Cisco TechBeat

AB sits down with Cisco's SVP and GM of Splunk, Kamal Hathi, to discuss how the combination of Splunk and Cisco technologies are providing the critical infrastructure for the AI era. From optimizing AI at scale to defending at machine speed to turning machine data into agentic action, this great conversation gives insight into how the combination of Cisco and Splunk technologies are driving the newest innovations in the agentic era.

AB sits down with Carrie Palin, Cisco’s Chief Marketing Officer, for a spirited conversation on a variety of topics, from her journey as a marketing leader across several tech giants, to the skills she looks for when building an incredible organization, to how AI is positively reshaping the marketing landscape and customer outcomes.

AB joins Chef José Andrés and Brian Tippens for a powerful talk on food, disaster relief, and how technology helps World Central Kitchen deliver hope globally.

Join AB for a candid conversation with AI luminaries Pascal Bornet and Sam Charrington. From the sci-fi films that sparked their early interest in tech to the strategic frameworks for mastering today's AI, this episode bridges the gap between high-level industry insight and the personal stories that shaped their careers. Discover how to move beyond the hype and truly harness the power of AI.

AB sits down with Ammar Maraqa, Cisco’s Chief Strategy Officer, to discuss topics such as turning an acquisition into a competitive advantage, fostering an agile and customer-centric culture, aligning business cases with long-term innovation goals to drive real value, and much more.

AB sits down with Akshay Bhargava, Cisco's VP of Product Management, AI Software and Platform, to chat about AgenticOps, how Cisco is providing guardrails to keep AI safe, and the risks modern businesses face if they fail to adopt AI quickly.

AB chats with Anthony Grieco, Cisco's SVP & Chief Security & Trust Officer, Security and Trust Organization, and Eric Wenger, Cisco's Senior Director, Technology Policy, Global Government Affairs, about how Cisco is revolutionizing product security by removing insecure protocols, updating defaults, and strengthening authentication across our portfolio.

AB sits down with Tom Gillis, Cisco’s SVP and GM, Infrastructure & Security Group, to explore the crucial role security plays in the ever-changing AI landscape.

AB sits down with Tim Coogan, Cisco's SVP, Global Partner Sales, for a fun chat about the important role partners play to drive positive business outcomes. From partnering in the AI era to the link between sales and partnerships, this informative conversation highlights why it’s critical for business to cultivate a powerful partner ecosystem.

AB sits down with Gordon Thomson, Cisco’s SVP EMEA Sales and EMEA President, for a great talk about The EMEA Moment, sovereign critical infrastructure, and how AI is a tool that is helping unlock human potential.

AB sits down with Zeus Kerravala, founder of ZK Research and a leading technology industry analyst, for a great conversation on the role analysts play in the world of tech, trends and innovations related to AI infrastructure, why the network is critical to AI workloads , and more.

AB sits down with Fran Katsoudas, Cisco EVP and Chief People, Policy, and Purpose Officer, to explore her 29-year career journey-from starting in the TAC Center to leading Cisco's people and purpose initiatives. Discover Fran's insights on AI's transformative impact on the workplace and how Cisco empowers employees in the AI era. She also shares her role as Chair of the Global Citizen Festival and how the event drives positive global change through technology and community engagement.

AB sits down with Carlos Pereira, Cisco Fellow & CX Chief Architect, for a fun conversation that cuts through the hype and discusses the real challenges and opportunities of AI adoption. Learn how AI is revolutionizing customer engagement and operational efficiency, and hear why Cisco is uniquely positioned to be the trusted partner for companies that strive to further integrate AI into their businesses.

AB sits down with Snorre Kjesbu, SVP & GM of Employee Experience at Cisco, for a great conversation on a variety of topics such as the value of AI-powered collaboration in the workplace; unifying devices, spaces, and workflows to enhance employees’ day-to-day experience; and how Cisco is helping organizations prepare for the future with a platform that simplifies management, future-proofs investments, and unlocks intelligence everywhere work happens.

AB sits down with Jorge Ramirez, GM's Global Director Automation, Chief Manufacturing Cybersecurity Officer, to discuss how GM leverages Cisco technology extensively across its global manufacturing plants to enhance operational efficiency, cybersecurity, and network visibility.

