Cisco's FY24 Purpose Report: Looking back while looking ahead

As the world enters the intelligent age and Cisco enters its fourth decade, we have an incredible opportunity to drive ethical, responsible, and sustainable leadership – and to bring others along with us. The ability to access and leverage digital technologies is becoming more critical as AI develops. Technology is now a foundational pillar for our society, people, government, and environment. It has also become the backbone of resiliency, providing the access and capabilities that ecosystems need to not just survive, but thrive.

Cisco’s Purpose: Powering an Inclusive Future for All

The difficult truth, however, is that much of the world’s population still cannot be described as “resilient” and the gap is widening as innovation and change accelerate. At Cisco, we have the unique opportunity to responsibly drive impact on a global scale. We know that when we put our Purpose into practice, we drive growth for our business, people, and communities. Now, just ahead of Cisco’s 40^th anniversary, I’m thrilled to share our FY24 Purpose Report, detailing our goals, accomplishments, and the opportunities ahead as we work to Power an Inclusive Future for All. Here are some highlights of the year:

• Named #1 Best Company to Work For in 16 countries by Fortune and Great Place to Work
• 86% of our employees drove community impact by donating, volunteering, advocating for causes, and more. This marks our 5^th year in a row above 80% employee participation.
• 96% of electricity for Cisco facilities came from renewable sources
• The Cisco Foundation committed $35 million to fund climate solutions since FY21
• Cisco Talos observed 800 billion security events each day, driving global cyber resiliency
• Cisco Crisis Responses responded to 30+ natural disasters and humanitarian crises
• Through Cisco Networking Academy, we reached 4.7 million students in FY24 – and even opened the first floating Networking Academy in the Amazon
• Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration program has 1,600 active, completed, or in-pipeline projects across 50 countries

Partnerships Built on Trust 

Our Purpose is woven internally across our company and is also scaled externally by a network of dedicated partners. Our success is fueled by the work of many – many people, companies, communities, governments, Partners, customers, institutions, and others seeking to change our world for the better. But this critical work can only be accomplished when one key element is present: trust. Trust with our customers, government leaders, our people, and our communities. We know that trust is our most valuable currency. The 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer found that businesses are most trusted to integrate innovations into society — more than NGOs, government, or the media. Cisco is committed to leading with secure, trusted solutions, just as we have for 40 years. It’s a privilege to have that trust and a responsibility that Cisco doesn’t take lightly. 

For All 

There’s enormous opportunity in AI, but we must bring others along. As we look at emerging markets around the globe, the potential economic impact of AI is immense. Recent estimates suggest AI could increase Africa’s economy by US$2.9 trillion by 2030 and that India’s AI services could be worth US$17 billion by 2027. But this incredible potential can only be realized if work is done to close the digital and data divide along the way. Africa and India — along with many other developing economies — lag far behind in resiliency and connectivity, curtailing access to education, healthcare, jobs, and more.

In fact, 2.6 billion people around the world are still without Internet access and even among those that are connected, there are disparities in quality and affordability. Fixed-broadband Internet needed for data-intensive apps is prohibitively expensive, if available at all. And 3G – not even 4G – remains the prevalent mobile technology in less economically-developed countries. Reliably and securely connecting populations is the first step toward inclusion, and we should all feel the imperative to connect the unconnected and battle this growing divide.

Our Next Big Ambition: 40 Communities 

40 years ago, Cisco was founded to address a basic need — the need for connection. Since then, Cisco has connected communities, countries, and continents across the world, accelerating technology and impacting more than one billion lives in the process. As we celebrate 40 years of impact, we’re excited to introduce our next big ambition: 40 Communities. Over the next 10 years, we intend to engage, support, and invest in 40 communities around the world.

To do so, we plan to expand upon existing offerings and contributions — including funding, technology, and expertise — in both communities where Cisco is currently engaged and newly identified communities. But, most importantly, we’ll tap into our community partners — on-the-ground experts who truly understand a community’s biggest needs, goals, and opportunities, and who can help us best determine how we can create the greatest impact.

Looking Back While Looking Ahead

I’ve been lucky enough to have a front-row view of Cisco’s innovation and growth for nearly 30 of these past 40 years, and I find myself reflecting on how much our Purpose work—ranging from digital skilling to Circular Design Principles—has evolved in the past four decades. As we’ve showcased in this year’s Purpose Report, our progress is accelerating, especially as AI helps us become more human, more creative, and more productive.

And yet, there is still so much more for us to do. Looking ahead, we’ll never be able to anticipate all the needs or how our societies will shift. But we can commit to being powered by our Purpose and helping communities around the world build a more resilient and inclusive future for all.

We invite you to help Cisco Power an Inclusive Future for All: Partnering for Purpose

Learn more:

Cisco Purpose Reporting Hub

Cisco Networking Academy

Cisco Country Digital Acceleration

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