Enabling autonomous operations and understanding the location of people and assets in real time are necessary for realizing fully operational smart mines. Smart mines require the ability to make good decisions based on large volumes of data, specifically within tunnels. This capability requires enhanced network availability and corresponding visualization tools to provide an intuitive understanding of the large amount of information generated.
The drive to digitize and automate underground operations requires the gathering of real-time data. Underground smart mines deal with complexities such as operations occurring in three dimensions over hundreds to thousands of kilometres; power, ventilation, and airflow considerations; potential for personal safety concerns with ambient temperatures sometimes over 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit); and airborne pollutants that can impact worker health. It is imperative for both safety and efficiency that an underground mine be able to locate people and assets as close to real time as possible.
Improving workforce productivity while increasing safety and optimizing fleet productivity and payload are key objectives in underground mining. Visualizing worker and asset locations and producing useful metrics from the increasingly digitized operational technology (OT) edge has been shown to be helpful in achieving these goals. These metrics provide inputs into both environmental management and cultural heritage protection systems, which show proximity to protected areas and prevent operations on impinging via alerts or geofencing.
Cisco’s forward thinking and commitment to the future of mining aims at digitization, automation, and net-zero emissions outcomes in mines. These objectives require network and communication reliability in order for customers to achieve high levels of visibility over their operations. To deliver on this goal, Cisco collaborates with ecosystem partners that deliver complementary solutions like GeoMoby. GeoMoby provide blueprints for reliable operational environment network infrastructure combined with a sensor-driven visualization layer that brings real-time insight into mining operations.
Underground mining benefits from ecosystem-based, end-to-end solutions to fulfill specific requirements for sensor-driven connectivity and augmentation such as last-mile connectivity, temporary coverage, and low-bandwidth coverage for areas without Wi-Fi.
Cisco Spaces provides location and telemetry data for indoor and outdoor use cases. This data produces connectivity, environmental, and location-based insights for ecosystem-based solutions.
Opportunity with GeoMoby
Reduction or elimination of gaps in network connectivity and communication
All-in-one 3D map and real-time location, including existing Cisco tags and infrastructure
Convergence between OT/IT: traffic management, ventilation automation, IoT sensors, data collection, etc.
New solution blueprint that extends value for customers using Cisco solutions and specialist ecosystem partners such as GeoMoby
The common goal of GeoMoby and Cisco is to accelerate the digitalization of the mining industry. GeoMoby uses, extends, and enhances Cisco technology within mining operations. The result is a readily implementable mining platform that enables continual optimization of operations and safety in underground mining.
Use cases
Objective
Description
Use Cases
Improve workforce productivity
Monitor employee and contractor movements and record any delays in order to provide insightful data that can help identify areas for improvement.
Enhance visibility into operations in order to optimize decision-making and increase productivity.
Contractor management
Workforce management
Automatic check-in and check-out
Idle time detection
Ventilation on demand
Increase operational efficiency of assets
Monitor vehicle movements and record any speed excess in order to identify where and when vehicles are being underutilized or overutilized.
Increase efficiency by reducing fuel consumption and overall costs.
Promote compliance with safety regulations.
Predictive maintenance
Driver management
Maintenance management
Speed management
Ventilation on demand
Increase worker health and safety
Monitor critical health metrics, such as temperature and blood oxygen (Spo2) levels, in real time.
Enable proactive intervention by sending instant notifications in case of emergency, enabling prompt action to mitigate potential health issues and risks.
Provide insightful data that can be used to evaluate the overall health of operations and make informed decisions for improved safety and productivity.
Health and safety management
Collection of health metrics
Enhanced compliance with regulation
Increase fleet productivity and payload
Track and analyze the payload of every asset with time stamps, distance travelled, and in-use time, enabling informed decisions on resource allocation and waste reduction.
Help to increase productivity and efficiency by reducing cycle times and optimizing truck utilization.
Payload management
Fleet management
Payload budgeting
Performance tracking
Visualize people and assets with an electronic tag board
Display real-time location data for both people and vehicles on a map and a table.
Enable optimization of operations by improving safety, productivity, and efficiency.
In emergency situations, help to locate personnel and assets and facilitate a prompt response by visualizing people inside the refuge room and the closest refuge room for people in danger.
Electronic tag board
Emergency response management
Historic location data of people and assets
Offline navigation to refuge chambers or fresh air bases
Environmental management system
Provide real-time environmental data and quickly identify potential environmental risks and hazards.