AB sits down with PepsiCo’s Rajat Arora, Global Head of Networks and IT/OT Infrastructure, to talk about how Cisco technologies and solutions are driving better business outcomes for PepsiCo across the globe. This is a great conversation that covers a variety of topics, from IT/OT convergence to the integration of Cisco WAN to self-healing networks.

AB sits down with three of Cisco’s leaders: Lawrence Huang, SVP and GM of Network Platform and Wireless; Greg Dorai, SVP and GM of Cisco's Switching business; and Vikas Butaney, SVP and GM of Cisco Routing and Industrial IoT, to discuss Cisco's latest advancements, from AI-driven network management to Industrial IoT solutions, highlighting how these and other technologies are transforming the way businesses operate across diverse environments to deliver operational simplicity to our customers...

AB sits down with Ramana Kompella, Cisco Fellow and Head of Cisco Research, for a great talk about Cisco's focus on quantum networking as a next-generation technology. From networking entanglement to the importance of research to the development of Cisco's new networking-entanglement chip, this conversation highlights how Cisco is innovating in ways that aim to unify classical and quantum internet infrastructures.

AB sits down with Cisco’s CIO, Fletcher Previn, to talk about the role IT plays in driving business success. Fletcher shares his thoughts on the skills needed for the future of IT, how AI can enhance human potential, and why individual creativity can drive even better IT experiences and outcomes.

AB sits down for a fun, informative, in-person chat with Kelly Jones, Cisco’s Chief People Officer, to discuss a variety of topics ranging from empathetic leadership to wellbeing in the workplace to future trends that could transform the HR landscape in 2025.

In this insightful and engaging episode, AB engages in a conversation with Dr. Guy Diedrich, Cisco's Senior Vice President and Global Innovation Officer, to explore the impressive global influence of the Cisco Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) program. Marking its 10th anniversary, CDA has played a crucial role in narrowing the digital divide worldwide. This discussion delves into key subjects such as differentiating between resource availability and accessibility, building trust between glo...

Wawira Njiru serves as the Founder and CEO of Food 4 Education, a non-profit organization dedicated to combating childhood hunger in Kenya by providing meals to over 500,000 students annually. In this insightful discussion, AB engages with Wawira and Brian Tippens, Cisco's Senior Vice President and Chief Social Impact & Inclusion Officer, to explore the significance of community-driven initiatives, the implementation of sustainable practices in tackling the global food crisis, the crucial...

At Cisco, partnerships aren't merely a business transaction — they hinge on personal connections that have been cultivated over time. AB sits down with Rodney Clark, Cisco's SVP, Partnerships and Small & Medium Businesses, to chat about the ever-evolving partner ecosystem at Cisco. This great conversation dives into topics such as streamlining the partner experience, the shift from products to outcomes, the role of AI in driving better end-user experiences, and much more.

AB sits down with Matt Caulfield, VP of Identity and Duo, Cisco Security, to talk about the vision and strategy for Cisco’s identity portfolio. This insightful conversation spans various topics, including multi-factor authentication (MFA), social engineering, and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in identity security technologies.

AB sits down with Matt MacPherson, Chief Technology Officer, Cisco Wireless, for an informative chat about the current state of Wi-Fi and cellular convergence, the importance of seamless roaming across Wi-Fi and cellular networks, and how Wi-Fi 7 is enhancing the user experience when compared to earlier Wi-Fi standards.

AB sits down with Bert Soto, Chief Diversity Officer and Vice President of Sales at TGS, the official technology provider for the Kansas City Chiefs, 2024 NFL Champions. This great conversation focuses on the company's trajectory from a small business to a comprehensive IT consulting firm that handles all facets of an IT environment, including managed services, automation/AI, security platforms, and end-user devices.

AB sits down with Papi Menon, VP of Product Management at Outshift by Cisco, to discuss Outshift’s charter to foster new and cutting-edge tech ideas and tools to help technology teams succeed in the future. Building successful products is not an overnight effort, and this enlightening conversation emphasizes the critical roles of commitment and patience in guiding a new product from its initial concept to market launch.

