Cisco Live was held last week in what has become my second home, Las Vegas. I had dubbed this the most important Cisco Live in the Chuck Robbins era, as the company is looking to put a stake in the artificial intelligence ground. Simultaneously, Cisco Systems Inc. is integrating its Splunk acquisitions and reshaping the security business in real time. For most companies, doing one of these things would be all-encompassing, but these are not typical times.
The 2024 edition of Cisco Systems Inc.’s global user event Cisco Live is particularly important, as artificial intelligence has redefined networking, security, observability and collaboration. The fundamental tenet of my research is that share shifts happen when markets transition, putting the incumbent vendors at risk if they don’t evolve with the industry. In the past, Cisco has leveraged market transitions to grow its share in switching, voice-over-internet-protocol, Wi-Fi, security and other areas.
The annual Cisco Live 2024, to be held June 2-6 in Las Vegas, will boast Elton John as the music artist performing at the Wednesday night celebration event, as well as seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady and Formula 1 driver Oscar Piastri as special guests. However, while those names create exciting entertainment, the more than 20,000 attendees are there to learn the latest and greatest in Cisco Systems Inc. technology and innovation.
It’s early June, so for networking professionals, it’s time for Cisco Live, Cisco Systems Inc.’s annual user event, which typically involves the announcement of a cornucopia of product news. The 2023 edition of Cisco Live was no different, although most product news was related to building broader solutions that leverage multiple products.
At Cisco’s global user event, Cisco Live, held recently in Las Vegas, Cisco didn’t launch several new routers, switches, and security devices as is usually the case. Instead, the announcements were centered around platforms and cross-product integration to simplify operations while delivering more value.