A Partnership Soaring to New Heights

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” This African proverb is a testament to how two forces can come together to reach and scale new heights. With shared principles, goals, and commitments — the sky truly is the limit.

For over 28 years, Cisco and Dimension Data have been on an accelerated journey to achieve greatness and change the world. Our two companies share a common, core belief. We hold the ability to not only enable our technology to deliver business outcomes and prepare our customers for digital transformation, but we also have the power to leverage our expertise and innovative capacities to solve some of the world’s greatest challenges.

Further together, in Conservation

Together, Cisco and Dimension Data deployed our Connected Conservation solution in 2015 — with the aim of protecting endangered animals for future generations. Our solution was implemented in a private game reserve in South Africa and it has achieved incredible results: reducing poaching by 96% in the first 18 months with a 100% reduction in poaching in 2017, 2018, and to date, in 2019.

Last week in London, our partnership took another exciting step; we were joined by our clients, members of the media, and conservationists for an exclusive screening of a new National Geographic documentary, Save This Rhino. The two-part documentary series follows cricket legends Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Smith, and Outback Wrangler Matt Wright as they shed light on the rhino crisis in South Africa as well as feature solutions – like Connected Conservation – to combat the staggering number of rhinos being poached. Currently, three rhinos are killed every day, and if this continues, the animal will be extinct by 2025. Our solution aims to protect these endangered animals, while also positively impacting tourism and job creation in local communities surrounding the reserves. Corporate Social Responsibility is a core tenet for both of our companies, and we’re preserving the natural wildlife and the heritage of the land and people through digital transformation.

Discovering a new frontier, in Innovation

Together, we are demonstrating the power of technology and how it can be used to protect endangered species, leaving them to roam freely, but we aren’t stopping there. We’re accelerating and co-innovating in new ways — combining our knowledge and capabilities to transform ideas into viable, deployable technologies. Our chief technology officers (CTOs) recently came together to sign a co-innovation agreement, building a new roadmap for innovation in key areas including Blockchain, IoT, 5G, and many others. Our clients are at the forefront of this effort and play a great role in the insight and development process, ensuring that we’re creating client-centric solutions.

I’m inspired by the pace and vigor of our partnership — we’re carving a new path and reaching #FurtherTogether. View our partnership page on Cisco.com for more great stories, and follow #SaveThisRhino and #ConnectedConservation on social for more news about the documentary.