The sense of community that exists throughout the Cisco ecosystem has never been made more apparent than it has over the last year. The value of comradery, teamwork, and communication is not lost on any Cisco Partners, particularly amid a global pandemic. This mentality sets the stage for Cisco Partner Summit 2021, taking place November 9-10 and touting the theme of “Everything Possible.”
“Everything Possible is about defining new experiences. From powering hybrid work to hybrid cloud, from full-stack observability to end-to-end security,” wrote Oliver Tuszik, SVP of Global Partner Sales at Cisco, in a recent blog post on the upcoming event. “It’s about engaging with customers in new ways, creating more opportunities for you to deliver the outcomes they need and want. And, of course, it’s about delivering even greater value across the lifecycle to increase your differentiation and profitability.”
Cisco Partner Summit serves an important purpose of connecting Cisco Partners directly with leadership to align with Cisco on the priorities and initiatives for the year. This year’s event promises refreshed messaging around key transformation areas for Cisco and will delve into the emerging opportunities stemming from industry shifts.
Mike O’Connell, Manager, Partner Operations for Cisco U.S. Distribution, spoke with EDGE360 about how these shifts are opening doors for Cisco Partners and why Cisco Partner Summit 2021 is especially important for the Cisco community in a rapidly evolving IT landscape.
“Partners have always been critical to Cisco’s success. And with this new speed and sense of urgency around digital transformation, they are even more critical,” said O’Connell. “For this reason, we need to ensure everyone is in lock-step and tightly aligned to address customer demands as a united front.”
While the Cisco Partner Summit is once again being held virtually for everyone’s safety, and online events never replace the energy of an in-person event, different levels of engagement with Cisco leadership become accessible to partners in a digital format. A wider variety of session types can be made available to partners depending on their main priorities for this event. From the Global Insight Sessions with leaders like Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins, to the Business Impact Sessions that focus on specific areas of interest, to the Geo-specific Go-to-Market Sessions that home in on regional best practices, there is something for every Cisco partner at this year’s Summit.
“We’ve made a substantial commitment to mental wellness in this new hybrid work model, and this Summit is no different,” O’Connell added, noting the often-voiced concern around digital fatigue in the current work environment. “We understand that this event needs to be more than just informational and transactional, and our attendees can expect dedicated time for mental recuperation.”
Summit attendees should expect to leave this year’s event feeling energized about new opportunities on the horizon, equipped with the knowledge and solutions needed to deliver on those opportunities, and aligned with Cisco in how they accomplish it.
O’Connell concluded, “Cisco can only be successful if our partners are successful. We are looking forward to continuing this journey to transform the industry into what end-users envision and need.”
Register here for Cisco Partner Summit 2021 and follow #CiscoPS21 on social media for live updates.
