{"id":14560,"date":"2025-01-12T21:19:17","date_gmt":"2025-01-12T21:19:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/powering-resilient-communities-cisco-blogs\/"},"modified":"2025-01-12T21:19:17","modified_gmt":"2025-01-12T21:19:17","slug":"powering-resilient-communities-cisco-blogs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/powering-resilient-communities-cisco-blogs\/","title":{"rendered":"Powering Resilient Communities – Cisco Blogs"},"content":{"rendered":"

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In 2024, opportunity, disruption, and innovation intersected and accelerated at a previously unimagined pace. As a global community, we began to embrace AI to elevate work, government, economies, and the environment. But we also had to meet the accompanying risks \u2013 a widening digital divide, cyber threats, and the technology\u2019s vast energy consumption. With over 60 countries gearing up for elections and new administrations this year, the political landscape added complexity as did the global workforce shortage of skilled talent. All these forces at play showed us again why resilience is so important.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking back at the year, I reaffirmed some established beliefs and intentions, that:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. we are all accountable for making sure no one gets left behind.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. technology and digital skilling are a direct path to opportunity.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. we will apply Cisco\u2019s unique capabilities \u2013 technology, scale, and trust \u2013 to drive change on a global scale.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. we can\u2019t succeed without public-private partnership.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    At the same time, I\u2019ve never felt a stronger need to do things differently \u2013 to think about \u201cresilience\u201d in a new way, take a holistic approach, and build agile, data-driven models to guide and scale our work around the world, for decades to come.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Redefining Resilience<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

    In 29 years at Cisco, I have come to see that resilience is more than just surviving adversity. Resilience is a set of conditions and capabilities that enable a system to convert disruption into opportunities for growth and innovation. But resilience can only exist when a community has equitable access to opportunity and the potential to thrive \u2013 an aspiration of humans throughout history. Today, however, we face the difficult truth that most of the world\u2019s communities aspire to be resilient, yet they face almost insurmountable challenges. The gap in global resiliency is widening as technology accelerates.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    The Role of Technology\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

    Today, technology is tightly integrated with resiliency, providing the access and capabilities needed to be connected and participate in society. But everything depends on having secure, high-quality connection. 2.6 billion people around the world are still without Internet access and even among those that are connected, there are disparities in quality and affordability. Fixed-broadband Internet needed for data-intensive apps is prohibitively expensive, if available at all. 3G \u2013 not even 4G \u2013 remains the prevalent mobile technology in less economically developed countries.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Reliably connecting populations is the first step toward inclusion, but connectivity without security only widens the digital divide and increases the vulnerability of all populations. We know that public-private partnerships and the relationships we\u2019ve cultivated through a collaborative approach are vital to addressing this issue. When we take a holistic view that recognizes our interconnectedness, we can understand more why helping vulnerable communities become resilient matters to us all.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Cisco\u2019s Next Big Ambition: 40 Communities<\/span><\/b>\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

    As Cisco celebrates 40 years of impact \u2013 delivering innovation, serving our global customers, and positively impacting the communities that we operate in \u2013 we\u2019re also looking to expand the ways we fulfill our Purpose to Power an Inclusive Future for All.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    In 2016, we set an ambitious 10-year goal for the impact we drive by addressing some of the most critical challenges facing our people, planet, and society: One Billion Lives positively impacted by 2025.\u202fIn December 2023, we were thrilled to share that we exceeded our goal. Now, we\u2019re setting our Next Big Ambition in motion, building on our deep commitment to the greater good and what we\u2019ve learned by impacting over One Billion Lives.\u00a0 We\u2019re ushering in a new era of social impact by bringing<\/span> the full force of\u202fCisco\u2019s capabilities<\/span>, <\/span><\/b>our people, our\u202fresources, our technology, and our innovation to <\/span>entire communities<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Cisco\u2019s new 40 Communities initiative will <\/span>invest in and support 40 communities around the world \u2013 including cities and geographical regions \u2013 over the next ten years. <\/span>40 Communities will build on Cisco\u2019s legacy of shaping the future within major technology revolutions and the urgent need to advance digital inclusion at this phase of the AI revolution. We\u2019re bringing together a coalition of customers, partners, and organizations who share our belief that connection and access to technology and opportunity can no longer be seen as a privilege for some, but a right for all.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Together with each community, we\u2019ll co-create action plans and innovative tech-focused solutions to:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n