20 Years and Beyond: A celebration of #Cisco Capital and what’s next for financial innovation

As 2017 comes to a close, we look back at one of the most interesting inflection points in the business landscape. Competition is increasing as growth remains tepid. Geo-political tensions swelled as certainty decreased. In many ways, 2017 was an unprecedented year.

It was also an exciting year for Cisco Capital as we celebrated our 20th anniversary. Throughout the year, we’ve reminisced over the changes we’ve seen in the last two decades: the dot-com boom and bust, the introduction of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform, the rise of usage-based financing and more. It’s been an incredible journey as we’ve looked back at how our team at Cisco Capital has positively impacted the world.

For 20 years, we’ve been part of everyday lives. Consider the following examples:

When Usain Bolt, the fastest man in the world won three gold metals at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Cisco Capital helped deliver the most technologically connected Olympic and ParaOlympic Games to date.

Through a partnership, Cisco Capital has helped to digitize India by enabling a broader network of schools, hospitals and businesses. As a result, there is better access to healthcare, education and an improved quality of life.

And when the country of Uruguay set a goal to provide every student access to a computer, Cisco Capital enabled the delivery of almost half a million of laptops to students and teachers in the primary education system. Our work changed the quality of education in Uruguay – resulting in increased self-esteem in students, improved motivation of students and teachers, and active participation by parents.

So what’s next?

In the next month, you will undoubtedly see forecasts and projected business trends for 2018. As captive financing organizations like Cisco Capital remain increasingly important for business and economic growth, we must remain tuned in to not only how we can adapt to trends, but also how we can help our customers and partners adapt to business transformation and keep pace with the rapid pace of change.

Major market transitions over the last two decades have driven change at every level. However, our commitment to customers and partners remains steadfast – and it will in the years to come.

We are driven to help customers and partners transform and grow their businesses through the acquisition of Cisco-led solutions. But acquiring solutions isn’t enough. We want to make a positive impact and enable our customers to pay for the tools they need in a seamless, flexible and affordable manner.

2018 and Beyond

As we prepare for 2018, organizations, regardless of size, should consider how flexible payment solutions can help them gain a strategic advantage in a rapidly changing environment.

More than ever, customers are shifting their buying behaviors towards pay-per-use models, cloud-based models, and/or bundled solutions that include a combination of hardware, software, and services. Meanwhile, the competitive business landscape is driving aggressive payment terms, pricing and risk appetites. We are continuing to innovate to address these needs.

Next year will bring unique challenges and victories. I’m hopeful it will also be a year when business leaders continue to leverage innovative, flexible payment options to navigate in an ever-changing digital world.

There will be new opportunities for predictive analytics, artificial intelligence, robotics, machine learning and more. We are eager to help our customers and partners capture a competitive advantage while driving operational efficiencies, enhancing decision making and enabling an efficient technology acquisition strategy. As we wrap up our 20th anniversary, we look forward to working together with our customers and partners to transform the world for decades to come.

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