Driving Sustainability Forward: The Power of Innovative Partnerships

In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, sustainability is more than a buzzword; it’s a critical component of corporate strategy and a key driver of innovation. CEOs almost universally believe that it’s their responsibility to make their businesses more sustainable.[i]

At Cisco, we are committed to leading the charge towards a more sustainable future by harnessing the power of technology and collaboration. This commitment was front and center at Cisco Live EMEA in February, where we showcased how we’re collaborating and innovating with our partners to drive toward a more sustainable future, together.

Sustainability is a journey, not a destination. It demands continuous innovation and collaboration across the ecosystem to drive meaningful change. Our partners, including industry leaders like Logicalis, Orange Business, and CAE Technology Services Limited, exemplify the power of partnership in accelerating this journey. And each partner has taken a different approach to the challenge we collectively face, creating unique opportunities and solutions to support customers’ business needs and sustainability goals.

Transforming Networks with Environmental Impact in Mind

Logicalis is at the forefront of building more sustainable networks. The company leverages its expertise to evaluate customers’ carbon footprints and guide them toward infrastructures that are more energy efficient and use fewer resources. Logicalis helps customers refresh their networks with a focus on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction, energy savings, and circularity. Its Digital Fabric Platform offers a real-time view of digital infrastructure, empowering organizations to make informed decisions that can mitigate emissions and reduce costs. By integrating sustainability into network design, Logicalis is driving both environmental and economic benefits for its customers.

Harnessing Data for Sustainability

Orange Business has taken a bold step forward with its 360° Sustainability Data Hub. Developed in collaboration with Cisco, this solution offers a centralized real-time view of multi-source energy consumption data, enabling data-driven decisions for environmental sustainability. By transforming IT equipment into intelligent sensors, Orange Business enables automated energy management and intelligent systems integration. This innovation can optimize energy consumption and reduce the carbon footprint of buildings. Additionally, Orange Business promotes the purchase of remanufactured equipment through Cisco Refresh and the reuse and recycling of end-of-life devices, further contributing to circularity and resource efficiency.

Intelligent Energy Optimization

Powered by CAE’s innovation platform CAE Labs, WiserWatts is a networking solution that responds to a customer’s demand and appetite for new solutions that can help their organization reduce GHG emissions and make progress toward their net zero goals. WiserWatts leverages intelligent energy-saving techniques to cut energy use and costs. By cleverly scheduling ports and powering down access points and switches outside of business hours, CAE reduces the environmental impact of customer networks. CAE is helping customers reduce operational costs and energy waste while making progress toward their sustainability targets.

The partnerships Cisco cultivates with Logicalis, Orange Business and CAE demonstrate that by combining resources and fostering innovation, together we can amplify our impact, drive systemic change, and address business and sustainability goals.

Insights from Cisco Executives

In addition to the partner panel discussion and solutions showcased at the Sustainability Hub, events like Cisco Live EMEA also give us a chance to connect with some of our sustainability stakeholders at Cisco to get their perspective on what’s most important in the world of sustainability right now.

Denise Lee, Vice President for Cisco’s Engineering Sustainability Office, emphasized the critical role of partnerships in driving sustainability forward. “Our sustainability showcase at Cisco Live EMEA was a testament to the power of collaboration. By working together with our partners, we can innovate and create solutions that push the boundaries of what’s possible in sustainability,” she shared.

Colin Seward, Senior Director in Cisco’s Chief Sustainability Office, highlighted the significance of data in this journey. “Data is key to environmental sustainability efforts. One way we’re leveraging data is by piloting an API with partners to make product carbon footprint (PCF) data readily available. This transparency empowers organizations to make data-driven decisions that are critical to achieving their sustainability goals,” he stated.

Katherine Hannah, who leads sustainability for Cisco’s partner organization, added “I was honored to welcome Logicalis, CAE, and Orange to our Sustainability Zone—our third year of the zone, but the first with a partner showcase. Cisco partners play a crucial role in helping customers address their sustainability goals while benefiting from cost-effective, high-quality, and energy efficient solutions. By embedding sustainability into their strategies, partners can create competitive advantages and unlock new market opportunities, delivering real value to customers.”

Call to Action

As we reflect on the insights and innovations shared at Cisco Live EMEA, it’s clear that the path to greater sustainability is paved with collaboration and innovation. We invite our customers and partners to join us on this important journey.

Sustainability is not just a checkbox for compliance; it’s a strategic imperative that drives value, innovation, and resilience. At Cisco, we believe that sustainability is good for business and the planet, and we will continue working with our partners and customers to provide value on both fronts.

Explore our partner-facing sustainability resources or reach out to your Cisco Partner Account Manager or Account Manager to learn more about how we can work together to support your sustainability goals.

[i] Want business growth tomorrow? Act on climate today, Accenture, 2024

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