General Category Archives

May 12, 2008

Introductions and Introspections

I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce myself, and to reinvigorate what I hope to be a broad and open dialogue between you—the industry analyst community—and the Cisco AR team. My name is Terry Anderson and I am VP of Corporate Communications here at Cisco, responsible for the public relations and community relations teams, and more recently, the industry analyst relations group as well.

In my ten years here at Cisco, I have worked both directly and indirectly with the industry analyst community, and can attest to the appreciation we have of your broad customer and market insight, your willingness to debate and dialogue with our executive team, and most importantly, your candid feedback.

In this spirit of two-way dialogue, I’d like to share with you a summary of comments made by John Chambers regarding Cisco and innovation during our third quarter fiscal year 2008 conference call last Tuesday. John’s comments struck me as perhaps a new way to think about innovation in the high tech industry. At minimum, certainly a clear focus on how Cisco innovates and our vision for how we view the role of intelligent networks in shaping the future of businesses, countries and communities.

To recap at a high level, the 8 areas of innovation John highlighted include:

1. Product Innovation: This is the ‘traditional’ way that many people look at technology companies. Product innovations highlighted for this past quarter included the ASR 1000, the Nexus 7000 and 5000, AXP, TelePresence momentum, and Web - http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2008/fin_050608.html


2. New Business Models: The network’s role in enabling innovation for our customers as what we believe will be the future of how technology should be viewed


3. Market Transitions: We believe innovation should be based on leading market transitions, as opposed to the traditional definition of innovation being viewed as a direct comparison to competitors


4. Technology Architectures: We believe this will be the way that our industry evolves, moving from boxes and software, operating systems, ASICs and services being independent components, to the future of technology architectures, where the network becomes the platform for all of IT and communications


5. Business Architectures: This is where Cisco will focus on a total architectural solution to achieve the top business priorities of our customers. The intelligent network enables these solutions. An example of how Cisco innovates in terms of our businesses top priorities is how we use collaboration and networked web 2.0 technologies to implement our strategies across 22 cross-functional priorities. Another example would be how we partner with countries to build their economic cities of the future.


6. Productivity Innovation: In many ways, Cisco led Phase I of the Internet in internal utilization with resulting productivity increases for both ourselves and our customers. We expect that the business models enabled by collaboration and networked web 2.0 will drive a very similar “instant replay” in Phase II of the Internet. It is this type of productivity opportunities that will cause, in our opinion, the investments in our industry to increase over the next 3-5 years.


7. Entertainment Innovation: This will be based on Visual Networking and will change everything from the way we interface between our family and friends, to how we watch sporting events with our community with common interests, to creating our own entertainment with different social networks. Cisco is moving rapidly in these market areas and may over time focus with our partners on how this will change business models, including advertising.


8. Organization Evolution: We believe that perhaps the most fundamental form of innovation in the market is what Cisco is leading moving from the traditional hierarchical command and control approach to collaboration and teamwork approach enabled by networked technologies.

So…your thoughts? Which of these resonate most with you (or don’t)? Again, your reactions, observations, feedback and input are welcome and valued.

As for this blog, moving forward I’d like to use it as a platform for the global AR team to chat about news of note, concepts on our minds, the role of AR, the changing analyst landscape…you name it. Please weigh in…the broader, the bolder, the better. We look forward to hearing from you.

Best Regards,
Terry

Posted by Terry Anderson at 10:25 AM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

December 17, 2007

Help Me to Help You: Reflections on C-Scape 2007

Post by Alan S. Cohen, Vice President, Enterprise & Mid-Market Solutions

Last week we completed our annual C-Scape event, an annual gathering of industry, & financial analysts, press and Cisco executives and thought leaders in close proximity for two days of dialogue, discussion and debate. Whether it was the select roundtables with key analysts, main tent sessions revealing our expanding vision as a software company or a WiMAX player, or guest speakers such as Steve Hellmuth, the CTO of the NBA clarifying the fan experience through the use of Web 2.0 technologies, I found the event intellectually electrifying, pivoting between the lofty peaks of evolving Cisco into more of an IT company and the deep challenges of supporting the ever expanding networking requirements of our millions of customers.

With our key focus on the role of video and the rapidly approaching 2008 Oscars, I am turning to one of my favorite flicks, Jerry McGuire, to briefly channel some of my observations about C-Scape. Among Jerry McGuire’s many qualities is a series of memorable lines that can be applied to any situation. There were many rich and varied nuances and threads to C-Scape. Please excuse me the liberty of narrowing some of it down to a few movie lines.

