What Resellers Can Gain From Attending Cisco Live 2017
- 26 February, 2017 09:59
Cisco Live! 2017 attendees can expect a deep dive into the technology challenges that they and their customers may encounter and the management priorities that will ensure they are able to futureproof their businesses moving forward.
“It’s a huge opportunity to get your hands dirty by using the technology and speaking to the industry experts on-hand to gain specific information of relevance to your job and business,” Anthony Miller, partner development manager, Cisco Global Security Sales Organisation said.
“One of the key trends that we’re seeing is in how partners are expected to interact with their customers. In the past it was enough to speak to the IT team in the customer’s business, but to take security for an example, now the conversations need to be had at the board level. Managing directors and board members alike are now saying ‘are we secure?’, and partners are finding that they need to be able to have broader business-focused discussions with key stakeholders outside of the IT function. We are positioning Cisco Live! as an opportunity to manage these discussions, while building up their understanding of the security landscape at the moment.”
As an exclusive event for resellers, Stephen Martino, Cisco’s global CSO will be hosting a breakfast briefing that showcases how Cisco secures its own environment, covering the business discussions that led to those security decisions. From the standpoint of the partners, this is an invaluable opportunity to gain insight directly from a CSO’s perspective and be able to have their relevant questions answered.
With 300+ sessions running over the week, there will be more than 40 sessions dedicated to security alone, a key focus of the 2017 event. Each of the sessions is led by senior member of the business unit to talk to topics ranging from the highly technical to the strategic; including sessions on Cisco’s new CCNA Cyber Ops certification, information on updates and new products in each of Cisco’s many security divisions, and sessions covering ‘building network security policy through data intelligence,’ and ‘clustering deep dive.’
“Under the banner of the Cyber Security Experience, we’re hosting technical sessions, leadership sessions, and hands-on experiences. We really do have sessions there to cater to all audiences,” Miller said. “There’s so much stuff coming at us all at once these days; new customer connections, new sourcing models, and rapid changes in critical threats. The key question that we’re theming the event around this year is ‘how do we take on digitisation, and do so securely?’”
Additionally, Cisco Live! will give attendees the opportunity to get some quality one-on-one time with subject matter experts through the Meet the Expert program, where they will have the opportunity to meet with one of the Cisco Live! speakers and address areas of need, pain points, or how to advance their businesses. The World Solutions area on the convention floor will also give resellers a chance to walk around and and get first-hand experience with the technology being displayed in the sessions
And of course, as with any event that brings 6,500 of the country’s leading technology minds together, the Cisco Live! 2017 event will be a major opportunity for networking. Lunch is served daily in the World of Solutions area, while Think Tanks and in-depth sessions give attendees the opportunity to interact with one another, as well as the on-hand experts. Key Cisco partners will also be in attendance and exhibiting, allowing you to get a feel for how Cisco fits into the overall technology mix within the country.
What’s more, this is just the security side of Cisco’s business, with hundreds of sessions and tracks, there is no end to the knowledge that resellers can gain from every facet of technology by attending the event.
