Key Takeaways from Cisco Live 2024 EMEA

The curtains have fallen on Cisco Live 2024 EMEA, a dynamic five-day event that left its mark not just among the 16,000 attendees but throughout Europe. While smaller in scale compared to its annual Las Vegas counterpart, this European gathering resonated powerfully in one of the company's most critical markets: Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA).

Authored by Lauren Sheppard, Event Manager and Omkar Patwardhan, Content Marketing Manager

Throughout the event, Cisco tackled critical questions:

• What steps should be taken to prepare our infrastructure for an AI-centric future?
• What measures can be implemented to maintain security in an environment increasingly influenced by artificial intelligence?
• How can we guarantee a top-notch experience in collaborative efforts?
• What strategies can be employed to promote sustainability in the realms of networking, security, and AI?
• How can we facilitate the transformation of our company into a more modern and innovative entity?

Gísli Helgason, Chief Technologist – Network & Security, shared his views –

“Cisco Live was an exhilarating experience for the CAE team. Jeetu Patel's keynote unveiled Cisco Identity Intelligence and security AI Innovations. It's only been a few days since we left Amsterdam but we are already working with Cisco on bringing Identity Security Assessments to our customers. I was also impressed by his "zero trust - zero friction" slogan as it mirrors our experience deploying Cisco Secure Access for our customers.”

Meanwhile, President EMEA at Cisco Oliver Tuszik personified the company’s commitment to progress. His rallying cry at the opening keynote of Cisco Live 2024 Amsterdam was simple yet profound: "Let's Go." Beyond technology, the company’s vision encompassed shaping a future where innovation, security, and sustainability converge.

Here are the key takeaways from this dynamic five-day event –

Empowering connectivity and security

The iconic RAI Amsterdam, host to Cisco Live EMEA for the past two years, pulsated with Wi-Fi 6 and 5G connectivity, which was achieved through a partnership between Cisco and NTT. The upgrade itself was about empowering EMEA to communicate securely and implement robust cybersecurity measures.

AI-powered infrastructure

Cisco has teamed up with NVIDIA to offer cloud-based and on-premise AI infrastructure that combines Cisco’s networking expertise with NVIDIA’s AI portfolio. This means organisations can now look to leverage the complete might of artificial intelligence without compromising on scalability, performance, or reliability.

Customer-Centric Experience

Cisco Live 2024 EMEA was more than just a technology event; it was a testament to the power of human connection and collaboration. From exclusive fringe sessions with esteemed executives to immersive interactive demonstrations, attendees had the opportunity to engage with industry leaders, gain invaluable insights, and uncover groundbreaking innovations.

Enhanced Collaboration with Webex AI

Cisco is also looking to enhance collaboration through its Webex AI strategy, by providing real-time language translation, meeting summaries, recaps, and text message rewriting. Seamless integration with Apple devices will ensure effortless connectivity across devices.

CAE Labs showcased at the Cisco Store Tech Lab

The CAE Team was super excited to see our WiserWatts solution being showcased at Cisco Store Tech Lab only a year after its launch. Our innovative capability was being used to manage and schedule the entire Cisco Store tech stack throughout the week to save on energy consumption, run costs and drive down carbon emissions. 

Wondering how exactly WiserWatts works and what benefits it can bring to your organisation?

Integrated Networking and Security

The expansion of Cisco Networking Cloud to integrate networking and security portfolios, to simplify network and security management. Features like Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN integrated with Cisco Secure Access and Meraki dashboard management of Catalyst wireless devices will empower customers with visibility, control, and automation.

As highlighted by Ali McKeand, Chief Technologist - Innovation - 

"It was brilliant to see the exciting expansion of the Cisco Catalyst 9300-M Cloud-Managed Switch portfolio, as Cisco continues its journey to a single, unified hardware architecture. This becomes an even more compelling space and evolving architecture that the CAE Labs team continues to innovate around to drive out more value and use cases for our customers."

GenAI Deployments with Cisco's Motific

Cisco's first SaaS product that allows for trustworthy generative AI (GenAI) deployments in organisations. Born from Outshift, Cisco's incubation business, Motific provides a central view across the entire GenAI journey. The CAE Labs team is keen to learn more and enrol on the forthcoming beta program to explore different use cases within our API-integrated suite of Cisco-focused software. 

Cisco Live 2024 EMEA showcased our uniqueness, reinforcing our drive in implementing infrastructure solutions that are built with people in mind. As for Amsterdam? Its a city of breathtaking beauty and we can't wait to be back next year.