AB sits down with Joe Vaccaro, GM, Cisco ThousandEyes, for a great conversation on the unique technology of ThousandEyes and how it is becoming the de facto digital experience assurance solution across Cisco products and beyond, helping customers deliver excellent digital experiences. Beyond the tech talk, Joe also discusses his passion for family, the great outdoors, and a lot more.

AB sits down with Denise Lee, Cisco’s VP Engineering Sustainability Office, for a great chat on a wide range of topics, from circular design to embedding sustainability principles into business practices to achieving overall sustainability goals. This is also a great conversation for anyone looking to explore the diversity within sustainability roles that exist at companies like Cisco.

AB welcomes Adele Trombetta, Cisco’s SVP and GM, Cisco CX EMEA, for a fun and spirited conversation on her passion for technology and her mission to create an extensive inclusive culture program in EMEA. From her days as a young mechanical engineer to her current role as a CX leader at Cisco, Adele’s story is a perfect example of how even in an industry overwhelmingly dominated by men, being a woman AND a super successful tech leader at the same time is an achievable goal.

AB sits down with his friend and colleague Classye James to talk about the challenging shift many athletes face when moving from their sports careers to positions in the business sector. Serving as a DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) Events & Activations Business Leader at Cisco, Classye is committed to developing tools that enable former athletes to work and thrive in corporate roles within organizations such as Cisco.

AB kicks off 2024 with a fun episode featuring Nick Biasini, Head of Outreach, Cisco Talos. This is a great conversation that highlights some of the top cyber threats from 2023, while looking to what the trends in cybersecurity may be in 2024, from AI to ransomware to social engineering, and more. AB also presses Nick on his passion and commitment to making the best cup of coffee possible. Check it out!

AB sits down with Cisco’s EVP and Chief Customer and Partner Officer, Jeff Sharritts, for a great talk on the evolving dynamics between sales and the partner ecosystem. Jeff also dives into other topics such as what it means to be an effective leader, the importance of diversity to fostering company culture and driving better business outcomes, Cisco’s use of AI to improve customer experiences, and much more.

Join AB as he chats with two incredibly influential cybersecurity minds in the industry, Dr. Magda Chelly and David Bombal. This fun, spirited, and engaging conversation explores the life journeys of each guest and covers a wide range of cybersecurity topics including AI, the importance of diversity within cybersecurity, how to better prepare for a cybersecurity career, effective use of social media to market yourself, and so much more.

Great CX is all about building relationships and effective communication, and Cisco and Honeywell have formed an alliance that is taking Customer Experience to the next level. Join AB as he sits down with Harry Caldwell, SVP, and General Manager, Cisco Customer Experience (CX), Americas, and Ali Alsaadawi, Lead Enterprise Architect, Honeywell, to discuss how the strong alliance between both companies is driving incredible CX outcomes.

Join AB as he welcomes Jonathan Davidson, Cisco’s EVP and General Manager, Cisco Networking, for a fascinating chat on life, leadership, and secretly being Tom Hanks? This unexpected conversation touches on the criticality of connectivity in the next era, Sci-Fi visions, and the need for failure, vulnerability, and choice for a trailblazing legacy.

When it comes to battling cybersecurity attackers, Lurene Grenier is all about offense. As Director of Security Architecture at Cisco Talos, she has spent her career analyzing state-sponsored actor trends, writing detection to block those threat actors, and in general, educating users and administrators on how to deploy the most robust security solutions. Lurene joins AB for a great conversation on a variety of topics, from offensive security to infrastructure vulnerabilities to her passion f...

As April is Earth Month, who better to have as a guest than Mary de Wysocki, Cisco's very own Chief Sustainability Officer. Mary sits down with AB to chat about her role in leading Cisco’s sustainability efforts and how we need to work together on a global level to create more sustainable and resilient communities.

AB sits down with Tazin “Taz” Khan for an engaging, friendly chat around a variety of topics ranging from diversity of roles in cybersecurity to ethics and privacy to what it means to be resilient as a woman in the tech industry. Taz shares her transition from retail worker to cybersecurity specialist, and she gives great insight into what excites her the most about the work she does at Cisco and beyond.

Alexandra Zagury and Amit Dhingra chat with AB about how Cisco’s managed & as-a-service platforms help boost businesses’ speed, agility, and scale with adaptable, on-demand solutions.

