A Fast-Paced World of Opportunity
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In February 2021 — in the middle of a pandemic — I started my career at Accedian as a Learning and Enablement Manager. Accedian was a 20-year-old Canadian company and a global leader in performance monitoring and assurance.
Despite the tumultuous times, I quickly found my place. Over two years, I worked alongside some of the industry’s most dedicated, enthusiastic, and expert professionals. My leaders encouraged me to propose process enhancements, to be creative, and to keep the customer and partner experience at the center of everything.
Accedian’s leaders and culture rewarded proactivity, collaboration, and taking a bold step. This was particularly gratifying and allowed me to innovate. I introduced gamification, implemented learner leaderboards, and developed learning analytics reports.
From intent to acquire to onboarding
Cisco also saw something in Accedian’s technology and amazing people. On June 21, 2023, Cisco announced its intent to acquire Accedian. The deal closed on September 29, 2023.
Between October and November, 331 Accedians became part of Cisco. My peers and I were thrilled and excited.
However, as the integration unfolded, I began to experience some apprehension regarding my future.
I pondered whether I could engage in activities that brought me joy at Accedian. Would I find opportunities in a vast corporation like Cisco?
But those apprehensions quickly vanished. The integration was seamless.
We had support from the integration team for every question along the way. The culture and professionalism I experienced at Accedian was truly taken to a new level at Cisco. The rest of Accedians and I knew we had found a new family where both our technology and careers would flourish.
(I would like to thank the outstanding integration team who shepherded us into our new home here. They were our first glimpse into the amazing Cisco culture and caliber of professionalism. To say our expectations were exceeded is an understatement. Too many folks to name, but a massive thank you is in order. Thank you!)
How my mindset changed
My journey thus far at Cisco has been nothing short of extraordinary. From the moment I joined the company, I’ve been on a continuous learning curve. My team and I are inspired and hungry to continue growing.
As a Provider Connectivity Assurance Technical Marketing Engineering team member, I’ve played a pivotal role in revamping customer and partner training content. My skill set expanded to include SharePoint development.
Together with my team, we successfully launched the Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance SharePoint page. We have enriched this site with videos, presentations, case studies, and webinars — all designed to deepen the understanding of our offerings and how they fit into the world-class Cisco Networking portfolio. I also achieved certification as an administrator for Mindtickle, an innovative sales enablement solution.
With the input of my team, Technical Leaders, and the Customer Solutions Marketing Team, I developed a comprehensive training series, “Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance - Sales Enablement.” It offers an in-depth exploration of the Provider Connectivity Assurance solution and outlines its advantages for our customers. Sign up and check it out!
Adding fuel to the Cisco innovation fire
Becoming part of Cisco is extremely rewarding and empowering for me and my colleagues. This experience has opened many doors to resources and learning opportunities. We are part of a community that values innovation and social responsibility.
I’m proud to be a Cisconian, and I truly understand why those Best Place to Work awards keep rolling in!
Less than one year after the acquisition’s close, Accedian completed our brand transition to Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance. We also launched a new Go-To-Market and enablement program. And we announced the inclusion of our products on the Cisco Global Price List and in Cisco buying programs.
Thank you to all our peers who made this journey truly enjoyable and the countless teammates who supported this great wealth of material to be created in such a short time.
Under a year from intent to acquire to full brand transition — what an accomplishment! We look forward to partnering with more of our peers and continuing to help fuel the amazing 40-year legacy of Cisco innovations.
Employee resources
- Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance GTM and Enablement Launch site
- Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance on SalesConnect
- Contact the team and ask questions on the Ask Accedian/Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance Webex space
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