Now in its fourth yr, The Cisco Buyer Advocate Awards: Americas 2024 honor distinctive Cisco clients who exemplify innovation by way of their use of Cisco merchandise and options, in addition to show business thought management by way of buyer tales, talking engagements, product evaluations, and extra.
From executives to engineers, this years’ Cisco awards attracted a formidable mixture of greater than 100 clients from throughout the Americas. Yesterday, at a packed ceremony at Cisco Reside, we acknowledged the distinctive shortlisted nominees earlier than saying winners in every class.
Listed here are the winners of the fourth-annual Cisco Buyer Advocate Awards: Americas 2024!
Americas Buyer Advocate of the Yr: Mark Rodrigue, Room and Board
The award for Americas Buyer Advocate of the Yr went to Mark Rodrigue with Room and Board. Mark earned the title for his standout involvement, together with sharing his experience in buyer tales for ThousandEyes and Cisco Networking, in addition to for fueling AI innovation along with his sharp suggestions as a beta tester for a brand new Meraki RF AI function. Plus, he’s shone within the safety house, sharing his expertise with powerhouse merchandise like Duo and Umbrella by way of dynamic occasions and movies. Acknowledged for his excellent capability to articulate the real-world advantages of technical options, Mark is really a distinguished advocate for Cisco. Be taught extra right here!
Congratulations to our shortlisted nominees:
Josh Beaver—T-Cell
Marcus Labra—Carnival Company
Christopher Cavendish—Perception International
Synthetic Intelligence Pioneer: Georgia Division of Labor
Congratulations to Labor Commissioner Bruce Thompson, Phyllis Kimber, and Denise Beckwith with the Georgia Division of Labor for incomes the first-ever Synthetic Intelligence Pioneer award. The staff revolutionized their contact heart with Webex Contact Middle, integrating AI to attain a 100-percent response price and simplifying providers by way of a single contact quantity. Utilizing Google Contact Middle AI (CCAI) streamlined service supply and improved effectivity, permitting stay brokers to give attention to complicated queries. Plus, the addition of a digital agent and a courtesy callback function considerably enhanced buyer interplay and satisfaction.
Congratulations to our shortlisted nominee:
Michael Verret—Inner Income Service (IRS)
Business Excellence Award: Central Ohio Transit Authority
The Business Excellence Award acknowledges organizations which are addressing and fixing distinctive challenges inherent to their respective business. Congratulations to the IT and Innovation Crew with Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), which remodeled public transit with Cisco’s IR1833 routers, boosting connectivity and safety. Passengers now take pleasure in free Wi-Fi and enhanced security, supporting digital fairness and sustainability. The staff has championed Cisco by way of numerous initiatives, together with presenting at Cisco Reside US 2022, crafting successful video and weblog submit, and sharing their expertise with different Cisco clients. Be taught extra right here.
Congratulations to our shortlisted nominees:
Max Hernandez—Toyota Motor North America
Jarrett Newberry and Robert Bibey—Burrell Behavioral Well being
Mike (Mac) McNamara—Dish Community
Veronica Martinez Estrada—Grupo Xcaret
Sustainability Changemaker: Nicole Alderete-Ferrini, Metropolis of El Paso, Texas
Congratulations to Nicole Alderete-Ferrini from Metropolis of El Paso, Texas, for incomes the first-ever Sustainability Changemaker award within the Americas. The Metropolis of El Paso leverages Cisco Webex and networking options to centralize and enhance entry to authorities providers for at-risk residents. The town’s shift to digital service supply diminished travel-related carbon emissions and redirected legislation enforcement efforts, aligning with their sustainability targets. The El Paso Helps mission, supported by Cisco applied sciences, has not solely optimized useful resource allocation but in addition set a precedent for sustainable and environment friendly public service fashions. Be taught extra right here!
