Shift Happens- Episode 18: AI, Ecosystems, and the Future of Partner Success

We're rewinding to where it all began - the bold conversations that sparked a movement. 💫 This "Best Of…" edition revisits the insights and collaboration that built the foundation for Cisco's partner transformation and the launch of the Cisco 360 Partner Program. Featuring Elisabeth DeDobbeleer, Rhonda Henley, Jason Gallo, Sharon Price, and Ken Seitz, this episode explores: 🌍 How co-design became the heartbeat of Cisco's partner evolution 💪 Why "fear less" is more than a motto - it's a mindset for change 🧭 How clarity and consistency fuel long-term growth ✨ Key Takeaways: 87% of VIP 46 SKUs carry into CPI at equal or higher payout levels Partners achieving Preferred status are locked for 18 months post-launch The Partner Value Index aligns what "good" looks like across security, networking, cloud, and AI Cisco 360 Partner Program empowers a thriving ecosystem where all partners can grow 🌐 Bold beginnings. Clear direction. Shared success. Let's make shift happen. 🔥

Backend-related outages were somewhat of a theme during the first half of 2025 and this trend seems to be continuing. In recent weeks, we’ve seen several service disruptions that appeared connected to backend issues, affecting organizations including a social media platform, an Australian bank, and a major airline. These incidents offer valuable insights into the typical characteristics of backend outages and strategies for spotting them. Tune in now to hear more about these events and the distinct anatomy of a backend outage. ——— CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro 01:01 About Backend Outages 04:18 Anthropic’s Claude Outage 08:44 Service Disruption 12:54 Alaska Airlines Outage 14:17 Commonwealth Bank Outage 15:42 Gong Service Disruption 17:25 Outage Trends: By the Numbers 19:43 Get in Touch ——— Explore Anthropic’s Claude outage and the Alaska Airlines outage further in the ThousandEyes platform (no login required): - Claude: https://acshghvfamioplwqigifrycvlsqesoxb.share.thousandeyes.com - Alaska Airlines: https://annocixygjjriicwjupcporbjqblgkym.share.thousandeyes.com/ For additional insights, check out the links below: - The Internet Outage Survival Kit: https://www.thousandeyes.com/resources/the-internet-outage-survival-kit??utm_source=soundcloud&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fy26q1_internetreport_q1fy26ep6_podcast - The Guide to Next-generation Assurance: https://www.thousandeyes.com/resources/guide-to-next-generation-assurance-ebook?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fy26q1_internetreport_q1fy26ep6_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 YouTube or 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

Kat and Ian are BACK! To the US, to work, to 404. This episode starts with a quick (?) debrief on both of their travels - our hosts were having a delayed Euro Summer, if you will. Kat asks Ian if he won the Berlin marathon, and Ian inquires about Swiss weddings. If you were hoping for a bit more educational content, head to the very end where the two tease a discussion on events marketing, and as always, you can find all the Cisco knowledge you'd ever want right here: https://www.cisco.com/site/us/en/solutions/small-business/index.html#tabs-a107e9a621-item-6caff3e5bb-tab

What does it take to build durable growth in a $5.4 trillion tech market? 💡 In this episode, Jeff Edwards sits down with Gwendolyn Brantley, Cisco’s Director of Software & Service Sales for the Americas Partner Organization, to explore how AI, ecosystem partnerships, and premium services are reshaping the way customers buy, consume, and renew technology. 🎙️ Key takeaways: • How AI and complexity are redefining customer expectations • Why “meeting customers where they are” demands an ecosystem mindset • The role of the Cisco 360 Partner Program in driving durable, recurring growth • Why adoption accountability and premium services create happier customers • Gwendolyn’s leadership superpower: The Connector 🕸️ If you lead teams, work with partners, or thrive on turning market shifts into opportunity—this one’s for you. 👉 Listen now and make shift happen.

The AI landscape is akin to the Wild West right now. There are so many solutions on the market, and it can be hard for SMBs to know which ones are secure and which can best support their internal systems. Many SMBs need an experienced guide that can navigate this rapidly evolving industry. I'm joined by Dustin Holub, Director of Solutions Architecture at Technology Group Solutions, a Cisco Partner. He helps us cut through the noise by dispelling common fears surrounding AI and providing practical tips that enable SMBs to maximize the benefits of the latest LLM technologies. Learn more about Cisco's solutions for SMBs: www.cisco.com/site/us/en/solutio…usiness/index.html Check our TGS’s offerings here: https://www.tgs-mtc.com/

Kat’s addicted to…work. Which begs the question of if you would go to work still if you win the lottery? We talk about what we would buy if we did, and then talk about Ian's wedding attire choices. If you’re here to learn about AI, we start that at about 4:53 in. We share our own personal use cases, best practices and tips – from meal prepping to learning new languages, AI has something for everyone (we just need it to be better at the things we don’t like). If you want to learn about the solutions powering AI for small and medium businesses, check them out here: https://www.cisco.com/site/us/en/solutions/artificial-intelligence/index.html?dtid=osscdc000283&linkclickid=srch

AB sits down with Snorre Kjesbu, SVP & GM of Employee Experience at Cisco, for a great conversation on a variety of topics such as the value of AI-powered collaboration in the workplace; unifying devices, spaces, and workflows to enhance employees’ day-to-day experience; and how Cisco is helping organizations prepare for the future with a platform that simplifies management, future-proofs investments, and unlocks intelligence everywhere work happens.

In this episode, Frederic Detienne, a Distinguished Cisco CX Engineer takes us through the evolution of cryptography in IT, the latest changes and challenges as well as the quantum problem and post-quantum cryptography.

Just as a detective must gather clues and consider all the evidence, ITOps teams investigating an outage must consider all available data points in context to understand where system failures likely occurred. Recent outages that impacted Starlink and Google Maps SDKs powerfully illustrated this point. Tune in to learn more about these incidents and also get an update on the September Red Sea cable cuts. ——— CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro 00:53 Starlink Outage 03:39 Google Maps Outage 06:50 Update: Red Sea Cable Cuts 13:26 Outage Trends: By the Numbers 14:34 Get in Touch ——— 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: @thousandeyes ——— 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 YouTube or 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

We're back with another power-packed highlight reel of our favorite conversations. In this episode, Jeff revisits big shifts shaping the partner + customer ecosystem: 🦸 Managed Services as the #1 driver of profitability 💡 The Customer Value Journey redefining outcomes 🤖 AI in marketing-finding balance between machine + human touch 🚚 Distribution as a growth lever, not just "pick, pack, and ship" Cisco partners aren't just moving products-they're delivering business outcomes. This episode dives into how we scale that impact with managed offers, recurring revenue, and partner-led innovation. ⚡ Don't miss the insights from Andrew Wozniak, Leonard Thompson, Emma Carpenter, Stephen Tessitore, and John Brookbank. 🎧 Listen in, get inspired, and remember: Shift your mindset. Shift your strategy. Shift into action. Let's make shift happen!