Send alerts for anomalies and safety risks.
Provide historical data on environmental performance, enabling tracking performance over time and making data-driven decisions about operations.
Air quality management
Temperature management
Gas monitoring system
Historical data management
Cultural heritage protection system
Track people and assets and sends alerts when they are nearing or inside protected areas.
Improve compliance with regulations in order to prevent potential abuses and disruptions.
Help to ensure that only authorized individuals are granted access to protected areas.
Environmental, social and governance framework (ESG) reporting
In an ongoing effort to prioritize data security and privacy for Secure Email Threat Defense customers, we’re excited to announce the opening of two data centers in the Asia Pacific region: one in Australia and one in India.
There are now 4 Secure Email Threat Defense locations, with existing regions in the US and Europe. These new sites will have all the security features present in our existing locations and will receive feature enhancements at the same cadence as the existing locations.
Acknowledging the escalating demand for our product and the imperative to accommodate customers in varied geographical locations, we have meticulously designated Australia and India as our upcoming deployment regions. Our expansion into Australia and India not only broadens our global footprint but also reinforces our dedication to meeting the unique needs of customers in these regions. By localizing our product, users in the new region can expect faster response times and reduced latency, resulting in a more seamless and efficient user experience.
This expansion not only showcases our dedication to meeting the unique requirements of customers in different regions but also highlights our ability to swiftly deliver deployments. We are excited to bring the benefits of our product to Australia and India, enabling businesses in these regions to thrive in a secure and compliant manner.
These environments are built to the same high-level security, service resiliency, and data management practice standards we exhibit across all our global regions. They, too, will meet SOC2 and ISO 27001 standards and will be supported by our Data Privacy policy.
As we look to further expand our data security footprint, our next location is expected to be in the United Arab Emirates. Coverage in these new geographies is a clear indicator of our commitment to, and investment in, the data security of our customers around the globe.
The goal of Cisco’s Black Belt Academy is to provide our partners with an efficient and effective role-based learning journey, which is presented in two or three sequential Stages. There is a strong correlation between partners’ revenue growth and the number of their employees who earn Stage 2 and 3 certifications, which require a deeper understanding of the subject matter, so progress requires validation.
However, we received feedback from partners that our validation criteria aren’t always appropriate for some roles. We listened. The result: more flexible validation criteria.
What’s changed – New flexible validation criteria for Presales and Deployment Roles
In the Black Belt Academy, as learners progress on their journeys from Stage 2 to Stage 3, new options are available depending on the role and the technology. We have provided alternatives other than the Deal ID submission for Stage 2 Learning Plan completion.
Alternative criteria include:
Completing a “Capture the Flag” mission
Creating a Perfect Pitch video of how you would present to a customer
Proof of concept document of a test environment setup for a customer
High-level design document of a customer solution
These details, which are built into the Learning Plans, will be available as the learner’s progress on their journeys.
Solution specialization tracks like SASE, FSO, Hybrid Cloud and Hybrid WFH will still require a Sales Order number from learners who are planning to apply for solution specialization at the partner (company) level. Partner admins should refer to program guidelines here.
Overall Impact
More learners are progressing to Stage 2, which increases the number of those eligible for Stage 3 and certification.
More options will make this validation process less complicated.
A more streamlined learning journey, including automated ‘Capture the Flag’ missions.
An overall improvement in user experience.
These changes represent our direction towards making the learning experience better for our partners. We are working on future improvements for you. Stay tuned!
In the fast-paced world of technology, companies constantly strive to deliver excellent products and services to their customers. The role of a Cisco Customer Success Manager Specialist has become increasingly crucial in ensuring customer satisfaction and retention. Cisco, a global technology leader, offers the 820-605 CSM certification, which equips professionals with the knowledge and skills to excel in this dynamic field. In this article, we will explore the winning strategies that top Cisco 820-605 Customer Success Managers use to stand out from the crowd and drive success for their clients.
In today's competitive business landscape, customer success has become critical to any organization's growth and sustainability. A Cisco 820-605 Customer Success Manager (CSM) ensures customer satisfaction, retention, and loyalty. This article explores the winning strategies of top Cisco 820-605 CSM to stand out in their field and deliver exceptional results.
