Thought Leader | Technology Consultant

ZKast

ZKast, is a thought leadership series where Zeus Kerravala interviews thought leaders from the technology community. To be a guest on ZKast, please contact Zeus Kerravala at zeus@zkresearch.com

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Location: Cisco House, Promenade 87 – Davos, SwitzerlandEvent: World Economic Forum (WEF) 2026As we enter the true "AI Era," the conversation at the World Economic Forum has shifted from theoretical potential to tangible workforce transformation. Join Zeus Kerravala of ZK Research as he sits down with Fran Katsoudas, Cisco’s Chief People, Policy, and Purpose Officer, to discuss how the world’s leading organizations are navigating the intersection of AI, culture, and leadership.In this episode, we dive into:The 13% Reality Check: Why most companies are struggling to extract real value from AI despite the hype.The "Leader-Led" Effect: Discover why teams are 2x more likely to use AI when their managers lead by example.Training vs. Choice: Why mandatory AI training is failing, and why "bite-sized" exploration is the secret to adoption.The Shift in Success Metrics: Why "Learning Agility" is the #1 skill for the 2026 workforce.AI as an "Exoskeleton": How Cisco is reclaiming 5+ hours a week for employees while maintaining team trust.Fran shares why the future of AI isn't about GPUs—it's about workflows, value, and the radical transparency required to bring employees along on the journey.Table of Contents: 0:00 - Intro: Cisco at Davos (29 Years of Impact) 1:45 - The Tangible Shift: Moving past the AI hype 3:10 - Skills vs. Roles: Preparing the AI-Ready Workforce 5:00 - The "Aha" Moment: Learning from students and super-users 7:30 - Why AI success is a Leadership Issue 9:15 - What works (and what doesn't) in AI adoption 11:45 - Quantifying the benefits: Reclaiming 5 hours a week 14:00 - Advice for leaders struggling with AI strategyKey Quote:"We’ve done so much to humanize AI, and I don’t think that serves us well. We need to recognize the role that we have as humans to shape where we go." — Fran Katsoudas@Cisco @wef

Zeus Kerravala 25.9K

2026 ZKast #19 - Rethinking the AI-Ready Workforce: Cisco’s Purpose-Driven Strategy at WEF 2026

Zeus Kerravala 8 hours ago

2026 ZKast #19 - Rethinking the AI-Ready Workforce: Cisco’s Purpose-Driven Strategy at WEF 2026

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2026 ZKast #19 - Rethinking the AI-Ready Workforce: Cisco’s Purpose-Driven Strategy at WEF 2026

Zeus Kerravala 6.3K views 8 hours ago

Is retail moving too slow? Not anymore. Join Zeus Kerravala of ZK Research as he goes inside the Cisco booth at NRF (National Retail Federation) in New York to sit down with Jesse Ameli, SVP of US Commercial Sales. From the "One Cisco" platform approach to AI-ready infrastructure, find out how the world’s leading retailers are leveraging technology to drive revenue and operational efficiency.In this episode, we explore:🚀 AI-Ready Infrastructure: Why Cisco is moving from point products to a comprehensive, secure platform.🌐 Cisco Unified Edge: The purpose-built platform that brings compute, storage, security, and GPUs directly to the store edge for real-time AI inferencing.🤖 The WebEx AI Agent: Meeting customers where they are—whether it’s text, audio, or a handoff to a human expert.✨ Holographic Assistants: Meet "Kaylee," the digital assistant powered by Unified Edge that’s redefining customer service in retail and QSR (Quick Service Restaurants).📊 The Splunk Advantage: How 18 months of integration has turned retail data into actionable insights with full-stack observability.Table of Contents: 0:00 - Introduction to NRF & Jesse1:12 - How AI is changing the speed of Retail 2:30 - The "One Cisco" Platform Approach 4:15 - Deep Dive: The WebEx AI Agent 6:00 - Meet Kaleigh Bisconti: AI Holograms in the Store 7:45 - What is Cisco Unified Edge? 9:20 - Splunk Integration: Visibility & Outcomes 11:00 - Conclusion & Final ThoughtsLearn more about Cisco Retail solutions: https://www.cisco.com/site/us/en/solutions/industries/retail/index.html#Cisco #NRF2026 #RetailTech #ArtificialIntelligence #EdgeComputing #Splunk #WebEx #DigitalTransformation #ZKAst@Cisco @NationalRetailFederation @CiscoMerakiOfficial @Splunkofficial

