Cisco at LEAP

 What is Cisco showcasing at LEAP this year?

During the debut of LEAP in 2022, Saudi Arabia demonstrated its commitment to technological advancements internationally. In fact, it has provided us with a unique opportunity to meet with leaders in the country, our industry peers, and customers to discuss how we all can play a part in turning Saudi Vision 2030 into reality.

For the second time, our participation at LEAP is providing us with the perfect platform to engage with our partners and customers while demonstrating our commitment to innovation in the Kingdom and in the region.

This year, we’re seeing themes such as digital agility, security, and sustainability top-of-mind for IT decision-makers across the Kingdom. Cisco will showcase our latest solutions designed to accelerate public and private customers’ agendas for a digital and green future under the theme of “Powering A Connected and Sustainable Universe”.

• Future of Work, which will remain hybrid and will enable more equitable, inclusive experiences.
• Security Resilience, which will evolve to include anomaly detection, zero trust frameworks and behavior patterns through the use of AI and machine learning.
• Simplifying and Automating Infrastructure, which will witness networks become more experience-centric with increasing capabilities to predict potential issues and provide problem-solving options.
• Accelerating the Cloud Experience, which will see a noticeable shift in how companies leverage multi-cloud architectures.
• Internet for the Future, which will be built to maximize operational agility and future-proof infrastructure.
• Sustainability and Journey to Net Zero, which will see Net Zero will drive common standards to meet sustainability goals with advancements in Power Over Ethernet (PoE) design and hardware to transform data centers for a more sustainable future.

How are you helping to turn Saudi Vision 2030 into a reality?

We have witnessed the progress of the Saudi digital transformation agenda over the past few years and its investment in infrastructure as well as the digital economy, proving to be a success throughout its various realization programs. Over the years, Cisco has continued to play an important role in progressing digital agendas in the Kingdom and the wider MEA region.

Through our presence in the Saudi market market since 1997, Cisco has been keen to share its expertise and technology to positively impact economic growth, job creation, and skills development. Today, we are proud that Cisco has become a key contributor to the country’s digitization journey, aligning our work with the government’s vision of Saudi Vision 2030.

Moreover, our initiatives in Saudi Arabia include the Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) program, a long-term partnership with the Kingdom’s leadership to make an innovative change across key industries such as healthcare, tourism, education, and more. Since the inception of the program in KSA, Cisco has had more than 20 active digitization projects, thanks to the strong collaboration between the government and Cisco to help accelerate digital innovation in line with the country Digital Strategy driving achievements since 2016 and continuing to align with vision 2030 KPIs.

As Saudi Arabia eyes new ambitions and evolves its priorities to meet changing demands, we look forward to delivering continued support – helping to develop and futureproof the local digital economy.

How is Cisco building skills in KSA?

Our ongoing Cisco Networking Academy program seeks to keep a robust employee pipeline as we focus on preparing the workforce of the future and aiding students in acquiring the digital, networking and cybersecurity skills needed.

Having one of the youngest populations in the region, we are very proud of the Cisco Networking Academy’s achievements in upskilling the next generation of IT talent entering the workforce in Saudi Arabia. Since the establishment of the program in 2000, more than 274,500 learners have been trained and upskilled via the program in the Kingdom. 34% of these learners are female, making the Kingdom one of the top 20 countries worldwide with female participation.

During Cisco’s 2022 fiscal year alone, more than 64,000 students were enrolled in Cisco Networking Academy courses in Saudi Arabia. These learners were supported by more than 470 instructors working across 120 academies in the Kingdom.

Learners in the Kingdom have demonstrated their enthusiasm to gain the necessary skill sets required to be a part of the workforce of the future. As digitization continues to become a reality, we’re constantly working with the national leadership, industry, and academia to expand Cisco Networking Academy’s reach to unlock the full potential of talent in Saudi Arabia.