Avatar

The rate at which innovation is happening is astounding. We are constantly challenging the status quo and finding new ways to make work and life easier for everyone. Among the many innovations revealed at Partner Summit, Rowan Trollope announced Cisco Spark Depot. This latest expansion of the Cisco Spark platform delivers an ever-growing catalog of integrations and bots for users and business of all sizes.Spark_Depot__HomeWork smarter while you work together
Connect your favorite tools to the Cisco Spark rooms you choose to receive notifications, such as when:

  • a file is updated
  • an account is created
  • a task is completed

We’ve simplified the configuration of integrations such as JIRA, Trello, Microsoft Office 365, Wunderlist, and even enterprise CRM tools such as Salesforce and ServiceNow.

What’s the difference between integrations and bots?

  • An integration provides basic notifications for a service, acting on behalf of a Cisco Spark user.
  • A bot can perform tasks for any of the users in the room, presenting itself as another user. In addition to sending messages, a bot can post files and respond to messages – even join calls.

Let’s run through an example. Imagine this: HR managers Maria and Joe use Spark to come together and get work done in rooms for onboarding, recruiting, benefits, and so on. Outside of Spark, they use Redbooth for task management and ServiceNow for incident response.

  • picWhen Joe updates a template in Redbooth with a task, an automated message describing the change appears in the Spark room, thanks to the Redbooth integration.
  • Maria sees the note and jumps on a Spark call with Joe and several other teammates to decide whether they need to make a system update. And they do.
  • Maria effortlessly integrates ServiceNow with the appropriate room. When she adds updates outside Spark, they instantly show up in the Spark room. Her teammates –including those who don’t use ServiceNow — learn about them instantly.

Thanks to the power of Spark integrations, Maria’s and Joe’s teamwork became more collaborative, transparent, and efficient.

Simple for users, simple for developers
Not only can you discover new apps in Cisco Spark Depot every week, it’s a place where you can publish your creations. And all Cisco Spark users can have access to them. If you’re a developer, partner, or ISV – submit your ideas through the Cisco Spark for Developers portal to help make Cisco Spark even better and join our ecosystem.

Given Cisco’s DNA in the enterprise, we also have the ability for organizations to publish integrations and bots that are available only to users on their own domain. You can write integrations and bots specific to your company’s systems — a powerful capability to unleash the power of Cisco Spark in your enterprise.

This is just the beginning of what you’ll see showcased in the Cisco Spark Depot. We can’t wait to see what you create!

Take a look at Cisco Spark Depot and use the comments below to tell me what you think.



Authors

Jason Goecke

Vice President & General Manager

Cognitive Collaboration & Cisco Spark Platform