Cisco. Chuck’s reign is not over but at least from Aragon Research’s perspective he has transferred from Cisco and now it’s time to transform their customers.
1 WEEK TO GO—Aragon Research’s 2023 Tech Arcs!
Thursday, June 22nd | 10 AM PT \ 1 PM ET
Aragon Research’s 2023 Technology Arc
Aragon’s CEO and Lead Analyst, Jim Lundy introduces Aragon Research’s 2023 Technology Arc.
This webinar focuses on emerging technologies that organizations should consider when developing, deploying, and evolving the digital workplace, digital business, and digital operations. It includes technologies, technology-enabled business disciplines, and technology-driven trends.
Jim will answer:
- How does Aragon Research determine the technologies to highlight in this Tech Arc?
- What are the major trends emerging from this 2023 Tech Arc?
- How do organizations use this Tech Arc to make investment decisions?
This blog is a part of the Digital Workplace blog series by Aragon Research’s CEO, Jim Lundy.
