In 2016, Cisco Chair and CEO Chuck Robbins announced an ambitious company goal to positively impact the lives of one billion people by 2025. In an amazing milestone of achievement, Cisco has surpassed this goal one year ahead of schedule. The company poured the credit on the extraordinary work of its global network of

business and nonprofit partners, the support and leadership of the Cisco Foundation and Cisco’s Networking Academy, and the passion of its people.

To achieve its goal, the company invested in several nonprofit organizations through its Social Impact grants and Networking Academy to help them develop and scale technology-based solutions for the critical challenges facing vulnerable, under served communities around the world. In the process, Cisco also joined hands with local and national governments to empower communities with IT skills, helping develop the workforce of the future and fostering digital inclusion – all measured by a rigorous tracking methodology.

“Our purpose is to power an inclusive future for all, and this milestone is an important moment in our long history as an impact focused company,” said Fran Katsoudas, Executive Vice President and Chief People, Policy and Purpose Officer. “It’s a goal almost ten years in the making, and we’re excited to use what we learned, our strengths, and our technology as we continue to scale our work around the world,” he added. In this yearly special issue, we delve deeper into the Cisco partner ecosystem and how the company is influencing things on the enterprise side of things. Do let us know your thoughts.