Fletcher Previn, SVP and Chief Information Officer at Cisco, brings over 20 years of tech leadership to the table. He shares insights on fostering a strong technology culture and the role of IT as a strategic partner in business. The conversation delves into Cisco's position as both customer and product innovator, enhancing user experience through structured feedback and addressing hybrid work challenges. Previn also discusses building Cisco's AI infrastructure, highlighting new innovations and the importance of asking the right questions to drive improvement.
Creating a technology culture at Cisco prioritizes user experience to ensure IT initiatives enhance employee engagement and satisfaction.
Cisco's strategic use of its own technology stack fosters operational efficiency while positioning IT as a proactive partner in business innovation.
Deep dives
Building an IT Culture
Creating a strong IT culture is essential for organizational success. At Cisco and during his tenure at IBM, leadership prioritized a philosophy that positions IT as a supportive force, enabling all employees to perform at their best. This approach emphasizes the importance of the user experience, ensuring that any IT initiatives are designed to optimize how employees engage with technology, rather than merely focusing on cost efficiencies. By embedding user experience teams into development processes, Cisco strives to deliver solutions that resemble the quality and usability of consumer products, thus enhancing overall employee satisfaction and performance.
Navigating IT's Dual Role
IT organizations often face the challenge of balancing their role as both business enablers and proactive technology leaders. Successful IT departments must not only respond to current operational needs but also anticipate future business requirements through innovation. Cisco's IT strategy focuses on transitioning from a traditional cost center to a strategic partner, which requires establishing credibility and demonstrating the productive capacity of IT initiatives. This balance helps foster a strong relationship between IT and other business units, enhancing collaboration and driving transformative projects.
Leveraging a Comprehensive Cisco Stack
Cisco's internal operations utilize a technology stack primarily composed of Cisco products, which provides a unique advantage in managing a large enterprise network. The integration of various Cisco solutions enables better observability, network security, and application performance, streamlining operational processes. Notably, Cisco IT employs advanced telemetry and analytics to address hybrid work complexities and proactively manage network performance issues. This strategic use of Cisco products not only optimizes internal operations but also enhances the development of competitive features for the external market.
The Role of Advanced AI Clusters
The establishment of an internal AI cluster at Cisco marks a significant step in leveraging advanced technologies for organizational growth. This cluster harnesses NVIDIA GPUs to facilitate high-performance computing, providing Cisco developers and IT teams with essential experience in managing cutting-edge AI infrastructure. As demand for on-premises AI capabilities escalates, Cisco aims to lead by creating tailored solutions for enterprises and educational institutions, emphasizing the need for robust internal resources. This initiative exemplifies the shift toward local first strategies, allowing organizations to balance cloud capabilities with internal efficiencies.
Cisco CIO Fletcher Previn visits Heavy Strategy to talk about how to create a technology culture, what it’s like being “customer zero”, and other challenges and tribulations of running IT from inside one of the world’s largest tech companies. Episode Guest: Fletcher Previn, SVP & Chief Information Officer, Cisco Fletcher Previn has over two decades... Read more »
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