At Cisco, our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy centers on a simple question: How can we use the power of the Internet to benefit individuals and communities? More often than not, the answer involves collaborating with other organizations-- nonprofits, government agencies, or healthcare facilities, for example--to multiply the impact technology can have.

I’d like to introduce you to one of those partners: One Global Economy. This Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit provides people in underserved communities with greater access to technology, Internet connectivity, online content--and the training and support to use it all.

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Tags: beehive, Cisco, Community Connectors, CSR, impact multiplied, nonprofit, one global economy, technology

This post was written by Molly Tschang, customer solutions director, advisory services, reflecting the teamwork started by 20+ members of Cisco’s New York City public sector team

Ten to fifteen percent of America’s homeless population is chronically homeless. Yet they utilize more than 50 percent of public resources available to help the homeless.  Housing people permanently reconnects them to society and amounts to annual savings of US$30,000 to US$40,000 per family in New York City, money that could potentially support other city services.

Community Solutions is a leading social enterprise, assessing the roots of homelessness and addressing them with long-term solutions. Partnering with Community Solutions, Cisco’s New York City public sector team is tapping a broad range of Cisco’s assets--human and technology--to help end homelessness. At the same time, they are achieving the business aim of better understanding their customers’ mission and having greater, more meaningful impact as a business partner.

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Tags: Cisco, community solutions, CSR, homeless, housing, impact multiplied, New York City, youth

Wow! Learning Management Systems (LMS) have come a long way! Cisco Networking Academy had a vision for a network-based LMS in 1997, when we were founded. We had to build our own custom LMS, because there were no options in the market. Today at InstructureCon, an annual gathering of education technology leaders, I was amazed to see not only how far the technology has come, but how broadly the vision of LMS and education assisted by networking technology has gained acceptance!

I was so excited to share with the Canvas community that Cisco Networking Academy will be incorporating Canvas as the LMS portion of our new platform, Cisco NetSpace, which we will announce and unveil at the NetAcad Global Conference on Monday. As Networking Academy continues to grow, the ability to continue to innovate to deliver high-impact educational offerings to instructors and students will be critical. It was time to enhance the essential core business functionality with an engaging, feature-rich, and personalized user experience that incorporated the latest in educational best practices for learning solutions. The new NetSpace will deliver results today, yet is flexible enough to accommodate future innovations to help improve education through the use of technology and the network.

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Tags: Cisco, CSR, ICT, impact multiplied, InstructureCon, lms, networking academy, stem

The discipline of community relations has evolved dramatically in recent years. Recognizing both the responsibility to support their communities and the business benefits of a positive reputation, companies have invested billions of dollars and millions of hours, resulting in a substantive impact.

Yet for many organizations, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is on the verge of the most dramatic change yet. It’s a shift to the concept of creating shared value, which tears apart the traditional lines between a CSR program and the business it supports. In many ways, it makes community relations obsolete, as the entire business becomes a community relations effort unto itself. The emerging practice of creating shared value can transform how companies grow and impact communities around the world.

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Tags: Cisco, community relations, corporate social responsibility, CSR, impact multiplied, shared value

Two out of three deaths among children under age five could be prevented with effective primary healthcare globally. It is a generally recognized fact that regular medical care is essential for early diagnosis and treatment of illness and chronic diseases. And poor health causes developmental delays, affecting learning ability and a child’s ability to reach full intellectual potential. Sick children exact a toll on families, resulting in lost income and an overall compromised quality of life.

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Tags: children, Cisco, corporate social responsibility, CSR, healthcare, impact multiplied, pediatrician, telehealth