Let’s Build Tomorrow Today: The Growth and Passion of IT Management

The IT Management Program gets ready to launch its fifth installment at Cisco Live San Diego, June 7-11. The program has grown exponentially since its inception starting with a group of 50 people hearing about Cisco IT’s journey to a Services Organization. Fast forward to 2015, we expect 700 people to participate in IT Management where they will be exposed to an unbelievably passionate group of IT experts.

The beauty of IT Management is the ability for the Cisco IT folks to connect with our peer customers. IT transformation around IT as a Service, Enterprise Architecture, Continuous Delivery, and the Internet of Everything are not just hot topics, or flavors of the month; they are a reality that we live as Cisco IT employees every day. IT Management provides us with an opportunity to share our stories, talk through the good, the bad, the ugly and through our workshops hopefully enable our customers to begin their own transformation journeys.

For me, I have spent 15 years at Cisco (8 in HR and the last 7 in IT). As a new HR Manager I was fortunate to have both Lance Perry and Guillermo Diaz as clients. Both inspired me with their ability to drive strategy, connect with customers, clients, and create an inclusive and positive work environment. It is leaders like Lance, G, and our CIO, Rebecca Jacoby that motivated me to transition to the IT Organization. Over the past 7 years, I have had the honor of being a part of our Services Transformation, working in the areas of Infrastructure provisioning, costing, the development of our Services strategy inclusive of the portfolio and service roles. My current role within our Enterprise Architecture team has given me insight into our Architecture framework (BOST) and allowed me to work in advancing the connection of Architecture and Services.

This is my first Cisco Live and my first opportunity to speak in a workshop. I am excited to be presenting a pre-conference workshop, “Intro to Services and Building your Catalog,” with my wonderful colleague, Gustav Toppenberg. Together, we will engage participants in starting to think about services and how to define them within their organizations. It is an opportunity to begin a thought process and our hope is that they will leave the session inspired to attend our more in depth workshops on IT as a Service.

I am beyond excited to meet as many customers as possible. I want to hear how they are trying to transform, what areas they are struggling with, and what they feel their keys to success are. I also look forward to sharing as much information as I can to support them. I have the honor of working with our Target, Medtronic and Los Angeles County accounts and I wake up every day looking for opportunities to help them transform their business. It will be an amazing week and I can’t wait to get to San Diego!