Essential Skills and Qualities of Top Cisco 820-605 Customer Success Manager
A Customer Success Manager ensures customers achieve their desired outcomes using a company's products or services. To excel in this role, top CSM understands the importance of building strong customer relationships.
Building Strong Customer Relationships
The foundation of successful customer management lies in building strong relationships. Top CSM prioritizes active listening and empathy, ensuring they understand their customers' needs and concerns. Proactive communication is another essential aspect of relationship-building, as it keeps the customers engaged and informed.
Adopting a Data-Driven Approach
Data is a powerful tool that can guide CSM to drive customer success. By utilizing customer analytics and monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs), top CSM gain valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences. This data-driven approach allows them to identify growth opportunities and take proactive measures to prevent potential issues.
Providing Exceptional Onboarding and Training
The onboarding process is critical in setting the tone for a successful customer relationship. Top CSM tailor the onboarding experience to the customer's needs and requirements. Continuous training and skill enhancement further contribute to customer success, ensuring that customers are well-equipped to make the most of the product or service.
Nurturing Customer Advocacy and Loyalty
Customer advocates are valuable assets for any organization. Top CSM focuses on cultivating customer advocates by consistently delivering exceptional service and promptly addressing any concerns that may arise. They understand that nurturing customer loyalty is essential for long-term success.
Implementing Customer Success Technology
Technology plays a pivotal role in modern customer success efforts. Top CSM leverages customer success platforms and automation tools to streamline workflows and enhance customer experience. By adopting technology, they can effectively manage a more extensive customer base without compromising quality.
Leveraging Cross-Functional Collaboration
Customer success is a team effort that involves multiple departments within an organization. Top CSM collaborates closely with sales and marketing teams to ensure a smooth handoff from pre-sales to onboarding. They also work with product development teams to relay customer feedback and contribute to product enhancements.
Managing Churn and Customer Dissatisfaction
Churn and customer dissatisfaction are inevitable challenges for any business. Top CSM proactively identify red flags and take necessary actions to prevent churn. Moreover, they view customer dissatisfaction as an opportunity to turn the situation around and strengthen the relationship.
Embracing a Growth Mindset
A growth mindset is vital for continuous improvement and success. Top CSM embraces learning opportunities from setbacks and actively seeks innovative solutions to enhance customer success. Fostering their professional development also allows them to stay ahead in their field.
Measuring and Demonstrating Customer Success
To showcase the value of their efforts, top CSM define clear success metrics and create impactful reports for stakeholders. By effectively demonstrating their contributions, they solidify their position as indispensable assets to the organization.
Handling Difficult Conversations
Sometimes, CSM encounters challenging situations where customers express dissatisfaction or complaints. Top CSM is skilled at addressing these conversations with empathy and professionalism, turning negative experiences into positive outcomes.
Customer Success in Complex Environments
Enterprise-level challenges and diverse industries require CSM to adapt their strategies accordingly. Top CSM tailor their approaches to suit various sectors' unique demands, ensuring customer success is achieved across the board.
Earning the Cisco 820-605 CSM certification demonstrates your commitment to customer success management, making you a valuable asset to any organization. It opens doors to various opportunities, including customer success manager, customer relationship manager, and client services roles.
Enhanced Skillset:
The certification process covers a wide range of topics, including customer engagement strategies, customer lifecycle management, and problem-solving techniques. These skills enhance your ability to provide exemplary customer support and ensure long-lasting client relationships.
Credibility and Recognition:
Cisco is a renowned networking and technology solutions leader. Holding a Cisco 820-605 CSM certification validates your expertise in customer success management and earns you recognition within the industry.
Competitive Edge:
A Cisco 820-605 CSM certification sets you apart from other candidates in a competitive job market. Employers seek certified professionals who can bring tangible value to customer success initiatives.
Cisco 820-605 CSM Certification Process
Candidates must pass the certification exam to obtain the Cisco 820-605 CSM certification. The exam tests candidates' understanding of customer success principles, customer engagement strategies, and how to drive business outcomes through customer relationships.
Cisco provides learning resources, including official study guides and training courses, to help candidates prepare effectively for the exam. Engaging in hands-on labs and real-world scenarios further strengthens practical knowledge and skills.
Proven Strategies for Customer Retention and Growth
Creating Tailored Success Plans
Successful CSM works closely with customers to create customized success plans aligning with their goals and objectives. These plans act as roadmaps for achieving success and promoting long-term loyalty.
