We’re back in Melbourne this week where our Webex Integration Partners are enjoying the summer weather while reconnecting with customers, Cisco leaders and industry peers. The event covered the latest Cisco products and innovations, from networking and security to collaboration, sustainability and much more – all designed to power unprecedented business outcomes and build a better, more inclusive future.
Dave West, President, Asia Pacific, Japan and Greater China, Cisco, kicked off the keynote presentations with a timeless observation: “Every innovation that ever existed was at some point considered impossible until someone said, ‘Let’s go.’” Like the invention of the telephone and airplanes, “this generation will experience an inflection point like no other,” he told the packed crowd at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is what everybody is talking about, West said, but according to a recent survey, only 17% of companies are ready to digest it. That’s where Cisco’s fast-converged infrastructure can be a game-changer.
Another hot topic among business leaders, West said, is around delivering outcomes. For Cisco, that means “helping people transform the business and deliver the value we promised them.” Partners will be key to this mission, said Jacqui Guichelaar, Cisco’s Senior Vice President/General Manager, Customer Experience, APJC. The focus of her efforts is to “get to outcomes faster, together with partners.”
Fireside chat
Dave engaged in a lively on-stage “fireside chat” with Jeetu Patel, Executive Vice President/General Manager, Security & Collaboration, Cisco. After some friendly banter about the outcome of the recent ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup—won by Australia—the two delved into the latest Cisco innovations in everything from network security to hybrid work.
Jeetu cited a recent workplace survey showing that 78% of companies want their employees to come back into the office, but the workers don’t want the experience to be the same as before COVID. Companies will need to create a “fundamentally reimagined workspace,” Jeetu explained.
With the latest Webex capabilities and help from our partner ecosystem, companies can replace workplace mandates with a “magnet” that draws employees back to work and makes them more productive than ever before.
Webex and our Integration Partners are empowering remote participants to feel more connected in meetings – to the point where you “can’t feel the distance,” Jeetu said. With the help of Webex’s AI capabilities, we’re making that a reality with features like background noise suppression, real-time speech-to-text translation in 120 languages, and cinematic meetings that make you feel like you’re in the same room even if you’re thousands of miles away.
The whole environment is enhanced by an AI-powered Webex Assistant to help with notes, action items, reminders, and more by using voice commands. These are just a few of the “magical experiences,” that are making Webex smarter, more efficient, and easier to use. Plus, these same AI capabilities are integrated into Webex Contact Center, improving the agent experience by making sure customers get better answers and never have to stay on hold.
Webex Integration Partners making a difference
It seems like everywhere you turned at Cisco Live in Melbourne you ran into Webex Partners mixing with customers, demoing their solutions, and chatting with Cisco and industry experts.
The team was really busy at the “Build with Webex” booth in the World of Solutions. Here the Webex subject matter experts showcased a suite of demos from Adobe, BasicOps, Google, Imagicle, Outreach, PitchHub and Variphy to a host of excited and engaged customers.
“The team was kept super busy with constant customer discussions,” said Sheshadri Mookherjee, Webex Product Manager. “Customers are particularly interested to hear how Webex is able to deliver collaboration experiences in the applications they work with every day. Customers were also anxious to hear how integration partners are building AI experiences that will drive productivity and transformation. All in all, it was a great Cisco Live”.
Newest additions to the Webex App Hub
Since WebexOne, partners have continued to contribute new integration and application experiences to Webex App Hub. These include:
ChallengeRunner is an employee fitness challenge management platform for creating, managing, and tracking health and wellness challenges.
OneBilll for Webex Wholesale Service Providers provides a unified agile billing & monetization platform for wholesale service providers.
Secret Santa allows you to organize a Secret Santa gift exchange with your Webex contacts.
Vcita provides business owners with all the solutions needed under one roof: payments & invoicing, scheduling, CRM, Email & SMS marketing, and more.
Find these integrations and so many more at the Webex App Hub or build your own integration with our wide offering of SDKs and APIs.
Missed this year’s Cisco Live Melbourne event? You can relive the experience by watching all the on-demand sessions here.
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