Avatar

Rachel Bakker

Social Media Advocacy Manager

Digital and Social

Rachel Bakker is a Social Media Advocacy Manager who began her career in Channel Marketing and ecommerce. Being a Cisco Champions Program Manager is Rachel’s dream job, as it feeds her passion for connecting people to people. Rachel began her tech adventures with the now defunct but never forgotten Palm, Inc., makers of the PalmPilot handheld and Treo Smartphone. She heartily admits to being biased, but Rachel considers Palm the grandfather of mobile computing. When Rachel isn’t celebrating Cisco and the #ciscochampion team she enjoys staying active in the local theater scene, throwing pottery (on a potter’s wheel, not the wall), and eating chocolate of all kinds.

Articles

November 17, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

Top 5 Tips for the IT Professional

2 min read

We asked the 2014 Cisco Champions what advice they would give to someone starting in the IT industry. Cisco Champions are seasoned IT technical experts and influencers who enjoy sharing their knowledge, expertise, and thoughts across the social web and with Cisco. The Cisco Champions program encompasses different areas of interest, such as Data Center, […]

November 12, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep 40. Catalyst (6k) VSS Quad Sup SSO

1 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists. Today we’re talking with Cisco Technical Marketing Engineer Shawn Wargo about the Catalyst 6k and VSS. Lauren Friedman (@Lauren) moderates and Chris Nickl and Denise Fishburne are this week’s Cisco Champion guest hosts. Listen to the Podcast. Learn about the Cisco Champions Program HERE. See […]

November 4, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep 39. Video Infrastructure Updates

1 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists. Today we’re talking with Cisco Collaboration Product Marketing Director Thomas McCafferty and Cisco Collaboration Solutions Product Marketing Manager Angela Murphy, about Video Infrastructure Updates. Kim Austin (@ciscokima) moderates and Chris Nickl and Brad Haynes are this week’s Cisco Champion guest hosts. Listen to the […]

October 28, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep 38. Threat Focused Firewall

1 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists. Today we’re talking with Cisco Product Marketing Manager Dave Stuart, about the threat focused firewall. Brian Remmel (@bremmel) moderates and Antonio Cheltenham, Jason Alert and Sven Kutzer are this week’s Cisco Champion guest hosts. Listen to the Podcast. Learn about the Cisco Champions Program HERE. […]

October 21, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep 37. New Cloud Era, New Data Protection Model

1 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists. Today we’re talking with Cisco Compliance and Data Privacy Leader Evelyn De Souza, about Cloud Security. Brian Remmel (@bremmel) moderates and Andres Sarmiento and Denise Fishburne are this week’s Cisco Champion guest hosts. Listen to the Podcast. Learn about the Cisco Champions Program HERE. See […]

October 14, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep 36. Cisco Jabber

1 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists. Today we’re talking with Cisco Technical Marketing Engineers Paul O’Dwyer, Bryan Morris, and Seongho Hong, about Cisco Jabber. Kim Austin (@ciscokima) moderates and Erick Bergquist and Bill Carter are this week’s Cisco Champion guest hosts. Listen to the Podcast. Learn about the Cisco Champions […]

October 9, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep 35. New Hardware: ISR4ks

1 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists. Today we’re talking with Cisco Technical Marketing Engineer Matt Bolick, about the new ISR 4000 Series. Lauren Friedman (@Lauren) moderates and Enda Cahill, Chris Nickl and Denise Fishburne are this week’s Cisco Champion guest hosts. Listen to the Podcast. Learn about the Cisco Champions […]

October 7, 2014

DIGITAL AND SOCIAL

Automation and Ambassadors. Smart Move?

5 min read

In today’s marketing world we’re bombarded with automated solutions to help us meet our goals. For every objective we set there are ten platforms ready and waiting to assist. Ambassador Programs are no exception, and when vendors show you all their sparkles and bells and whistles it’s tempting to jump on board. But how do […]

October 6, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep 34 Tech Support App

1 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists. Today we’re talking with Cisco Engineer Dave Dube, about the Cisco Technical Support mobile app. Amy Lewis (@CommsNinja) moderates and Stephen Rodriguez and James Bowling are this week’s Cisco Champion guest hosts. Listen to the Podcast. Learn about the Cisco Champions Program HERE. See a list […]

October 3, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep 33 Cisco Advanced Malware Protection (AMP)

