Dave West

Senior Vice President

Global Specialists

Dave West leads Cisco's Global Specialists organization, a team of over 5,000 experts at the intersection of go-to-market, engineering, and customer and partner relationships. As Senior Vice President, he ensures Cisco’s vast technology portfolio—spanning Security, Collaboration, Networking, Cloud and AI, and Internet and Mass-Scale Infrastructure—is deeply aligned with customer priorities and industry evolution. Dave and team play a critical role in shaping the company’s innovation agenda and delivering outcome-driven value through deep technical expertise and trusted partnerships. Their work drives some of Cisco’s most strategic growth engines, including Enterprise AI, Security, and the Webscale/Hyperscale market. With more than 25 years at Cisco and over 3 decades in the ICT industry, Dave has held several key leadership positions. Prior to his current role, he served as President for Cisco Asia Pacific, Japan, and Greater China (APJC), overseeing business strategy, growth, and operations across seven diverse regions. He was also President and General Manager for Cisco Japan and led Worldwide Sales for Enterprise Networks, focusing on innovation and transformation across Cisco’s core portfolio. Earlier in his career, Dave was CTO and Architectures leader for Enterprise Networks, Data Center, Security, and Collaboration in Asia Pacific and Japan. Dave is widely recognized for his customer-centric approach, innovative go-to-market strategies, and his passion for building diverse, high-performing teams that drive digital transformation. In addition to his role at Cisco, Dave serves on the Board of Advisors for RiskOpsAI, providing guidance to support innovation in risk operations and artificial intelligence. Dave is a former Marine Officer, graduated from the Virginia Military Institute, and holds an MS in Information Systems from the Naval Postgraduate School.

Articles

EXECUTIVE PLATFORM

Dave West

In the AI Era, Cyber Defense Needs a New Playbook

3 min read

AI is changing the speed of cyber risk. Cisco’s executive brief outlines how organizations need to move from current operating models to continuous defense.

PARTNER

Dave West

Securing What’s Next: Why Cisco on AWS Marketplace Is the Smartest Path Forward

4 min read

AI demands a new approach to security. Cisco and AWS provide the trusted foundation you need to secure innovation, protect agentic workforces, and simplify operations—all available for fast procurement on AWS Marketplace.

PARTNER

Dave West

Tony Meredith

Celebrating a New Era in Partnering: NTT DATA and Cisco

2 min read

This month the NTT Group combined the services of NTT Ltd. and NTT DATA to form NTT DATA, Inc., marking a significant milestone in the technology services industry and offering a deeper partnership between Cisco and NTT.

EXECUTIVE PLATFORM

Dave West

Rethinking What’s Possible in the Post-Pandemic World

4 min read

We have made a definitive leap into a digital-first world. The pandemic has made clear that whatever can be delivered digitally, must be delivered digitally. This means companies must not only embrace digital transformation, but also build digital resilience to prepare for tomorrow’s next big challenges.

NETWORKING

Dave West

A Year’s Worth of Intent-based Networking Innovation

2 min read

At Cisco, we have spent many of these last 525,600 minutes developing, innovating and working together with customers and partners to help advance their Intent-based networking journeys. #CiscoDNA

NETWORKING

Dave West

The Subscription Economy and Cisco Easy Pay Constructing an Evergreen Approach to your Technology Lifecycle

3 min read

The subscription economy has flipped many industries on their heads – redefining the business landscape in which traditional pay-per-product companies are moving toward subscription-based business models. #Cisco

NETWORKING

Dave West

Intuitive Networks Drive Digital Success

2 min read

The Cisco Visual Networking Index counts 17B devices connected to the network today. Without a strong network foundation, businesses won’t have the agility required to compete in today’s business environment.

GOVERNMENT

Dave West

Happy Veterans Day from the Cisco Team

1 min read

As a Marine veteran, this day is extremely special to me. First and foremost, I want to express my unending gratitude to those who have bravely served our country, protecting it no matter what the cost. We spent some time on Memorial Day to show our gratitude, but today it’s time to celebrate our veterans […]