What a difference nine months can make!

Last April, Rob Lloyd walked on stage at PS14 and announced our Intercloud strategy. Fast-forward toCisco Live!last week, where Gee Rittenhouse and Faiyaz Shahpurwala were on the main stage talking with customers and partners about how they're already bringing Intercloud to life. Cloud was one of the hottest topics this year. No wonder -in a relatively short time, we have become a force to be reckoned with in the world of cloud.

It was exciting to see the Cloud, Software, and Managed Services engine step up a gear at Cisco Live!. Keynotes, demonstrations, booths, and breakout sessions were all about cloud as an enabler for capturing the Internet of Everything (IoE) opportunity. We need to build on that momentum, because the transition is happening now, and it's happening fast!

There's a real 'start-up' energy to this proactive disruption we're driving. Accenture is only one of the many industry "big hitters" amongst the 45 partners that have joined us. Together, we will make Intercloud do for the cloud what the Internet did for all those disconnected, proprietary networks back in the '80s.

Are you wondering if we have the credibility to lead the charge? Let me tell you ... yes, we do!

But don't take my word for it: Synergy¹rated Cisco as number one in Cloud Infrastructure and Forrester²says we're the number one player in Private Cloud strategy.

Recent figures show that 55% of companies globally are embarking on a hybrid cloud strategy. What an opportunity! Why are we the natural choice for the customers and partners looking to bridge the 'hybrid' gap between private and public cloud? Because we can do it all. Our strategy, ecosystem, offers, and capabilities make us the clear leader.

Just to think about all the customers who want the outcomes, agility, and scalability that public cloud offers, but with the security and data sovereignty that their business demands. Cisco's Metacloud delivers public cloud functionality behind the firewall. Now sold as Cisco OpenStack Private Cloud, and delivered as a managed service, it can be up and running within only 14 days. That's a game-changer that's already delivering dramatic savings for customers like TapJoy.

We have what it takes to lead the evolution. To be the evangelists. To shape the future for our customers and for Cisco. This will be Cisco's 'Year of the Cloud'!

Paula Dowdy

SVP, Cloud, Software and Managed Services

Sources:

1. https://www.srgresearch.com/articles/cisco-holds-hp-leadership-battle-cloud-infrastructure
2. The Forrester Wave: Private Cloud Solutions, Q4 2013 study