1 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists. Today we’re talking with Cisco Engineer Eric Howard, about Cisco Advanced Malware Protection (AMP). Lauren Friedman (@Lauren) moderates and Brad Haynes and Bill Carter are this week’s Cisco Champion guest hosts. Listen to the Podcast. Learn about the Cisco Champions Program HERE. See a […]

October 1, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep 32 Instant Access and the Cat6k

1 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists. Today we’re talking with Cisco Technical Marketing Engineer Jay Moorkoth Arakkalath, about Instant Access and the Cat6k. Lauren Friedman (@Lauren) moderates and Bill Carter, Rick Vanover, and Denise Fishburne are this week’s Cisco Champion guest hosts. Listen to the Podcast. Learn about the Cisco […]

September 29, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep 31 #UCSGrandSlam

1 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists. Today we’re talking with Cisco Marketing Manager Bill Shields and Cisco Principal Engineer Jim Leach, about our recent UCS launch. Amy Lewis (@CommsNinja) moderates and AJ Kuftic and Chric Nickl are this week’s Cisco Champion guest hosts. Listen to the Podcast. Learn about the […]

September 25, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep 30 OpenStack for Enterprise

2 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists. Today we’re talking with Cisco Principal Engineer Shannon McFarland, about OpenStack for Enterprise. Lauren Friedman (@Lauren) moderates and Jeremiah Dooley and Patrick Swackhammer are this week’s Cisco Champion guest hosts. Listen to the Podcast. Learn about the Cisco Champions Program HERE. See a list of all […]

September 23, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep 29 Cisco Modeling Labs

1 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists. Today we’re talking with Cisco Technical Marketing Engineer Craig Brown, about Cisco Modeling Labs. Lauren Friedman (@Lauren) moderates and Brad Haynes and Travis Newshott are this week’s Cisco Champion guest hosts. Listen to the Podcast. Learn about the Cisco Champions Program HERE. See a list […]

September 19, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep 28 Cisco Prime Infrastructure

1 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists. Today we’re talking with Cisco Distinguished Services Engineer Joe Clarke, about Cisco Prime Infrastructure. Lauren Friedman (@Lauren) moderates and Rick Vanover and Stewart Goumans are this week’s Cisco Champion guest hosts. Listen to the Podcast. Learn about the Cisco Champions Program HERE. See a […]

September 17, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep 27 Developing an IoE Platform

1 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists. Today we’re talking with Cisco Consulting Systems Engineer Mitko Vasilev, about developing an IoE platform. Lauren Friedman (@Lauren) moderates and Rikard Strid and Jonathan Davis are this week’s Cisco Champion guest hosts. Listen to the Podcast. Learn about the Cisco Champions Program HERE. See a […]

August 28, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep 26 MDS for Small to Cloud-Scale Data Centers

2 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists. Today we’re talking with Cisco Product Marketing Manager Prashant Jain, about MDS for Small to Cloud-Scale Data Centers. Amy Lewis (@CommsNinja) moderates and Patrick Swackhammer is this week’s Cisco Champion guest host. Listen to the Podcast. Learn about the Cisco Champions Program HERE. See a list […]

August 26, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep 25 Collaboration

1 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists. Today we’re talking with Vice President, Collaboration Marketing at Cisco, Peder Ulander. Amy Lewis (@CommsNinja) moderates and Brad Haynes and Nicholas Marus are this week’s Cisco Champion guest hosts. Listen to the Podcast. Learn about the Cisco Champions Program HERE. See a list of […]

August 20, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep 24 Identity Services Engine (ISE)

1 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists. Today we’re talking about Identity Services Engine (ISE) with Cisco Program Manager (Cisco IT, Security) Greg Rasner. Lauren Friedman (@Lauren) moderates and Travis Newshott and Brandon Carroll are this week’s Cisco Champion guest hosts. Listen to the Podcast. Learn about the Cisco Champions Program HERE. […]

August 14, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep 23 WLAN Deployments

1 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists. Today we’re talking about WLAN deployments with Cisco Technical Marketing Engineers Wes Purvis and Shivesh Ganotra. Lauren Friedman (@Lauren) moderates and Stewart Goumans is this week’s Cisco Champion guest host. Listen to the Podcast. Learn about the Cisco Champions Program HERE. See a list of […]

August 12, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep 22 Meraki 101

3 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists. Today we’re talking about Meraki with AJ Goldman from Cisco New Markets and Cisco Product Manager Tony Carmichael. Lauren Friedman (@Lauren) moderates and Sam O’Daniel and Jonathan Davis are this week’s Cisco Champion guest hosts. Listen to the Podcast. Learn about the Cisco Champions […]

