Understanding Cisco's Role In Your BT Strategy

As the business technology (BT) agenda gains momentum, CIOs will reassess and evolve their technology vendor portfolio. CIOs need to evaluate if their main technology vendors support the required new business practices and focus on crucial BT technologies. In this report, we analyze to what extent Cisco will or will not be a leading contributor to the BT agenda. We highlight the steps that Cisco has undertaken toward transforming itself into a provider of BT solutions. But we also investigate the challenges Cisco must overcome to attain its goal of becoming a strategic business partner. Cisco has made massive investments in its portfolio and go-to-market strategies that help to sustain its role as a preferred vendor to most of its clients. We believe, however, that Cisco still has some distance to travel to transform its skillsets and business culture to become a strategic BT provider. The leadership transition offers Cisco the opportunity to redouble its efforts to strengthen digital and customer experience skills, flatten its corporate hierarchies, and build a strong digital ecosystem of software and services partners.