We have traveled far. What used to be technology used by a subset of people is now found in almost every hand, pocket, or purse. Imperative to how we communicate, absorb information, and express ourselves, it has even carried that connectivity to our vehicles – allowing us to listen to our favorite playlists and follow directions to our destinations. Smart phones have changed the way we live.
When talking about Hybrid Work, we would be remiss not to include this as a pillar of conversation. At Webex, we continue to reinforce this with innovations, such as Webex Go and Move to Mobile. That is why I’m extremely excited to introduce Webex for Automobiles.
While the branding is new and deserves this introduction, the concept isn’t new for us. Our vision for this critical piece in a person’s collaboration journey began with our Ford Motor Company partnership, where we introduced the ability to leverage a Webex meeting natively on Ford’s display in the car when pulled over. After that, we announced the next evolution of our partnership with Apple integrating Webex Meetings into Apple CarPlay.
And now – I’m thrilled to also announce that we’ve added Mercedes-Benz Group to the family rounding out the next addition to our Webex for Automobiles. To kick off our partnership, Webex and Mercedes-Benz will provide the optimal mobile office experience in the new Mercedes-Benz E Class vehicles.
It’s clear that the automobile industry recognizes the value of hybrid work and our vision to further support people working on-the-go. Together, we are transforming the car into another extension of the office; truly reinforcing that work is not where you go but what you do.
When you combine these partnerships and our mobility offerings with our Home and Office solutions, there is no one that competes with this holistic approach to Hybrid Work giving people a seamless experience regardless of where or how they work. Personally, I am never in the same place. Earlier this month, I started in my home office, spent time in the San Jose office, back home, then out to the NYC Penn One office, to customer locations, and back to the home office to finish my week. It’s dizzying to see that in print, but how many of us can relate? I believe many people do.
The trick to Hybrid Work is to be able to do our jobs with our focus and concentration on our key tasks, without having to think about the technology. For example, with Webex, I start my day on my Desk Pro and leverage our Move to Mobile capability as I leave for the Cisco San Jose office. With such incredible traffic in the Bay area, I still have one more meeting to join before hitting the office. Apple CarPlay helps me join my next Webex meeting, and when I arrive to San Jose, I can move the meeting to my booked conference room with a Board Pro and continue my day. All of this is done while maintaining the power of Webex features in the background like noise cancellation. I don’t have to think; I just do.
While I wear the hat of SVP & CMO of Webex by Cisco, I also wear the hat of end user. And I’m so thankful to have these incredible experiences embedded in everything I do, regardless of where I work or how I work. I’m thrilled to add Mercedes-Benz to our Webex for Automobiles, and I’m even more excited to know that this is just the beginning. My SVP & CMO hat knows what’s coming next, and trust me, you should not only be excited about our Mercedes-Benz announcement but in the entire automobile experience to come.
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