SHIFT HAPPENS-EP 29: The Architecture of Partner Value w/Brian Overmeyer

What does it really take to redesign one of the most influential partner programs in the tech industry? In this episode of Shift Happens, Jeff Edwards sits down with Brian Overmeyer, Director of Partner Strategy and Programs at Cisco, to go behind the scenes of The Cisco 360 Partner Program. With a background in industrial-organizational psychology and more than two decades shaping Cisco’s partner ecosystem, Brian shares how programs are more than incentives—they’re roadmaps that guide behavior, reward value, and help partners grow alongside Cisco. From the legacy of Cisco’s Gold program to a new model built around customer outcomes, platform value, and partner co-design, this conversation explores the strategy, complexity, and trust required to evolve a program that supports tens of thousands of partners around the world. Why listen: • 🔧 The inside story behind The Cisco 360 Partner Program • 🧠 How behavioral science shapes partner strategy and incentives • 🤝 Why partner co-design was critical to getting this transformation right And as always… let’s make shift happen. 🚀 #CiscoShiftHappensPodcast

Unified Networking Architecture: Find out how X-Haul consolidates fronthaul, midhaul, and backhaul into a single, software-defined transport platform, and enables seamless 5G deployment across diverse topologies. AI-Drive Automation and Optimization: Learn to reduce operational expenses by up to 40% while improving service reliability. Future-Ready Scalability: Dive deep into how this technology supports emerging applications requiring ultra-low latency and massive bandwidth.

Visibility from diverse networks can help uncover blind spots to detect regional issues and invisible failures impacting end users. In this episode, you’ll hear first-hand insights on the operational challenges and technical strategies involved in building, validating, and expanding a global monitoring infrastructure. ——— CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro 03:21 Why Multi-location Monitoring Matters 06:48 Agent Management and Operational Challenges 14:16 Debugging Methodologies and Validation Processes 19:07 Getting the Most from Vendor Collaboration 24:16 Internet Misconceptions and Considerations 25:22 Notable Operational Outcomes ——— For additional insights, check out the links below: Cloud Agents: The Big Picture To Getting the Best Picture: https://www.thousandeyes.com/blog/cloud-agents-big-picture-best-picture?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fy26q3_internetreport_q3fy26ep132_podcast The Internet Outage Survival Kit: https://www.thousandeyes.com/resources/the-internet-outage-survival-kit?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fy26q3_internetreport_q3fy26ep132_podcast ——— Want to get in touch? If you have questions, feedback, or guests you would like to see featured on the show, send us a note at [email protected]. Or follow us on LinkedIn or X. ——— ABOUT THE INTERNET REPORT This is The Internet Report, a podcast uncovering what’s working and what’s breaking on the Internet—and why. Tune in to hear ThousandEyes’ Internet experts dig into some of the most interesting outage events from the past couple weeks, discussing what went awry—was it the Internet, or an application issue? Plus, learn about the latest trends in ISP outages, cloud network outages, collaboration network outages, and more. Catch all the episodes on your favorite podcast platform: - Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-internet-report/id1506984526 - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5ADFvqAtgsbYwk4JiZFqHQ?si=00e9c4b53aff4d08&nd=1&dlsi=eab65c9ea39d4773 - SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/ciscopodcastnetwork/sets/the-internet-report - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theinternetreport_official

Happy spring cleaning time! We're cleaning house with this episode. Enjoy some behind-the-scenes recordings from 404 over the last few months! If you haven’t already, and you want to keep these BTS episodes coming, check out Cisco’s solutions for small and medium businesses: https://www.cisco.com/site/us/en/solutions/small-business/index.html