2026 ZKast #18- Beyond the Tech: How Cisco is Driving Retail Outcomes with AI & Unified Edge | NRF26

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2026 ZKast #18- Beyond the Tech: How Cisco is Driving Retail Outcomes with AI & Unified Edge | NRF26

Zeus Kerravala 10.3K views February 6, 2026 3:09 pm

2026 ZKast #17 - Beyond the Call Center: How AI and 8x8 "Engage" are Redefining Retail CX | NRF 2026

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2026 ZKast #17 - Beyond the Call Center: How AI and 8x8 "Engage" are Redefining Retail CX | NRF 2026

Zeus Kerravala 25.5K views February 5, 2026 4:19 pm

2026 ZKast #16 - How Cisco is Revolutionizing Retail with AI-Ready Secure Networking | NRF 2026

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2026 ZKast #16 - How Cisco is Revolutionizing Retail with AI-Ready Secure Networking | NRF 2026

Zeus Kerravala 25.7K views February 4, 2026 10:38 am

2026 ZKast #15 - NRF 2026: It’s Not a Tech Show, It’s an Outcome Show | Whats new in networking

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2026 ZKast #15 - NRF 2026: It’s Not a Tech Show, It’s an Outcome Show | Whats new in networking

Zeus Kerravala 22.7K views January 30, 2026 1:47 pm

2026 ZKast #14 - AI-Powered Training for Everyone? Lumistar Tennis & Basketball Robots | CES 2026

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2026 ZKast #14 - AI-Powered Training for Everyone? Lumistar Tennis & Basketball Robots | CES 2026

Zeus Kerravala 21.2K views January 29, 2026 3:01 pm

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Real-Time, Recorded

The Heard is a weekly talk/chat format where Dave Michels and Zeus Kerravala discuss current topics in enterprise communications.

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Dave and Zeus discuss NICE Interactions and Five9.

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RealTime Recorded: CCaaS June

Real-Time, Recorded June 28, 2024 9:57 pm

RealTime Recorded: CCaaS June

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RealTime Recorded: CCaaS June

Real-Time, Recorded 19 views June 28, 2024 9:57 pm

Dave and Zeus provide updates on 5 recent events: #MWC24, #8x8AnalystSummit, #RingCentralAnalystSummit, #HPAmplify, #Five9AnalystSummit.00:00 Intro00:55 MWC4:55 RingCentral Summit7:40 8x8 Summit13:25 HP Amplify.18:44 Five9 Analyst Summit25:25 EC24 Upcoming27:55 NVidia and AI

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Real TIme Recorded Q124 Events

Real-Time, Recorded 2.1K views March 19, 2024 6:14 am

Dave and Zeus discuss recent earnings reports in enterprise comms.

Real-Time, Recorded Earnings Reports

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Real-Time, Recorded Earnings Reports

Real-Time, Recorded 41 views February 24, 2024 1:57 am

Real-Time, Recorded - AI

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Real-Time, Recorded - AI

Real-Time, Recorded 131 views January 3, 2024 10:34 pm

Real-Time, Recorded! Zoomtopia 2023

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Real-Time, Recorded! Zoomtopia 2023

Real-Time, Recorded 50 views October 4, 2023 9:42 pm

Dave and Zeus discuss the Zoom Analyst event #ZoomPerspective23.

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Real-Time, Recorded Zoom Perspectives 23

Real-Time, Recorded 26 views August 8, 2023 5:02 am

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Videos

ZKast

2026 ZKast #19 - Rethinking the AI-Ready Workforce: Cisco’s Purpose-Driven Strategy at WEF 2026

Real-Time, Recorded

RealTime Recorded: CCaaS June