August 24, 2007
Collaboration: The Next Frontier
Unless you’ve been living on the edge of the world – which, IMHO, would be the Hotel Eilean Iarmain on the Isle of Skye in Scotland; one of the most breathtaking views in the world as you look out across the Sound of Sleat (but I digress) – for the last six months, you may have picked up that we think collaboration will drive innovation, productivity and growth in the industry for the next decade.
Collaboration, however, is a difficult thing to pin down as it means many things to many people. John Chambers, our chairman and CEO, points out we actually started down this path nearly six years ago when we began the shift from a corporate management style based on command-and-control to one centered on teamwork and collaboration. Initially, it was a very difficult transition for us because it was a significant change in company culture and process. We get better and better at it with each passing quarter, but it took time, patience and a willingness to get out of our comfort zone.
So it is now with the transition to collaboration tools and applications that many businesses have been undertaking. Consumers have been using collaboration tools for years, and those same expectations and efficiencies they’ve experienced at home are now being expected in the workplace. Businesses have started to adopt these tools, but as we discovered firsthand six year ago, acceptance and usage doesn’t happen overnight. For adoption to be truly successful, the underlying business process or model must change in many cases. As John has noted in the past, there is a set of key characteristics that must be part of any successful collaboration strategy: it must be converged, virtual, open, safe and simple.
We strongly believe in this philosophy and have taken some bold steps to invest in this space. We acquired WebEx. We developed a leading edge collaborative tool in TelePresence. We formed a new business unit, the Collaboration Software Group. We are building an internal Cisco Center of Excellence centered around these tools and capabilities so we can learn how to adopt, use and leverage these resources. We will then, in turn, pass this knowledge and experience onto our customers so they can learn from our successes and failures.
Our biggest challenge in this transition won’t be the technology, however. Or the tools themselves. It will be in the changes required in culture and behavior. We are creatures of habit. Breaking out of them can be very difficult, even when we know that new thing out there is better, faster or stronger. Leading by example is oftentimes the best approach. We intend to do just that for our customers.
At C-Scape as well as the months leading up it, you will be hearing more about our emerging strategy in the collaboration space. I heard a rumor that one or two of you might be interested in that...
Posted by Skip MacAskill at 03:49 PM Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)
August 15, 2007
Why C-Scape?
Last year was the debut of our C-Scape Global Forum. Many of you will fondly (I hope!) remember the previous iteration of that event, the Worldwide Analyst Conference, or as it was known internally – WWAC. So, why did we ‘whack’ WWAC? (you’ll now have that nursery rhyme “This Old Man” playing in your head for the rest of the day. Sorry...)
We made the change because we believed WWAC wasn’t providing either of us with the best value possible. Essentially, WWAC had turned into a reporting vehicle. We had the parade of senior executives from the various business units and product areas with their 40-slide updates, and we ended up pitching at you instead of engaging you.
Hence, C-Scape. We realized we weren’t culling the best strategic value from our relationships with the industry influencers, so we redesigned our event to focus on discussion, debate and dialogue. We wanted to bring the prevailing issues of the day to this forum and engage you in two-way conversations. We wanted to create an environment where there was more networking time; more opportunities for one-on-one meetings; and more meaningful discussions.
Our philosophy around how we engage and interact with the industry analysts and other influencers has undergone a transformation over the last couple of years, and there is no one better than our chairman and CEO, John Chambers, to explain why that change has happened. This clip was taken from a recent internal meeting with employees, where John answered the question on how his views on the use of industry analysts has changed over time.
Duration: 1 min. 40 sec.
Have we been successful in that? You’ll be the ultimate judge obviously. We believe we took some positive steps with last year’s event, but we want to ensure we make any needed changes as we go into this year’s forum. If you have any ideas, suggestions or comments, please let me know. I’d love to hear from you.
Posted by Skip MacAskill at 10:49 AM Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (1)
August 06, 2007
Welcome
Welcome to our Cisco Analyst Relations blog! We have developed this site to interact with industry influencers and thought leaders on key industry wide trends and issues as well as Cisco-related technologies, markets and customer segments.
Incorporating different media and communications tools into our AR program provides our industry analysts, customers, partners, and other interested communities the opportunity to interact and share ideas in new ways. These weekly discussions will include a range of topics and insights, and we encourage you to provide your feedback and thoughts.
As part of this initial entry, we would like to introduce our first topic! While it’s only August, we have already started the countdown to Cisco C-Scape Global Forum 2007. The event, which will be held on December 11 and 12 at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose, California, will feature all the things you’ve come to expect at this annual get-together – lively discussion, debate and dialogue on the issues of the day; access to Cisco executives, customers and partners; and the ability to drill down into specific product and technology areas.
Ultimately though, this is your event, and I want to make sure we’re building an agenda that is compelling, engaging and of value to you. You’ll definitely hear a lot about collaboration, Web 2.0, software-as-a-service, and social networking as well as our core businesses. But I’d like to hear directly from you on what you’d like to see as part of the program. What topics interest you the most? What sessions are absolute must-haves for you? Beyond the agenda, are there other things we can do to make the event successful for you?
Through a mix of roundtables, fireside chats, case studies, one-on-ones and technology discussions, I’m confident we can address your needs and make your time with us valuable and useful.
Registration for this invitation-only forum will open up next month. In the interim, please use this blog to share your agenda ideas as well as any thoughts you might have on improving the event itself.
Looking forward to seeing you this December in California!
Posted by Skip MacAskill at 02:29 PM Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (1)
