Navigating Uncharted Waters for Cisco Partners

I’ve been relying a lot more on my home collaboration solution since Cisco made the responsible decision to close some of its campuses in northern California as a precaution to the coronavirus. And I can tell you, I am even more of a believer of how technology can improve our communications and collaboration. In fact, when we eventually come out of this, I think we’re going to see a cultural shift more in favor of working remotely that will enable even more productivity, flexibility and environmental benefits. Not to mention more benefits to our personal lives.

There’s no question, the scale and scope of the coronavirus is like none other and I want to assure Cisco partners that we’re taking immediate actions to reduce the impact to your businesses. Here’s a few examples.

Events

We have already decided to not participate in several industry events around the globe. And, closer to our partner community, we made the incredibly difficult decision to cancel some partner-focused events and change others to virtual. In fact, I was on a virtual partner event earlier this week and was impressed at the level of engagement and value that was provided from it (the “new norm” could be the new standard).

We know these events are important for you and don’t take the decision to change them lightly, but everyone’s health and safety is of utmost importance. I want to assure you that Cisco remains committed to providing partners with the forums and information you need to succeed. Thank you for your patience as we adjust in real time to ensure our business together continues to perform and transform.

Enabling Secure, Remote Workers

My experience this week represents the significant increase in remote working happening worldwide. There is an opportunity to aid your customers in keeping employee health and safety as the top priority, while still maintaining productivity and IT security.

We have expanded Webex capabilities for both existing and new customers in all countries where it is available, not only the countries impacted by the coronavirus.

• For existing Webex customers, we are making it easy for them to expand their subscription on a temporary basis at no additional cost.
• For non-Webex customers looking to provide host meeting accounts to employees and require centralized administrative capabilities, we are providing free 90-day licenses available from Cisco Webex Control Hub. We have also added FedRAMP trials.
• For individuals and small businesses that need an immediate solution to enable remote working, we’ve made enhancements to our Free Personal Account

Read more of my blog here.