Congratulations to our shortlisted nominees:
Tim Roberts—St. Anne Institute
Dani Stern—Honeywell Worldwide
Roger Bathroom—NetApp
Hybrid Work Hero: M&T Financial institution
Congratulations to Alex Pop, Invoice Sheff, Justin Priebe, Katie Gilliland, and Lori Fellela with M&T Financial institution. M&T Financial institution earned the Hybrid Work Hero award for seamlessly transitioning 21,000 staff to a hybrid video infrastructure the place they will collaborate in particular person and on-line. The staff deployed Cisco’s Webex Suite, enhancing communication inside their progressive hybrid areas. The groundbreaking use of Cisco Areas and headset applied sciences enhanced each flexibility and engagement. This strategic technological shift ensured safe, adaptable operations and maintained M&T’s dedication to personalised customer support.
Congratulations to our shortlisted nominees:
Nicole Alderete-Ferrini—Metropolis of El Paso, Texas
Dale Walters—State of Illinois
Steve Hilliard—Ford Motor Firm
Wendy Williams—McKesson
Transformation Trailblazer: Ian Hyatt, Purdue College
Congratulations to Ian Hyatt with Purdue College for incomes the Transformation Trailblazer award. Ian’s work with Purdue is obvious by way of the overhauling of its community infrastructure with Cisco’s Meraki Wi-Fi 6 know-how and Duo safety, elevating campus Wi-Fi uptime to greater than 99 p.c and considerably decreasing IT assist tickets. The college’s profitable transformation is evidenced by sooner Wi-Fi speeds and streamlined gadget connectivity. Ian has shared this journey in a buyer story, video, and discussions with business press and analysts. Be taught extra right here!
Congratulations to our shortlisted nominees:
Ron Grohman—Bush Brothers & Firm
Jeanette Jaede and Arun Joshi—Amazon: Venture Kuiper
Jeff Peterson—LPL Monetary
Leandro César Lopes Evangelista—Enviornment MRV
Todd Stewart—Honeywell Worldwide
Reimagine Purposes Visionary: T-Cell
Congratulations to David Cornette and Jonathan Silberlicht from T-Cell for incomes the Reimagine Purposes Visionary advocate award for his or her strategic deployment of Cisco’s AppDynamics and Cloud Observability. T-Cell’s observability framework, essential for his or her huge 5G community service high quality, ensures full-stack visibility, facilitating AIOps and cloud safety at scale. This partnership with Cisco has streamlined challenge decision and supported T-Cell’s buyer progress, setting new benchmarks in software monitoring and efficiency administration. T-Cell has actively advocated for his or her technological developments, with David highlighting their collaboration at Cisco Reside 2023 and fascinating with the AppDynamics neighborhood by way of advisory boards and inner firm occasions.
Congratulations to our shortlisted nominees:
James Kluttz—Sutter Well being
Michael Verret—Inner Income Service (IRS)
Pat Spinler and Matt Dupay—Mayo Clinic
Cybersecurity Defender of the Yr: Dwayne Robinson, SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park
Congratulations to Dwayne Robinson for incomes Cybersecurity Defender of the Yr. Dwayne is expertly leveraging complete Cisco safety applied sciences, which permit staff and company of SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park to have a dependable and safe expertise. This strategic design and implementation of Cisco functions and instruments ensures a safe, related expertise for the SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park campus. The partnership with Cisco continues to set excessive requirements for cybersecurity in massive venues. Dwayne has performed a pivotal position in amplifying SoFi’s story, prominently that includes SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park’s state-of-the-art community and its impression on occasions held on the stadium every year. Be taught extra right here!
Congratulations to our shortlisted nominees:
Raja Sambandam—State of New Mexico Workplace of Cybersecurity
Matthew Barczak and Paul Oyelakin—Marriott Worldwide
John Skaarup—Texas Division of Transportation (TxDOT)
Veronica Martinez Estrada—Grupo Xcaret
Congratulations to our Cisco Buyer Advocate Awards: Americas 2024 winners,
and to all of our shortlisted nominees.
We applaud every of you in your ardour, innovation, and management