1. Help Me to Help You
The raison d'être for this event is a two-way exchange between Cisco and the industry experts that follow us on our vision, strategy and execution. We pushed hard on the emergence of Unified Communications (UC)/ Collaboration as the next driving force for the Internet and why video – or more specifically, why rich media -- will play a key role. Some of the best feedback I received revolved around us being clearer about our intentions in UC as well as better defining our position vs. several of the key software players already working in the collaboration space. In summary, what the analysts told us was: “we want to better explain your position to your customers and partners so they more specifically know how, when and where to engage with you.” In the words of Jerry McGuire: “Help me to help you.”

2. You Had Me at Hello
We took a risk at this year’s C-Scape by not opening with a classic, rousing John Chambers’ keynote. By starting with a multi-point, multi-national TelePresence session, we demonstrated how our customers and industry experts see the role of rich media changing how the business world collaborates.

Although several analysts and members at the press honestly thought we over-rotated on TelePresence, we hold that the role of video in collaboration to be a self-evident truth. Our declaration is that people want to put people -- not asynchronous, non-contextual messages – back into human interaction and decision-making, particularly across time-zones, companies and continents. The goal-line objective I took away is that we need to better define a rich media strategy beyond our amazing instant TelePresence experience. Technology has most people “at hello.” The rest of the rich media conversation is still waiting.

3. Show Me the Money
One of the clear takeaways of C-Scape is the depth and breadth of Cisco’s business model. At every interaction with Wall Street, our CEO and CFO posit this to Wall Street.

However, at C-Scape, several analysts beaconed that the emerging environment suggests a stronger linkage of IT investment to TCO. A slowing economy, of course, puts additional scrutiny on all forms of capital investment. Technologies such as networking that help businesses reduce costs tend to do well in most economic environments.

The bigger challenge in front of us is demonstrating the linkage between our solutions and business transformation. TCO and ROI analyses are useful justifications for IT expenditures, but we are now in an era where the imperatives of innovation, globalization, and increasingly, Green, are changing how businesses operate. Collaboration, built on the gear-box of UC/rich media, is the great enabler both of Cisco’s strategy, as well as our customers' evolving businesses processes.

Speaking of linkages, Cisco and the analyst community are symbiotically linked, albeit sometimes not in complete harmony, in helping businesses of all sizes understand the take advantage of the richness of technology. Our vision is ultimately advantaged by this relationship, or in the words of Jerry McGuire: “You complete me.”

Posted by Alan Cohen at 10:45 AM Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

December 03, 2007

Why I Love What I Do

Last weekend was pretty much a lost one for me, and this coming weekend will likely be more of the same. When you invite more than 400 industry influencers from across the globe to your backyard for two days of meetings and interactions, you can expect the last few days before everyone arrives to be filled with one or two last-minute issues.

While I was working on Sunday on myriad things related to our upcoming C-Scape Global Forum, my computer suddenly went dark. I may have screamed out an expletive. My youngest daughter burst into the home office.

“Dad, you OK?”

“Yes, honey. My computer just crashed, and I have a ton of stuff to do for my conference next week.”

“Sorry, dad. I hope you didn’t lose anything.”

As I sat muttering to myself and rebooting, she turned to leave. When she got to the door, she stopped and turned back around.

“Dad, do you really like what you do? You seem pretty stressed lately.”

“Yeah, Ari, I do. I just have a lot on my plate right now.”

As the door closed behind her and I waited for my laptop to regain consciousness, I got to thinking about her last question. And I realized that I gave her the wrong answer.

I don’t really like what I do. I love what I do, and I’m passionate about it.

Why? Here are 10 things that came to mind as I mindlessly watched the disk recovery process.

10. I can do the job from anywhere. Obviously, not specific to the AR function at all as any number of high tech roles can be done from virtual locations, but I love the flexibility that advancements in technology have given me in this job.

9. Every day is different. This role isn’t a punch-the-clock position. I learn something new everyday, and it’s actually been a great way to get a “hands-on” education in various aspects of the high technology industry. We handle a variety of situations each week, and they all seem to have a unique twist to them.

8. I get to use my best judgment. As AR professionals, we must constantly balance our primary responsibility of protecting our company’s best interests against our desire to be analyst advocates and provide high levels of service to our external constituency. I love the fact that this function isn’t a black-and-white one. I’m not talking about playing fast and loose with the rules, mind you. It’s just that we aren’t held to a rigid set of legal and regulatory laws as they are in Investor Relations, for example. Having a job that allows you to make judgments and decisions in real time is challenging and exciting.

7. I become a more effective storyteller. An analyst knows when they’re being spun 30 seconds into an interaction, so I love the challenge of telling my company’s story without resorting to smoke-and-mirrors or some type of elaborate song-and-dance. I realize there’s a certain level of marketing and positioning that goes along with just about any analyst engagement – something the analyst knows, as well – so achieving a level of credibility and believability while telling my story is a relished challenge.