Jeff Edwards sits down with Rebecca Leach—former Cisco and AppDynamics leader turned executive coach and founder of Growth Road, an executive coaching practice focused on helping leaders navigate change with clarity, confidence, and connection. After nearly two decades in tech leadership, Rebecca reached a pivotal moment: stay in the familiar rhythm of corporate success, or step into ambiguity and redefine what leadership—and identity—really meant. What followed wasn’t just a career transition. It became the foundation for Growth Road, where Rebecca now helps leaders grow through the same kinds of shifts she experienced herself. In this candid conversation, Rebecca shares the emotions behind leaving a long, successful corporate career, the courage it takes to embrace uncertainty, and the lessons leaders can carry forward when the path ahead isn’t clear. Why listen: • ⚡ The hidden risk of tying your identity to your title • 🔄 Why career growth isn’t always “up and to the right” • 🧭 How leaders navigate ambiguity and reinvent themselves If you’ve ever faced a career crossroads—or wondered who you are beyond the role you hold—this conversation will resonate.

AB sits down with Tim Coogan, Cisco’s SVP, Global Partner Sales, for a fun chat about the important role partners play to drive positive business outcomes. From partnering in the AI era to the link between sales and partnerships, this informative conversation highlights why it’s critical for business to cultivate a powerful partner ecosystem.

In this special edition of Shift Happens — Talking Shift, host Jeff Edwards sits down with Jon Sanchez, Founder & CEO of Team Performance Institute, to unpack a simple truth: leadership isn’t about managing projects — it’s about developing people. Drawing on Jon’s background at the United States Naval Academy and in SEAL training, they explore why the most powerful leadership tool isn’t a strategy deck — it’s the 1:1 conversation. They break down why culture is built in personal interactions, why accountability strengthens relationships, and why performance follows connection. Why Listen 🤝 Master the 1:1 as your most important leadership tool 🧠 Prioritize people over tasks and watch performance rise 🌱 Build trust daily through intentional conversations If you’re navigating big shifts, this conversation will reset how you think about leadership. Let’s make shift happen. Listen on Spotify – Apple Podcasts - Soundcloud

In this episode, we interview Jean Christophe Rode, principal engineer working in the IOS-XR engineering team. He also specalizes in SONIC support. He explains how this open source operating system is gaining ground and what are the difference with Cisco proprietary IOS-XR. No blue Hedgehogs are mentioned in this episode

Ian’s out, Carina’s in (for a week) — and somehow 404 is both nicer and more organized? In this week’s episode, Kat is joined by her best friend in marketing, Carina Barreto for a very real and relatable deep dive into life in field marketing. From partner strategy and demand gen to why events are way more than just catering and a PowerPoint, the two unpack what actually makes a customer say “yes” — and why experiential marketing is the way. They also get into the unspoken truth of the role: sales is your best friend (like, 80% of your calendar kind of best friend), the art of saying yes before you earn the right to say no, and how building internal advocates can make or break your success. Along the way, expect tangents on MBA survival, women-focused executive events, and the eternal question of what sounds better than just staying home? No Ian this week, but don’t worry — Kat and Carina still manage to get their jokes in just like he's there. If you like the show, give us a click to keep the funding coming: id.cisco.com/app/ciscoid_aemcloudprodsaml_1/exk14lk1xf6SKDANc5d7/sso/saml

In the latest episode of the Cisco AI Insights Podcast, hosts Rafael Herrera and Sónia Marques welcome Cisco AI operations engineer James Tidd for a discussion on the world of small language models (SLMs) and the evolution of efficient AI inference. Together, they unravel the complexities behind “Fast Inference from Transformers via Speculative Decoding,” a groundbreaking paper from Google that explores how smaller draft models can speed up large language model predictions while maintaining accuracy. James shares his hands-on experience experimenting with the technique, leveraging knowledge distillation and speculative execution. The trio also discusses the potential of this approach to optimize AI, reduce power consumption and costs, and help businesses of all sizes get more out of existing hardware. A special thank you to Google’s AI team for developing this month's paper. If you are interested in reading the paper yourself, please visit this link: https://research.google/blog/looking-back-at-speculative-decoding/.