In celebration of Cisco Networking Academy’s 25th Anniversary, AB sits down with Laura Quintana, Vice President of Corporate Affairs and General Manager of Networking Academy, and Lorenzo Garth, Systems Engineering Manager at Cisco Meraki who made his way to Cisco through our Networking Academy. This is a fun and informative conversation that touches on a variety of topics, from misconceptions about what it takes to thrive in an IT career to how programs like NetAcad are helping shape the cyb...

In this episode of TechBeat, AB welcomes Oswaldo Mestre, Jr., Director of Citizen Services and Chief Services Officer for the City of Buffalo, New York. Oz, as he’s known affectionately to friends and colleagues, leads a team that oversees a wide range of services to the residents of Buffalo. He has been globally recognized for his work on the 311 Call & Resolution Center and the unique collaboration between Cisco and the University of Buffalo to maintain continuity of citizen services du...

AB connects with Jeetu Patel, Cisco’s EVP & GM, Security and Collaboration Business Units. He leads Cisco's SaaS business and strategy to further accelerate the company's transformation and growth. Jeetu and AB discuss security resiliency, eliminating the security poverty line, Cisco Security Cloud, and a range of other topics that give insight into Jeetu’s role at Cisco and life beyond the office.

In this episode, AB sits down for an engaging discussion with Thimaya Subaiya, Cisco’s SVP, Chief Customer Experience Officer, who shares the hallmarks of a great customer experience and why he believes that consistency is key in every customer interface. Subaiya also discusses what’s top of mind as he looks to the future of CX; the importance of allyship to his team's success; and why building furniture helps him relax and connect with his daughters.

Vijoy Pandey is Cisco’s Vice President of the Emerging Technologies and Incubation group, a team of cross-disciplinary professionals committed to driving the next bold bets for Cisco business. Throughout this fun and informative conversation, Vijoy reveals the process his team goes through to not only sustain innovation but disrupt it to unlock new areas of research and expand ventures.

AB connects with JP Vasseur, Cisco Fellow (VP), Head of Engineering, for a chat about Predictive Networks, an exciting technology that aims to predict and proactively avoid network issues to ensure the best possible customer experience. Beyond the tech talk, AB and JP discuss topics ranging from their shared love of music to the future of young, aspiring engineers.

Off the heels of the Explore Security 2022 Virtual Summit, AB sat down with Janey Hoe, Vice President Corporate Development and Cisco Investments, and Dug Song, Chief Strategy Officer, Cisco Security, for a candid and insightful conversation into cybersecurity trends ranging from investment and acquisitions to innovation, all with a focus on achieving Cisco’s mission to power a more inclusive future for all.

In this kick-off episode for Season 3 of TechBeat, AB sits down for a chat with Liz Centoni, Cisco’s very own EVP, Chief Strategy Officer and GM, Applications, who has a passion for innovation, customer experience, and technology. Liz gives great insight into her childhood; who her greatest influencers were; experiences that led her to join Cisco over 20 years ago; and why she still remains passionate about the work she and her team at Cisco do every day.

Maulie Dass, the Senior Director of Cisco’s Global Innovation Labs, uses her passion for technology and product design to fuel important changes to promote inclusivity for all. Hear how Maulie’s upbringing laid the foundation for her activism and learn about the ways she’s bringing inclusivity into Cisco products and ideas. View the full transcript here: https://newsroom.cisco.com/feature-content?type=webcontent&articleId=2192203

Craig Williams, the Director of Outreach for Cisco Talos has spent his career educating people on cybersecurity and rooting out the bad actors on the internet. In recent weeks, the Kaseya supply chain attack has dominated headlines, and for good reason. Craig talks about this latest attack, what’s different about it, and how businesses and organizations can take extra precautions to protect themselves.

ThousandEyes Co-founder Mohit Lad never intended to be an entrepreneur, but when his Plan A and Plan B didn’t pan out, he took a calculated risk to start a company that he describes as the Google maps of the internet. Hear how ThousandEyes, which Cisco recently acquired, gives companies more visibility than ever.

Dr. Oscar Rico, the Executive Director of Technology Services at Canutillo Independent School District in El Paso, Texas explains how Cisco technology helped bridge the digital divide in his community and power an inclusive recovery.

