My Cisco Global Sales Experience

 

 

As my first Cisco Global Sales Experience (GSX) in Las Vegas has come to a close I am left to reflect on everything I have learned in the past week. The experience was amazing with incredible presentations given by executives Chuck Robbins, Gerri Elliott, Amy Chang, and many others (including THE Shaquille O’Neal!!!); massive strategic sessions; and countless tech demos all over “The Hub.” And yes of course I lost a little at the blackjack tables, but that is just part of the fun! To share a bit of what I learned here are some of my key takeaways from Cisco GSX.

5 Key Opportunities in Networking Today

As we move into the latter portion of 2018, the networking industry is witnessing the strong emergence of 5 key opportunities in this space.

1. Automation

Just like many industries before, automation is here and making life much more efficient than ever before. With the ever-increasing demand on IT departments to be more agile than ever, automation is a necessity. Developing the right automation skillset is paramount to remain at the forefront of innovation. Some of the top tools include Cisco’s Network Services Orchestrator and Ansible.

2. Multi-cloud Reality

It was just a few years ago when “the cloud” was becoming mainstream, and everyone was just going to move their entire IT operation into the cloud. Simple and clean. Or so we thought. Cloud technologies certainly have taken off. However, the transition is anything but simple. There are a million in one cloud offerings from the infrastructure all the way to the software levels with a new company springing up daily. The businesses that thrive are the ones that are able to navigate the multi-cloud reality.

3. Security from the Cloud

Clearly cloud is incredibly important to be two of the 5 key opportunities in networking today. With the offloading of massive amounts of data and workflows migrating to the multi-cloud, along with users increasing mobility; security is more important than ever. Gone are the days of securing entry and exit of a private network.  As such, the attack surface area of information moving to, from, and around the cloud is wider than we can imagine. Now it is an absolute necessity to implement on premise as well as in-cloud security to guarantee scalable security solutions.

4. 5G and the Internet of Things

As 2017 came to a close there were over 8 billion connected devices across the globe. By 2020 that number is estimated to grow to over 20 billion devices. And that kind of growth of the internet of things will require a network infrastructure capable of processing an ever-increasing amount of data. Enter 5G. This technology is faster yes. However, that is not where 5G’s greatest impact will lie. 5G will enable a new wireless revolution supporting vastly increased reliability and density.

5. SD-WAN

Software Defined WAN is no longer in its infancy. SD-WAN helps tie together many aspects of automation, cloud scalability and security, and efficient utilization of WAN bandwidth. All while abstracting much of the complexity involved with manual configuration. This is invaluable from a deployment and operations perspective. Cisco’s acquisition of Viptela for $610 million last August is solid evidence that big players are committed to the development of this technology for the foreseeable future.

 

Speaking with Executives

Perhaps one of my favorite aspects of GSX was how approachable all the executives were! They never shied away from questions and were open in sharing their perspectives on how to do business in the coming years. When speaking with a few VP’s here is the advice they shared with me.

Understand the Third Why

When working with customers and partners it is critical to understand the third “why” they are buying.

The first why could be because they have new budget for the year to spend. However, that is more of a means to purchase rather than the reason for the purchase.

The second why could be because they have expanded to new offices. Again, this is nice and all, but that is more of a where they need product.

The third and true why is their own value proposition. When a client purchases anything, they are doing so to support what it is they do. When we understand the value our clients are trying to put into the world with their business, then and only then, can we work to support their endeavors. That is how to build lasting business relationships.

Be Hungry and Take Calculated Risks

A point one VP could not stress enough was that his generation (generally speaking) was far too cautious in both business and career development. He is a firm believer that those of us just getting started should be hungry and take calculated risks. Do not fear a new responsibility or promotion you feel only 80% ready for. Take it! Then make up the rest while you are there. Two things are made under pressure, dust and diamonds. Take the wrong risk and potentially be crushed. But the correct, calculated risk can catapult you to new heights.

Seize Today’s Opportunity

The opportunity in today’s tech market will dwarf that of the late 90’s dot-com boom. Remember, from 8 billion connected devices to 20 billion in just three years! This is not just an opportunity for Cisco. There is enough pie for everyone to share a piece of all the success. It is not every day a VP of one of the biggest technology companies worldwide states that he is willing to trade the opportunity he had in the 90s for what we have today.

 

Strong. Stronger. Strongest.

The last bit of wisdom from GSX came from CEO Chuck Robbin’s interview with Shaquille O’Neal. On the topic of Strong Stronger Strongest, Shaquille had some fantastic insight. When we are strong, we must seek to become stronger. When we are the strongest, we are in danger. We must not become arrogant or complacent lest we get knocked down and out. From the position of strongest we have a duty to cycle back and focus on becoming continually stronger. It is in this way we lead by example, for leading by example is the only way to lead.