6. I hone my communications skills continuously. Interacting with different people every day may be what I enjoy most about this job. Having an internal- and external-facing role allows me to call on and use all my communications skills – written, verbal, social, you name it. I also get on-the-job training in crisis communications management. The communications skills I learn at work can easily be applied to the rest of my life and vice versa. A comprehensive skill set in this area is a very valuable thing to have in your backpocket. And there’s nothing like the spirited back-and-forth that ensues when you’re trying to convince an analyst they have the wrong perspective on something!

5. It’s global. And by that, I don’t mean “corporate.” I’ve been fortunate enough in my AR career to always be at companies where the function was a global one. That type of remit makes it more interesting, compelling and exciting. The opportunity to have an impact on your company’s business from a global perspective is heady stuff.

4. Building a program I can take pride in. Whenever my program is assessed and evaluated by one of the independent AR observers in the industry, I immediately go to the scores for candor and integrity. To me, that’s the greatest compliment the analysts can give my team and program. If we’re dealing straight up with the analysts and exhibiting the highest levels of integrity and ethics, then I’m happy. That’s how I judge my program.

3. Helping define an important industry function. AR is still a relatively young function in this industry. It has rightly achieved separation from PR and stands on its own as a critical function in the IT and communications worlds. I immensely enjoy the opportunity to define what this function is and – more importantly – define what it could be in the future with my colleagues at other companies. There are a handful of peer groups and associations we participate in that are designed to promote the function and establish best practices. Helping give a public face and persona to AR is pretty cool.

2. It puts us in the middle of the action. AR at Cisco is viewed as a strategic asset. That means we are part of the strategic planning efforts and contribute to the process that determines where the company is going and what strategies it will embrace to get there. I’m hard pressed to think of anything else that provides such relevancy and high levels of job satisfaction.

1. The people – both the analysts themselves as well as my AR teammates and peers – are outstanding. Ultimately, isn’t this what it really comes down to? AR is all about relationships, and over the last 18 years, I have met some of the finest people in the world. This is a group I respect and admire greatly. Many of them have become valued acquaintances; several have become esteemed colleagues; and some have become cherished friends.

I’m willing to bet a lot of us never take the time to stop and reflect on why we do what we do. We all work to address the important realities of life – putting food on the table, paying the mortgage and taking care of your family – but is there more for you beyond that?

Do you really love what you do?

I truly hope so. If you do, you’re one of the lucky ones...

Posted by Skip MacAskill at 03:49 PM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

September 13, 2007

Creating a Strategic Asset

Many people across our industry believe that the role of an effective Analyst Relations function is to get the industry analysts to say and write nice things about their company and its products.

I don’t subscribe to that philosophy.

Hey, don’t get me wrong – having analysts opine (that was for you, Jim) on the fabulousness of your products and technologies is a good thing, and it’s definitely an expected deliverable from my program here at Cisco. [Disclaimer added for my supervisor’s benefit.] But, that’s the hoped-for result of my team’s efforts; not its role.

Another thing I’ve never subscribed to is the saying that the ends justify the means. If my objective was to get analysts to wax eloquent on the virtues and brilliance of Cisco, there are any number of ways and shortcuts – most a bit unsavory – that we could pursue to achieve that result. But that would belie the very nature of AR, which is inherently about relationship building, trust and honesty.

I see our responsibility in AR as twofold.

First, we have a responsibility to inform the analyst community about our products, technologies, customers, markets, strategies and overall corporate direction. It’s critical that the analysts have a clear understanding of our offerings and strategies as well as accurate product data and technology information when doing their research and analysis for their clients. While the analysts will not always agree with a direction we taken or support our product and technology strategies, it’s important that they at least understand why we’ve gone down a certain path and have the correct context to put our activity in perspective.

The other half of our job is to take the analyst feedback, input, views and criticisms we receive and bring it back into the organization so we can validate or challenge our messaging, positioning, roadmaps and strategies. When used effectively, analysts can be a critical piece of a company’s strategic planning process. The earlier you get them engaged in a development effort – whether it’s for a new product, positioning around an industry-level issue, or messaging for a key campaign – the more they can help you craft something that will be successful and impactful.

This approach allows us to utilize the influencer community as a corporate strategic asset; and not simply as an extension of the media. Additionally, if we execute both aspects of the job effectively, then we put ourselves into a good position to have nice things said and written about us.

And while that may not be the role of my Analyst Relations program, it’s sure nice when it happens!

Posted by Skip MacAskill at 10:53 AM Permalink | Comments (5) | 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)