Amit Chetal saw first-hand how difficult it was for his parents to sign up for vaccines, and quickly realized Cisco technology had the potential to make it an easier process. As the Retail Lead in Cisco’s Americas Industry Sales Organization, he gives us unique insight into the role technology plays in an inclusive recovery.

Linda Tong, the General Manager of AppDynamics which is part of Cisco, didn’t originally set out to work in tech, but she’s all in now. Hear how her diverse background, which includes a stint at the NFL, ultimately led her to AppD, and why she’s so excited about the new Cisco Secure Application.

Cisco’s Chief Privacy Officer, Harvey Jang explains how he went from working in a huge law firm to pivoting to a career in data privacy, and how the pandemic has shown just how important it is to protect people’s information.

Daniel Stewart, Cisco’s Senior Advisor for State and Local Governments, has a life story that is truly unbelievable and inspirational. After living for a time on the streets addicted to drugs and alcohol, he turned his life around as a mayor and leading the New York State prison system, before coming to Cisco. Hear how he uses his life experiences to build a connected justice program.

Learn from influencers and technology executives how SASE is combining cloud security and SD-WAN to support the dynamic secure access needs of digital enterprises, and the factors driving adoption.

Today, security is critical not just for large enterprises, but also small businesses, the public sector, and individuals of every race, gender, age, religion, and culture, in the developing and developed world alike. On this episode of TechBeat, we explore the intersection of cybersecurity and inclusion with Cisco’s Global Lead for Inclusion, Trey Boynton, and Cisco security experts Dug Song, Lothar Renner, Kerry Singleton and Alejandra Hernandez-Montaño.

Scaling an Everest peak and running a small business in a competitive, ever-changing market aren’t entirely different. Both demand speed, agility, and fast, informed decision-making. In this podcast, Cisco TechBeat host Kevin Delaney speaks with Benedikt Bohm, a record-breaking climber who is also the CEO of Dynafit, a maker of high-end mountaineering and skiing gear. Additional insights on the power of digitalization are shared by Bidhan Roy, Cisco’s Managing Director and Head of Commercial ...

In this podcast, host Kevin Delaney explores the future of education technology aimed at keeping students motivated, teachers empowered, and parents sane — with expert advice from Christine Olmstead, Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services at the Orange County Department of Education and Mary Schlegelmilch, a former teacher and school administrator who is now Cisco’s U.S. Public Sector Education Advisor.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, digital connections were indispensable — for education, social interactions, telemedicine, business continuity and so much more. But in places where connectivity is limited, the challenges and tragedies of the pandemic were only heightened. This was especially true in Native American communities across America, where infection rates soared, economic opportunity fell, and, for many, isolation deepened. In this podcast, Cisco TechBeat host Kevin Delaney sp...

Cisco's Bret Hartman shares key strategies for thwarting cyberthreats in the coming year In a free-ranging podcast interview with Kevin Delaney - senior writer for Cisco's Strategy and Storytelling team - Bret shares some of his warnings, predictions, and, above all, best practices for cybersecurity in 2020. Along with insights into the innovative products and solutions in Cisco's portfolio.

Manufacturing has made astonishing progress in recent decades. But there are even greater changes to come, as the Internet itself undergoes its next level of transformation. 5g and WiFi 6 will be a big part of this, by fully enabling data-intensive manufacturing solutions like AI, virtual reality, advanced robotics, and predictive maintenance. The end result? Factories (and products!) that will be cleaner, safer, and more productive than ever before.

The next wave of urban transformation will incorporate technologies like AI, robotics, and advanced video analytics in exciting new ways. But such data-intensive solutions demand a new dimension in wireless connectivity. In this podcast, Cisco's Kevin Delaney explores what the experts are saying about the promise of 5G and WiFi 6 to meet the those demands. While helping to create cities that are cleaner, safer, and a whole lot smarter.

In this podcast, Connected Futures executive editor Kevin Delaney speaks with some of the key players in the 5G RuralFirst consortium. Featuring: Nick Chrissos Shona Croy Greig Paul Stephen Speirs Greg Whitton

Author James Macaulay shares winning strategies for executing business transformation We all talk about being agile, adaptable, and comfortable with change. But in an age when disruption is relentless and the need for transformation seemingly perpetual, few organizations are managing change effectively. James Macaulay is coauthor of Orchestrating Transformation: How To Deliver Winning Performance with a Connected Approach to Change. And he has some key answers: As to how change itself is chan...

