Cisco is a global technology company with over 125,000 employees worldwide. As CIO, Brad Boston oversees Cisco's centralized yet globally managed IT resources and infrastructure. He emphasizes aligning IT projects and strategies with business objectives. Cisco's culture of collaboration, quality and innovation has contributed to its success as one of the best managed companies.

1. Management of IT Resources in Cisco A CIO's Perspective

2. Dr. Lazar Rusu Team Coach Nishant Jain Team Leader The Team Introduction Global IT Management (GITM, 2006): A Case Study

4. Cisco Systems: Technology & People

13. CIO’s roles and attributes

17. Interview with CIO Mr. Brad Boston CIO, Cisco System Inc.

18. IT Resource Management Nishant Jain GITM, 2006 KTH, Sweden Q1. In context of Cisco, What is the difference in formulation and implementation of IT resource management strategies between Sweden, UK and Unite states ? Cisco is a global company. We have centralized IT around that premise. For the most part, IT is managed on a global basis with specialization at the country level on a case by case basis.

19. CIO & Culture Distinctions Nishant Jain GITM, 2006 KTH, Sweden Q2. Being CIO of a truly multinational corporation like Cisco, how noteworthy do you think is the influence of culture on implementation of standardized corporate values, vision and business processes or strategies? Does cultural distinction makes a difference? Culture is critical to the success of any company. Every company will, over time, develop its own unique personality. Above all, Cisco is a member of both a global community and a local community. Cisco’s culture of quality, teamwork, empowerment, frugality and giving back continues to be a key part of what drives all of our business strategies. We even go so far as to look for similar cultural fits in companies that we would like to acquire. If the culture doesn’t match, chances are it will be that much more difficult to assimilate the company and retain the employees. Your culture is what defines you as a company

20. CIO’s Responsibilities Nishant Jain GITM, 2006 KTH, Sweden Q3. Cisco, having been known as one of world’s best managed companies and truly multinational in nature, how do you envisage the changing role of a CIO in context of responsibilities and commitments? The role is more and more business and leadership focused but it’s critical that you have a solid understanding of technology. The day to day issues of running the network are best left to the people I hired to do the job. We used to think that to be a successful CIO, you had to grow up in IT, but, more and more today, leading an IT organization requires the ability to set and drive vision. Additionally, as IT capability becomes more and more of a company differentiator, it requires someone that is a good spokesperson, someone that can clearly communicate the value to other organizations (both inside and outside the company), and someone that can bring confidence that IT is more than just an infrastructure group but a trusted partner in business.

22. CIO & Emerging Economies Nishant Jain Team8, GITM, 2006 KTH, Sweden Q5. Now a question which is equivocally being raised at every forum and by everyone, from politicians to corporate heads and economists to intellectuals; how do you foresee the impressive industrialization and exorbitant growth rates of emerging economic giants like China and India? Would you term this as a bubble that will eventually subside or a reality that the world must acknowledge? Cisco has been in China 10 years, we current have 600 people in 8 offices across China. China is one of our largest markets globally and the largest country within Asia Pacific. With a population of over 1.3 billion, they are second in world wide Internet subscribers and number one in mobile subscribers. China continues to be one of the top producers of degreed engineers in the world. India is probably the world 's largest democracy and will soon be the largest English speaking country in the world, and the demand for bandwidth is just like Japan. We currently have over 1400 direct employees across India and will be investing over $1 billion US in the next three years. I’m a business person and a technologist not a politician. I believe that both of these countries have the potential for great and sustained success as they develop into a networked economy.

23. Critical Success Factors of Cisco Nishant Jain GITM, 2006 KTH, Sweden Q6. .What are the critical success factors, from the perspective of a CIO, which has contributed towards Cisco being recognized and valued as one of the world’s best managed companies? Being a Network company, we understood long ago the power that the network offers to differentiate a company. More importantly, we have a CEO that “Gets it”. He understands the importance of IT to the business. With that knowledge he has driven the company’s leaders to show how they are continually extracting more value from the Network. Beyond our IT focus, every Manager at Cisco understands the value of open dialog and flat organizations. Every one at Cisco is empowered to make change. If there is a better way to do business, it’s an individual’s responsibility to speak up. We have a culture at Cisco that encourages and values open communication and empowerment

24. CIO & Executive Team/Board Nishant Jain GITM, 2006 KTH, Sweden Q7. For effective implementation of IT strategies and formulation of successful IT vision, how significant is it for the CIO to be part of the Executive Team/Board? Perhaps you mean having the CIO as a part of the Executive team? To be effective at formulating the correct strategies, the CIO must be engaged with the other business leaders. This is partially accomplished by roles on cross functional boards and leadership committees. It’s not as critical as to where the CIO directly reports as it is the role that he or she plays in the organization and whether IT is viewed as a business partner or a cost center. At Cisco I report into Operations but sit on the Operating Committee and the Business Process Operating Council which sets and drives Cisco’s global priorities and strategies.

25. CIO & IT Nishant Jain GITM, 2006 KTH, Sweden Q8. From the perspective of a CIO of a multinational corporation, how would you explain the present trend of outsourcing? Do you consider it as a positive phenomenon in the changing world order or just a derivative of the IT industry crash at the beginning of this millennium, born out of necessity? As companies become more and more aware of the power of IT, they will look to industry experts to help them extract the maximum value from it. For some companies, like Cisco, understanding and being able to take advantage of that value is a core competency. For others, that do not have the core IT capability but strengths in other areas, they will look to others to help them. This is inevitable and a strength in our global market. Outsourcing this capability is positive for the market. It allows companies to focus on their core strenghts while getting others to focus on the context needs. What’s important (and difficult) is for companies to recognize how much of their infrastructure and their governance to outsoruce. As an example, Cisco completely outsources its desk top support but maintains overall control of the infrastructure that suports it.

26. Risk Management Nishant Jain GITM, 2006 KTH, Sweden Q9. In today’s globalized world, what should be the major concerns and priorities of a CIO? Could you enlighten us on some of the Cisco’s risk management strategies? Today, it is crucial that the projects in IT align with the business priorities of the company. The major concerns and priorities of the CIO are the same as the other business leaders in the company. IT at Cisco is responsible not just for creating the infrastructure but for partnering with other business leaders across Cisco to be successful. IT, with the possible exception of Human Resources, is the one group that can see across all organizations. This gives us a unique perspective and a responsibility to ensure every project and initiative helps drive Cisco forward. Regarding risk management, Cisco has adopted a framework to optimize and protect Cisco's people, property and information by actively partnering with internal and external organizations. We have a team of people dedicated to coordinating our efforts in business resiliency, crisis management, education, awareness, monitoring and reporting.