Reflecting on a Great Cisco Partner Connection Week

One of the things I value most about Cisco Partner Connection week is the in-depth conversations I get to have with many of our top partners across the globe. I heard from many of you about the customer conversations you are having about operational efficiency, risk management, and customer and workforce experience. I also got to hear from Cisco executives like Ruba Borno about the limitless opportunities for security and automation, and also learn how companies like Intel are helping customers transition in the digital age. Now that I’m back home and reflecting on the event, I realize how energized I am to share these new opportunities with our partners.

While there was a small group of us in Miami, the takeaways are for all of our partners. As promised, many of our session recordings and presentations are now available on Cisco SalesConnect. From technology focus areas like Cisco Digital Network Architecture or the new AppDynamics to doing what we all love most – winning – you can easily catch everything you missed in Miami and share it with your colleagues.

Speaking of replays, did you see our Facebook Live videos? I made my Facebook Live debut at the event, and talked about increasing profitability, key technologies and more. Then, Scott Mohr discussed what’s next in the world of data center and cloud, highlighting Cisco CloudCenter and all things public, private, and hybrid cloud. Finally, Oren Singer showed us the importance of digital marketing and how to take advantage of the ENGAGE Marketing Suite. Those won’t be our last Facebook Live videos, so be sure to follow us on Facebook.

Continuing Our Commitment to Innovation

Throughout the week, we highlighted several new offerings that you can start selling today.

Mobility Express and Aironet 1815 Access Points – A suite of new products targeted at small and medium-sized customers. First, an updated version of Cisco Mobility Express — the easy-to-use management software for Cisco wireless products. With Mobility Express customers can quickly deploy a low-cost, high-performance solution. The Cisco Aironet 1815 Access Point series is made up of four, low-cost, sleek devices. The access points are easy-to-deploy and manage thanks to Mobility Express. Visit the Partner Launch Hub on Cisco SalesConnect for more information and sales tools.

Microsoft Azure Stack — Cisco is accelerating hybrid cloud adoption by offering Microsoft Azure Stack on Cisco UCS. By combining Microsoft’s robust Azure cloud platform with Cisco’s UCS server platform designed for cloud workloads, customers gain a powerful, cloud-ready solution with full control over how they manage data, governance, security, and performance. Learn more in Liz Centoni’s blog post.

Docker Partnership — Together with Docker we are delivering unique and open solutions that help IT organizations rapidly and efficiently build, ship, and run their containerized applications. Read Ken Spear’s blog post to learn more.

NGFW 2100 and Cisco Umbrella Secure Internet Gateway — We continue to innovation to help strengthen customers’ defenses on premises and in the cloud. View details on the Security Launches SalesConnect page.

I also announced several new partner incentives, program enhancements, and even a sales contest to help you accelerate growth. Keep an eye out for my next blog with more details about the updates to New Account Breakaway, VIP, and Cisco Capital Easy Pay.

How do we kick off #CiscoPCW? With @nsheth_ahimsa talking about what we all love most: winning! pic.twitter.com/9yOWqRrmjj

— Cisco Partners (@CiscoPartners) March 28, 2017

After you catch up on the events sessions, feel free to ask me any questions and Tweet your key takeaways to @nsheth_ahimsa. Cheers to another successful #CiscoPCW! I’m already looking forward to PCW in 2018!