We have created a new blog series that will focus on the people behind Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at Cisco. Each blog in this series will highlight a different Cisco employee who works closely with CSR initiatives across the company. As a Community Impact Manager at Cisco, Ajay Gopal is dedicated to giving back, supported by the belief that businesses can be a force for good. His continued leadership reflects his convictions within Cisco’s approach to…

Every year, Cisco conducts the Security Outcomes Study (SOS), a fully anonymous survey of over 4,800 active IT, security, and privacy professionals from around the world. Questions are posed around what areas of IT each organization is prioritizing, where they are being successful, and areas of improvement. A plethora of data is collected and then Cisco publishes the annual SOS detailing the analysis. This year, Cisco took it a step further, building out not only…

Yes, summer ended months ago – but, journey back with me for just a (perhaps, warmer) memory. For many, summer camp is a time for outdoor adventure and memories made in canoes and kayaks, swimming with friends, learning how to make knots you’d never think to use, or some kind of woodsy craft. It was a place where summer seemed to last forever.   Many get to experience summer camp growing up, a part of treasured…

As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, the value of IT modernization for state and local government agencies at all levels became crystal clear. Those governments that had invested in more flexible networks and applications were able to rapidly and easily transition to hybrid work environments. This allowed them to provide continuity of critical citizen services even as the outbreak spread. IT modernization also empowered greater security, allowing them to better protect their data, and that of…

If you’re like most small businesses, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated your plans for digital transformation. Practically overnight, you had to shift work from offices to homes or from in-store to online. In fact, the 2020 Small Business Digital Maturity Study conducted by IDC and commissioned by Cisco reveals: More than 70 percent of small businesses are accelerating their digital transformation because of COVID-19. 93 percent of these small businesses said they’re already relying more on…

Uncovering today’s most impactful security practices Security teams today are facing extraordinary challenges – securing and supporting the rapidly accelerated “work from anywhere” model, protecting a workforce under stressors unlike anything we’ve seen before, and battling a threat landscape that’s constantly adapting to exploit cracks in the system. As the Chief Information Security Officer at Cisco, I am laser-focused on building a program that securely enables our business and allows us to effectively manage risk….