When we reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro after seven grueling days, emotions swirled through me, and my first clear thought was: We did it.

After months of planning, research, training, and more than a little self-doubt, I had just completed my journey up Mount Kilimanjaro alongside an intimate group of family and friends who grew closer with every step.

The accomplishment felt surreal, especially because there was never a guarantee we would make it.

Extreme hiking is a true test of preparation, adaptability, and mental resilience. To climb more than 19,000 feet, we had to use everything we’d learned, incorporate new information from our expert guide, and adjust to mountain conditions on the fly. We battled self-doubt — at one point, I feared I’d made the wrong decision to attempt the climb and would hold my team back.

Standing at the roof of Africa, I realized how closely this journey mirrors my work in technology.

Engineers and mountaineers both thrive on the thrill of pushing the limits, testing and iterating, evaluating results, and trying again. We ride an emotional roller coaster, but when we reach the crest of a mountain or unveil innovation that delivers real value, the rush is incomparable.

For me, Splunk becoming part of Cisco has been my professional Mount Kilimanjaro.

When Cisco acquired Splunk in March 2024 for $28 billion — the largest acquisition in Cisco’s history — we entered uncharted terrain. Splunk had the energy of a nimble startup and incredible promise. We had a vision, but the path ahead was steep and uncertain.

Similarly, the path up Mount Kilimanjaro was just as challenging. At times, I felt physically ill and mentally stretched thin, but I kept going because my vision was clear: I love mountains, I love adventure, and I wanted to share an unforgettable experience with people close to me. In the toughest moments, I remembered my strong preparation and leaned into the inspiration from my team and guide, which helped me power through.

I relied on that clear vision and the same inspiration from my team during the Splunk integration. In the months that followed, we built a combined product roadmap, fusing Cisco’s networking technology with the Splunk Platform. We delivered dozens of integrations and launched a new architectural vision, Cisco Data Fabric, powered by the next-gen Splunk Platform.

Cisco Data Fabric unifies data across an organization’s entire digital footprint — including the machine data generated by the network and everything that touches it — to eliminate data silos. It fuels artificial intelligence to deliver digital resilience, making it indispensable in the AI era. Contributing to this innovation has been a career highlight for many of us.

Looking back, the challenge was just as daunting as trekking toward a towering peak. But we persevered as one company with a shared vision.

And now, standing on this new summit, the feeling is familiar: It’s like being on top of the world.

As we begin a new year, I’m reminded that every summit conquered opens a new horizon. There’s always another peak ahead, inviting us to climb higher together.

Related links

• Cisco Corporate Social Responsibility
• Cisco Purpose Report 2024
• Careers at Cisco