Delivering Continuous Value
Top CSM consistently delivers customer value by providing ongoing support, conducting training sessions, and sharing industry best practices. By demonstrating the value of their products,CSM increases customer retention.
The Future of Customer Success
As technology continues to evolve, so does the role of a CSM. Top professionals in this field embrace technological advancements and adapt their strategies to meet evolving customer expectations. The growing importance of CSM in businesses ensures a promising future for this profession.
Career Path and Growth Opportunities
Achieving the Cisco 820-605 CSM certification opens up exciting career opportunities. Graduates can pursue Customer Success Managers, Account Managers, or Sales Professionals roles. With experience and continuous professional development, individuals can progress to senior management positions or specialize in specific industry domains.
Recertification and Continuous Learning
The technology landscape is ever-evolving, and staying up-to-date with the latest trends is crucial. Cisco certifications typically have a validity period, and professionals must recertify to maintain their status. Recertification ensures that certified individuals remain competent and relevant in their respective domains.
Conclusion
Customer Success Managers are the driving force behind successful customer relationships. The strategies employed by top Cisco 820-605 CSM allow them to stand out and create lasting value for their customers. By prioritizing strong relationships, data-driven decisions, and continuous improvement, these professionals continue to elevate the standards of customer success in the technology industry.
Cisco Secure Endpoint (formerly AMP for Endpoints) provides comprehensive, cloud-based security for endpoint detection and response (EDR). This unique solution contains several detection engines powered by Cisco Talos threat intelligence to prevent, detect, respond, and block cyber threats before your systems are compromised. The capabilities of Cisco Secure Endpoint include the following:
Next-gen antivirus protection
Continuous behaviour monitoring of endpoints (system-level)
Dynamic file analysis
Endpoint isolation
Orbital advanced search
Threat grid cloud
Threat hunting mapped to the MITRE ATT&CK framework
Secure Endpoint contains tools and features tailored to help Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) Partners extend endpoint security as a service, offering managed detection and response (MDR) services. The tool that helps providers more easily manage their customers is the Secure Endpoint MSSP console.
This console gives providers a single dashboard that lists all customers (child organizations) and their provision status. After successful login with a Cisco Security Cloud Sign-On account, the admin can log into the MSSP console or directly into a child organization. Each admin can also set a default organization.
The key benefits provided to partners by using the Secure Endpoint MSSP Console include:
◉ Quick onboarding of new customers with just a few clicks
◉ Easy ability to provision, monitor, and manage trial accounts and then convert trial accounts into subscriptions
◉ Comprehensive, high-level view of the entire customer base with brief states of provisioning, payment, and compromised
◉ Ability for MSSP Partners to automate customer onboarding and reporting using the service provider set of APIs
Figure 1 Customer page from the Secure Endpoint MSSP Console
Integration with other security technologies and automation
Secure Endpoint APIs enable automation and communication across any expanded set of security telemetry beyond endpoints. MSSP Partners can leverage these capabilities to respond to threats completely using a comprehensive architecture whose components work together. APIs help achieve integration with other security technologies and application to enhance response capabilities. Secure Endpoint has already been integrated with many Cisco ecosystem partners.
A unique subset of Secure Endpoint APIs exists to support MSSP use cases. MSSP Partners can use these APIs to do the following:
◉ Create customers
◉ Retrieve the status for all customers
◉ Disable customer APIs
◉ Fetch the total monthly usage of an MSSP Partner
◉ Gather detailed billing information
The MSSP Partner-specific APIs are under <api_endpoint>/v1/mssp.
Move from EDR to XDR for increased visibility and improved endpoint protection
Secure Endpoint provides a solid foundation for MSSP Partners to add on other detection and response services. Secure Endpoint can detect fileless malware, ransomware, polymorphic attacks, and more by continuously monitoring all the files and applications that enter a device. The information collected enhances the detection mechanism to perform threat hunting and carry out forensic activities.
MSSP Partners can seamlessly integrate other tools into the Secure Endpoint cloud to amplify security for their customers. The recently launched Cisco XDR uses the latest technologies to provide even higher visibility by collecting and correlating threat information while using analytics and automation to help detect both current and future cyberattacks.
