Cisco’s advocacy group, Cisco Insider Advocates, brings our clients collectively and offers a method for them to make highly effective connections, increase their skilled and private networks, and study from prime specialists of their area. Considered one of our objectives with our advocacy group is to deepen {our relationships} with our clients. Our Q&A collection permits us to shine a highlight on a few of our most passionate buyer advocates as we study extra about their tales and backgrounds.
Right this moment, now we have one of many friendliest faces locally becoming a member of us for a chat. I’m excited to welcome Damian Erni from Swisscom.
Welcome, Damian! Let’s kick issues off by speaking about what you wished to be whenever you had been 16 years outdated?
That’s an attention-grabbing query. In Switzerland, you normally begin your apprenticeship or your examine whenever you flip 16. At the moment, I used to be very fascinated by mechanical engineering or constructing development.
An apprenticeship is a really hands-on option to mix training and profession. Talking of careers, the place did you begin yours? And what skilled resolution or alternative helped lead you to your present position?
That’s a protracted story. I began my skilled profession within the printing and promoting enterprise as a typesetter and graphic designer. Throughout all these years, I at all times maintained and supported the IT infrastructure of the businesses I used to be working for. It was type of a passion on prime of my common job, which was nice enjoyable with a number of studying. In 1999, throughout a go to to an IT honest, I met somebody from Cisco, who was recruiting for a networking boot camp. I signed up for that chance and shortly began my IT profession as a challenge engineer, constructing massive MPLS networks globally.
Wow! You and Cisco have had a connection for fairly a while. How has partnering with Cisco helped you in your profession and your present position?
All of it started with the very fact that Cisco made it attainable for me to start out my profession in IT, a few years in the past. I’m nonetheless grateful for that chance. Right this moment, a few years later, I proceed to be linked to Cisco as an advocate and ambassador of Cisco Insider Advocacy packages, that are unbelievable. For the every day enterprise, I can depend on the native Cisco crew right here in Switzerland.
What’s been your largest problem in your organization lately, and the way did you overcome it?
My job is at all times evolving and that’s what makes it nice. After all, there are many challenges on this fast-turning business, however one of many greater challenges we face is the scarcity of expert IT employees. At Swisscom, now we have a number of packages to draw younger expertise, together with our “junior program,” which exposes members to profession alternatives in a variety of fields. For instance, these in this system for system engineers can change into licensed engineers for Cisco, Dell, or Microsoft with specializations in areas like information middle engineering or community engineering.
Let’s transfer on to our buyer advocacy group! How would you describe Cisco Insider Advocates to those that aren’t accustomed to it?
The Cisco Insider Advocates group is a gaggle of individuals which are obsessed with what they do. The all have an intrinsic motivation to study and discover expertise and are keen about Cisco. I met a few of them at Cisco Stay, and it felt as if we had recognized one another for a very long time. All of us had a good time in the course of the occasion and are nonetheless involved since then.
You’re considered one of our group “Rockstars,” Damian. What made you wish to be a part of, and the way has being a part of this group impacted you each professionally and personally?
I joined about 4 years in the past after I was on the native Cisco workplace for an occasion. They promoted Cisco Insider Advocates, and I used to be curious and signed-up. At the moment, I didn’t know what to anticipate. Throughout my time locally, I acquired increasingly more concerned in several actions, from being a part of a problem to participation at a panel dialogue at Cisco Stay. I feel for each, the non-public {and professional} facet, I get extra visibility for my work, and I can depend on the assist and data of an enormous and extremely expert group.
Cisco Stay 2024 is only a few months away! We might like to know extra about your expertise at Cisco Stay 2023 Amsterdam this previous February. Should you may describe your expertise in a single phrase, what would it not be? How did it evaluate to earlier Cisco Stay conferences you’ve attended?
Inspiring could be the very best phrase to summarize my expertise. If I evaluate it to different Cisco Stay occasions, my favourite remains to be the one in Barcelona in 2019. However each Cisco Stay has its personal highlights, which I don’t wish to miss.
Through the convention, you spoke at considered one of our buyer panel sessions. How was your expertise, and what did you talk about on the panel?
It was an incredible expertise, getting out of my consolation zone and being within the highlight. We had been a gaggle of 5 advocates. We spoke concerning the intersection of buyer expertise and buyer advocacy and the way we see that taking place in apply via the Cisco Buyer Expertise and buyer advocacy packages and initiatives.
You additionally had an opportunity to fulfill for the primary time or reconnect with friends from the Cisco Insider Advocates group, in addition to a few of my colleagues from Cisco’s World Buyer Advertising crew! How did you take pleasure in that reconnection?
As I discussed earlier, it felt like we’ve recognized one another for a very long time though we’d by no means met in particular person. The day we met felt like seeing outdated buddies. You’re feeling that all of them share the identical ardour. We had nice enjoyable. I’m trying ahead to seeing all of them once more in 2024 in Amsterdam.
We will’t wait to host you once more, Damian! We’re nearly on the finish of the interview and we’d love to complete with three issues you possibly can’t dwell with out?
- My household and buddies
- Having a job the place I can study one thing new daily
- A humorousness
Nice listing! It’s been a pleasure and thanks once more for becoming a member of us, Damian!
Learn extra advocate interviews
You may take pleasure in this interview with Jyrki Halonen.
Be a part of us!
For our clients who’ve already joined our Cisco Insider Advocates group, say hi there to Damian if you happen to haven’t met but. And if you happen to’re a Cisco buyer however aren’t a group member, contemplate becoming a member of. You’ll have the ability to:
- Join with friends in a gamified, on-line group
- Have a chance to fulfill with Cisco’s executives
- Share your suggestions, questions, and finest practices
- Get entry to ‘insider’ content material and assets
- Develop your skilled and private model
- Amplify your organization’s success story with Cisco expertise
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