CISCO frog without worrying about legacy technology . It ’ s a good opportunity from that perspective . It ’ s quite different to what we see in the US and means tailoring new solutions to our mid-market customers .”
A COLLABORATIVE LOCAL PARTNER In this way , it ’ s important for Cisco to establish itself as a local partner . “ Each market is growing at a different pace ,” says Batka , citing Asia ’ s oft-uncertain political climate . “ We don ’ t have a one-size-fits-all approach . We actually get the opportunity to adapt and create the right offering . We have a real focus on localisation rather than just translation of product . It ’ s about what we need to do to take that produce to market and really embrace the growth and opportunity to match market conditions .”
Cybersecurity and data privacy are key areas of interest in the region , with Cisco having recently signed a global agreement with Interpol out of Singapore . “ Singapore is really a hub for the Southeast Asia region ,” says Batka , “ as well as Japan as it prepares for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics .” Collaboration with government helps establish Cisco as a trusted partner in the region , in particular with Cisco ’ s remote working initiatives . “ We ’ re able to bring our
“ In the old days , IT was a boys ’ club . Not anymore . We ’ re here , and we ’ re different ”
— Vicki Batka , President , Partnerships , APAC and Japan , Cisco
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