July 29, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep 21 IWAN, You WAN, we all WANt Intelligent WAN

1 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists. Today we’re talking about IWAN deployments with Cisco Communications Architect David Prall. Lauren Friedman (@Lauren) moderates and Sven Kutzer and Rikard Strid are this week’s Cisco Champion guest hosts. Listen to the Podcast Learn about the Cisco Champions Program HERE. See a list of […]

August 4, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

Why Shakespeare would rock an Ambassador Program

4 min read

If I were launching an Ambassador Program I’d hire William Shakespeare in a “Stratford-upon-Avon” minute. Not only is he highly productive, his communication skills are excellent, and at 450 he’s gained centuries of experience. That’s not why I’d hire him though. What makes Bill my top pick is his people expertise. He pays laser-focused attention […]

July 22, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep19 Cisco Learning Network

2 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists hosted by Amy Lewis (@CommsNinja). This week we’re talking about the Cisco Learning Network (CLN). Listen to the Podcast Learn about the Cisco Champions Program HERE. See a list of all #CiscoChampion Radio podcasts HERE. Cisco SMEs Brett Lovins @brettlovins, Community Manager for the […]

July 7, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

The Art of Ambassador Programs: 5 tips from a geek

5 min read

All right I confess I’m not that kind of geek. I admire and work with many IT engineers, but if you need me to configure a Nexus switch you’ll be out of luck. I am a geek though, and I know about building successful B2B and B2C Ambassador Programs. Before I start sharing my 2 […]

July 2, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep18 ACI Updates

8 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists hosted by Amy Lewis (@CommsNinja). This week we're talking about ACI Updates with Cisco Product Management Director,...

June 24, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep17 Cisco Live Highlights

4 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists hosted by Amy Lewis (@CommsNinja). This week guest host Lauren Friedman (@Lauren) and the Cisco Champions team share a recap of Cisco Live. Listen to the Podcast Learn about the Cisco Champions Program HERE Cisco Live Highlights: DevNet Hackathon recap Most useful Cisco Live […]

June 18, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep16 Cisco Champion Radio @CiscoLive!

2 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists hosted by Amy Lewis (@CommsNinja). This week 25 Cisco Champions gather in a small room (aka the white box) at the Moscone Center. Topics: Cisco Live (#CLUS) and being a Cisco Champion. Listen to the Podcast Learn about the Cisco Champions Program HERE Cisco […]

June 17, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep15 OpenStack at OpenStack

1 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists hosted by Amy Lewis (@CommsNinja). This week Ed Saipech, Director of Applied Research at Savvis joins Cisco Champions Josh Atwell and Jeremiah Dooley. The topic is OpenStack. Listen to the Podcast Subject Matter Expert: Ed Saipetch (@edsai), Director of Applied Research at Savvis Cisco […]

June 13, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep14 How to survive Cisco Live and what the heck is DevNet

2 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists. This week Susie Wee, Cisco VP/CTO Networked Experiences, joins Cisco Champions  Sam Womack and Tom Hollingsworth. Topics are surviving Cisco Live and an intro to the new Cisco DevNet. Guest host Lauren Friedman (@Lauren) guest hosts. Listen to the Podcast Cisco Subject Matter Expert: […]

June 2, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep13 New collaboration with Akamai

2 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists, hosted by Cisco’s Amy Lewis (@CommsNinja). This week Mike Korenbaum, Technical Marketing Engineer at Cisco, joins Cisco Champions Rick Vanover (@RickVanover) and Peter Revill (@CCIERants). The topic is the new collaboration with Akamai. Cisco’s Lauren Friedman (@Lauren) guest hosts. Listen to the Podcast Cisco Subject […]

May 13, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep12 Value of the Partner Eco-System

1 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists, hosted by Cisco’s Amy Lewis (@CommsNinja). This week Dominick Delfino, VP Systems Engineering at Cisco, joins Cisco Champion and Senior Pre-Sales Engineer Ahmad Manzoor. The topic is the Value of the Partner Eco-System. Listen to the Podcast Cisco Subject Matter Expert: Dominick Delfino, VP […]

May 6, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep11 Mobility and Connected Mobile Experiences (CMX)

4 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists, hosted by Cisco’s Amy Lewis (@CommsNinja). This week Bob Friday, VP CTO Mobility at Cisco, joins Cisco Champions Sven Kutzer and Stephen Rodriguez. The topic is Mobility and Connected Mobile Experiences (CMX). This week Cisco’s Lauren Friedman (@Lauren) guest hosts. Listen to the Podcast […]

