The Cisco fiscal year is drawing to a close, and the Cisco Live 2023 conference provided the perfect platform not only to celebrate the year’s accomplishments but also to gaze ahead at what the future holds. Fortunately, the future is looking bright, with many innovations that will leave a lasting impression on distributors and customers alike. During the event’s opening keynote, Chuck Robbins, Cisco Chair and CEO, declared, “In all the years I’ve come here, we have never had so much innovation to announce.” This year’s event was held June 3-8 in Las Vegas, and the theme was simply and appropriately, “Let’s Go”. Joining Robbins to share insight and innovation were fellow Cisco leaders Jeff Sharritts, EVP & GM, Security & Collaboration; Liz Centoni, EVP, Chief Strategy Officer & GM, Applications; Jonathan Davidson, EVP & GM, Cisco Networking; and Jeetu Patel, EVP & GM, Security & Collaboration.
Jeff Sharritts Shares Customer Concerns
As the keynote kicked off, Sharritts expressed gratitude for being part of another exciting and valuable Cisco Live! “Cisco Live is not just an event – it’s a celebration of the people who make global business run,” he said. “This is our chance to inspire one another to look into the future and to think differently about how we solve problems.” Innovation is a very important part of the future and how problems are solved. The caliber of innovation unveiled during the event, Sharritts noted, is unparalleled to anything he has experienced during his 23 years at Cisco. These investments for the future demonstrate Cisco’s unwavering commitment to understanding the needs of customers and how to support them.
In his work, Sharritts has the ability to receive feedback from customers around the globe. During recent conversations, three key topics stood out that are having the biggest impact on customers. First, security remains the top concern for everyone. Sharritts emphasized the need for an end-to-end approach to protect and defend enterprises comprehensively. Second, AI, specifically generative AI, is changing the world in front of our very eyes, and Cisco is incorporating AI into its entire portfolio. Finally, sustainability has emerged as both a moral and pragmatic necessity. Sharritts said that Cisco takes pride in driving sustainability within the IT industry and stands as a leader in this domain.
Chuck Robbins Focuses on Global Connectivity
During his speech, Robbins emphasized the indispensable nature of technology not only to organizations but also to humanity as a whole. Whether it’s achieving organizational goals or solving the world’s most significant challenges, technology stands as the key enabler. He acknowledged the complexities of the world we live in, where issues like inflation, supply chain disruptions, rising energy costs, and social polarization impact our perception of technology. Nevertheless, he stressed the potential benefits that technology can bring to customers when harnessed responsibly.
Highlighting the power of connectivity, Robbins pointed out that 15 billion devices and individuals are currently connected worldwide, a number that will most likely double by 2030. Despite these numbers, there are still three billion people who have never connected to the internet. Leveraging partnerships and alliances, Cisco will continue to extend its global reach, connecting more people in more places. The goal, as Robbins stated, is, “We want to help you wherever you are.” This is in both a physical sense and a reference to the digital transformation journey.
Aligning with customer priorities, Robbins emphasized several key areas that Cisco has been focusing on, including application innovation, hybrid work enablement, infrastructure transformation, enterprise security, and the journey to sustainability. This year has showcased advancements in these areas, such as new firewall solutions, a unified networking interface, multi-cloud security, and a full-stack observability platform. Cisco remains committed to driving growth, accelerating innovation, and simplifying experiences for partners and customers.
Check out part two for a recap of the rest of the opening keynote, featuring Liz Centoni, Jonathan Davidson, and Jeetu Patel. To access Cisco Live! keynote on-demand videos, click here.