If you've have an unforgettable experience at a big concert or music festival this year, there's a pretty good chance that Matt Clair helped to make it happen. In this podcast Connected Futures executive editor Kevin Delaney chats with Matt Clair about his family's history of fast innovation - and their continuing quest to perfect the live music experience.

In this podcast, Kevin Delaney, executive editor of Connected Futures, speaks with Steven Rogelberg, author of The Surprising Science of Meetings: How You Can Lead Your Team to Peak Performance. Rogelberg has some serious answers: as to why meetings are broken, and what business leaders can do to make them effective, inclusive, and, just maybe, fun.

For Joseph Bradley, artificial intelligence has the potential to support an Inclusive Future, in which opportunity, education, and equality touch even the most disadvantaged people on the planet. In a free-ranging interview with Kevin Delaney - senior writer for Cisco's strategy and Storytelling team - Bradley shares concrete advice for business leaders and society as a whole. To ensure that we successfully navigate the profound changes that the next wave of technology change will bring.

Digital technologies have all but kept the world running through the Covid-19 pandemic. But it’s not just technology per se. Outstanding leadership and trusted partnerships enable cities and organizations to pivot quickly to meet big challenges with digital innovations. Take Turin, Italy. In this podcast, Cisco Techbeat host Kevin Delaney speaks with the technology analyst Rob Enderlee, and Dr. Guy Diedrich, global innovation officer for Cisco and leader of the company’...

The pandemic is driving rapid transformation and major challenges. But the best CIOs have been there every step of the way, to guide organizations, scale fast, and implement new technologies and solutions. But even for the most strategic CIOs, it hasn’t been easy. In this podcast, Cisco Techbeat host Kevin Delaney highlights some key insights from a CIO Roundtable discussion from Cisco Live this week, Cisco’s premier education and training event for IT professionals. &nbs...

As the COVID-19 pandemic has stressed, apps need to be created, deployed, and updated faster than ever before. But without knowing it, many developers are building in security flaws at the earliest stages of coding. Pieter Danhieux, CEO of Secure Code Warrior, an Australian DevSecOps startup, is determined to change all that. In this podcast and article, Pieter speaks with Cisco Techbeat host Kevin Delaney about his efforts to bring security awareness and strategy to developers everywhere.

Analyst Patrick Moorhead has spent decades studying the impact of technology on life and work. So, without minimizing the hardships of the global pandemic, he’s fascinated with the reality of millions around the world abandoning their workplaces to collaborate remotely. In this “new normal,” technology is key. And getting it right is critical. That means collaboration tools with end-to-end security and the flexibility to meet any kind of creative situation. In conversation with Cisco TechBeat...

In this episode of Cisco TechBeat, Kevin Delaney speaks with Tae Yoo, Cisco's Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs, about how the private sector can step up to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The conversation touches on the impacts of working and learning from home and addresses the responsibility of businesses to support their employees, communities, and societies. The digital divide is a particular concern for Yoo, and she discusses how closing the divide will positivel...

Cisco's CIO on managing IT in challenging times “If there’s anything this pandemic has taught us,” said Cisco CIO Jacqueline Guichelaar, “it's how important technology is. Technology is the connector. It's what allows the world to continue to function as we all navigate through this situation.” Not that it’s been easy. Guichelaar oversaw the scaling of Cisco’s own remote working capacity from 20 percent of the workforce to 100 percent — all in a matter of days. “Despi...

Hear from three experts -- Flexjobs VP of Employer Engagement and Strategy, Mika Cross, Cisco’s Chief Communications Officer Stella Low and CIO Jacqui Guichelaar -- as they share insights on communicating with, motivating and managing remote teams during a time of crisis and beyond.

Cisco TechBeat Conversations about the new IT agenda Access to technology is access to opportunity. Connectivity on a global scale transcends borders, bridges cultural divides, and ultimately powers a more inclusive future. Cisco TechBeat brings you stories of connection and ingenuity from business leaders, digital innovators, and forward-looking visionaries. Host Kevin Delaney will lead you on an exploration of the place where tec...