April 29, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep10 Cyber Security

4 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists, hosted by Cisco’s Amy Lewis (@CommsNinja). This week Chris Young, SVP Security Business Group Cisco, and Bill Carter, Senior Network Engineer and Cisco Champion, talk about Intelligent Cyber Security for the real world. Listen to the Podcast Cisco Subject Matter Expert: Chris Young, SVP […]

April 23, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep9 Cisco TACOPS

3 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists, hosted by Cisco’s Amy Lewis (@CommsNinja). This week we’re talking about Cisco TACOPS (@CiscoTACOPS) which connects the unconnected in the middle of crisis, anywhere in the world. Listen to the Podcast Cisco Subject Matter Expert: Rakesh Bharania, Network Consulting Engineer on TACOPS Team (@densaer) […]

April 8, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep8 IWAN

3 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists, hosted by Cisco’s Amy Lewis (@CommsNinja). This week we’re talking about Intelligent WAN (IWAN) with guest moderator, Cisco’s Lauren Friedman (@lauren) Listen to the Podcast Cisco Subject Matter Expert: Hugo Vliegen, Director of Technical Marketing Highlights: How IWAN benefits business IWAN and Security IWAN […]

April 1, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep7 IoT

3 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists, hosted by Cisco’s Amy Lewis (@CommsNinja). This week we’re talking about the Internet of Things (IoT) with...

March 25, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep6 UCS

1 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists, hosted by Cisco’s Amy Lewis (@CommsNinja). This week we’re talking about UCS. Listen to the Podcast Featured Guests: Cisco Champions: Robert Novak (@gallifreyen), AJ Kuftic (@ajkuftic) Cisco Subject Matter Experts: Scott Hanson (@CiscoServerGeek) Highlights: How Scott Hanson discovered the value of UCS Advantages of […]

March 26, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

Thank you for your Excellence #CiscoChampion Team

1 min read

The Cisco Champions Program is based on 5 key principles, the most important being its people. Recruiting top notch team members and giving them the opportunities they care about is what makes this program thrive. Thank you Cisco Champions for your excellence. In the words of @CommsNinja you are true Unicorns. Learn about the Program […]

March 18, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep5: UCS Invicta

4 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists, hosted by Cisco’s Amy Lewis (@CommsNinja). This week we’re talking about UCS Invicta. Listen to the Podcast Featured Guests: Cisco Champions: Trevor Roberts (@vmtrooper), Matt Oswalt (@mierdin) Cisco Subject Matter Experts: Maxwell Riggsbee, Todd Brannon Highlights: How Invicta will allow UCS infrastructure to deliver resourcing Four […]

March 4, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep3: Cisco Networking Academy

2 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists, hosted by Cisco’s Amy Lewis (@CommsNinja). This week we’re talking about the Cisco Networking Academy. Listen to the Podcast Featured Guests: Cisco Champions: Richard Grotegut (@OhloneRich), Ike Ozurumba (@IkeNetworkGuy) Cisco Subject Matter Expert: Suzanne Jonas (@hitechzippy) Highlights: The early days of NetAcad and how it […]

March 11, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep4: Cisco Certifications

2 min read

#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists, hosted by Cisco’s Amy Lewis (@CommsNinja). This week we’re talking about Cisco Certifications. Listen to the Podcast Featured Guests: Cisco Champion: Stephen Rodriguez (@WiFiJanitor) Cisco Subject Matter Experts: Antonella Corno, Errol Hayward (@errolhayward), Matt Saunders (@citylifematt) Highlights: Developing Cisco Certifications from the outside in, looking at currrent job roles in the […]

February 25, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep2: Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI)

1 min read

Welcome to Episode 2 of #CiscoChampion Radio, a podcast series by and for Cisco Champions as technologists, hosted by Cisco’s Amy Lewis (@CommsNinja). This week we’re talking about Application Centric...

February 18, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep1: InterCloud, Cloud in 2014

1 min read

Welcome to #CiscoChampion Radio, a podcast series by and for Cisco Champions as technologists, hosted by Cisco’s Amy Lewis (@CommsNinja). This week we’re talking about Cisco’s InterCloud announcement and where Cloud is going in 2014. Listen to the Podcast. Featured Guests: Cisco Champions: Eric Wright (@discoposse) and Jonathan Davis (@subnetwork) Cisco Subject Matter Expert: Mark Loesel […]