Figure 2 Using Secure Endpoint MSSP Console with Cisco XDR
Figure 2 shows how MSSP Partners can progress their SecOps journey. Partners would use the console for day 1 provisioning of customers, setting up the management of all the customer endpoints, and then add other detection points such as:
◉ Network detection and response (NDR) with Cisco Secure Network Analytics
◉ Email threat monitoring with Cisco Secure Email Threat defence
◉ Internet access security with Cisco Umbrella
The telemetry gathered can be put into Cisco XDR, where it is correlated to provide intelligence-based actionable outcomes.
At Cisco, we believe in assisting our Partners 360 degrees during the entire sales lifecycle. Hence equal weight is provided to Cisco Black Belt trainings that enable our partners on Sell and Deploy, as well as post-Sales Support around our latest Cisco solutions.
Cisco Black Belt Academy offers role-based enablement to various Partner roles in a digital and scalable way without any cost. These trainings equip Cisco partners to deliver successful outcomes for our joint customers while improving customer satisfaction that leads to business stickiness.
Two years ago, the Greater China Partner Enablement team along with Greater China TAC collaborated with Black Belt Academy to up skill Greater China Partners. They were able to effectively troubleshoot customer issues themselves, resulting in reduced TAC volume along with SE post-sales efforts. The joint collaboration has created wonderful results along with many firsts in last two years that other regions can now replicate as a best practice.
During the period, Greater China TAC held a total of 13 troubleshooting sessions, welcomed more than 1100 participants, and the Black Belt team developed 12 Mandarin Learning Maps. These learning maps are designed to up skill partners’ technical expertise across Cisco Data Center, Enterprise Networking, Collaboration and Security products, as well as help the partners accelerate time to value and advance their competitive edge.
It was a true win win:
◉ Greater China Partners – Become self-dependent in troubleshooting low- to medium-complexity customer issues without opening a TAC SR every time, leading to lesser resolution time and higher customer satisfaction
◉ Greater China Partner Organization – Gets to leverage Black Belt engine to provide enablement on-demand and at scale to Greater China partners, free of cost
◉ Black Belt Academy – Gets ready-to-use Mandarin content to include in our Black Belt learning maps, which is the latest information and comes straight from the TAC SMEs
◉ Greater China TAC – Gets lesser low-complexity cases to handle from Partners with Partner Support Services (PSS) contracts, reducing unnecessary case volume
Black Belt Support tracks assist Cisco Partners in managing and troubleshooting the latest Cisco technologies. With the right training, partners can effectively help and support our customers in managing their Cisco Solutions.
No matter what century you research, you’ll find innovative people doing things to make everyday life easier. Think of the Roman Aqueducts built more than two thousand years ago to move fresh water into the more populated areas. Or, consider the Wright Brothers in 1905 inventing their first powered aircraft that could sustain both flight and navigation.
These examples made life easier for the people at the time and for those who came afterward. At Cisco, our renewed focus on supporting Small and Midsize Businesses has given us a drive to also make it easier for them to take full ownership of how they pay for their Cisco hardware, software, and services over time.
Cisco Capital
Cisco Capital, through Cisco, offers partners and customers flexible payment solutions in how they purchase the needed tech to achieve the business outcomes they want. We never want budget to hold you back from getting the Cisco technology to help your business thrive.
Cisco Capital solutions help you:
1. Bundle everything from hardware to services into a single payment
2. Spread payments over time with less cash up front required
3. Simplify your software license purchases
4. Lock in costs, including renewals, for multi-year service agreements
Flexible Payment Solutions
There are multiple choices for how customers can pay for their solutions. From lifecycle management, consumption models, to traditional leasing or loans, there’s a financing solution that will best suit your budget needs. For our Small and Midsize Businesses, there is one that I’d like to feature.
Cisco Easy Pay
Through Cisco Easy Pay, customers can spread their expenses for Cisco hardware, software, and services over time into a single, predictable payment. Cisco Easy Pay enables customers to:
◉ Spread payments over 3 to 5 years
◉ Enhance cash flow and save capital
◉ Access to below market rates
◉ Provide full ownership of the equipment at the end of the term
For partners, Cisco Easy Pay lets you provide customers with a competitive, low-rate payment solution. This allows you to streamline selling motions with an offer that is easy to understand and manage. Lack of capital or budget no longer needs to hold customers back from accessing the right hardware, software, and services they need. With no upfront costs, customers can invest in other business priorities, innovate sooner, and accelerate their IT projects.
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