Cisco achieves ambitious goal one year ahead
of schedule by scaling social impact programs and digital access
for communities worldwide
News Summary:
- Almost ten years in the making, Cisco has achieved its goal to
positively impact one billion people worldwide, through its
technology, people, nonprofit partners and purpose.
- The milestone coincides with the launch of Cisco's annual
Purpose Report today, providing updates on its ESG and social
impact progress through fiscal 2023.
SAN
JOSE, Calif., Dec. 6, 2023
/PRNewswire/ -- One year ahead of schedule, Cisco has surpassed its
goal to make a real, tangible difference in the lives of one
billion people, leveraging a powerful combination of technology and
people, backed by its purpose to power an inclusive future for
all.
In 2016, Cisco Chair and CEO Chuck
Robbins set a company goal to positively impact the lives of
one billion people by 2025. Today, having already achieved
that ambitious goal, Cisco credits 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 – a global effort that unlocked a
scale that will drive social impact and digital access worldwide in
the years to come.
To achieve its goal, Cisco invested in nonprofits through its
Social Impact grants and Networking Academy to help them develop
and scale technology-based solutions for the critical challenges
facing vulnerable, underserved communities around the world. Cisco
also worked 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."
Annual Purpose Report Released
This announcement accompanies today's release of Cisco's annual
Purpose Report, which details its latest impact, goals, and
progress on ESG topics, including environmental sustainability,
social impact, digital access, philanthropy, supply chain, security
and privacy, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
As a reflection of the work contributing to Cisco's latest
milestone, the report celebrates 25 years of Cisco's Networking
Academy, reaching over 20 million people in 190 countries with
digital and cybersecurity skills training. Cisco continues
expanding its digital access programming and has over 1300 active
or completed Country Digital Acceleration programs in 50 countries,
including a recently announced effort to strengthen Ukraine's partnership with USAID.
Additional Resources:
- Purpose Report on ESG Hub: cisco.com/go/esg-hub
About Cisco
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide
technology leader that securely connects everything to make
anything possible. Our purpose is to power an inclusive future for
all by helping our customers reimagine their applications, power
hybrid work, secure their enterprise, transform their
infrastructure, and meet their sustainability goals. Discover more
on The Newsroom and follow us on X at @Cisco.
Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of
Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A
listing of Cisco's trademarks can be found at
www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are
the property of their respective owners. The use of the word
partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and
any other company.
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SOURCE Cisco Systems, Inc.