Cisco's Web Enablement
CEO John Chambers believed that “by providing the end-to-end network plumbing, we can change the way entire companies and industries operate.” How did Cisco’s IT web-enablement initiatives reinforce and demonstrate that belief? Explain your answer with examples.
Cisco began web development in early 1990s. Cisco invested around $100 million to web-enable all the applications using standard set of tools and smart group of people. Most of the interactions with customers, partner and suppliers were network-based and began at Cisco's home page which allowed them to do business with Cisco more efficiently and effectively. Below are some of the examples of the intranet and internet applications that were built part of this initiative:
Intranet Applicationss: Employee Self-Service & Communication and distance learning:
Cisco's corporate intranet, Cisco Employee Connection, a centralized portal to access the information, tools and resources needed to streamline processes, facilitate knowledge exchange and maximize employee productivity met the unique needs of 40,000 plus employees. Training modules were available to employees to be trained from their desktops through the distance learning application. The usage of training modules was tracked to improve the quality and its effectiveness. Personalized home pages using ‘My Yahoo!’ retrieved information from the internet based on user preferences and pushed it to their desktops. Cisco’s quarterly meetings were available for employees to be viewed from their desktop. This not just doubled the attendance but also enhanced the Cisco's culture of maintaining a strong relationship with each employee.
Internet Applications:
Customer Self-service through website Cisco's customer self-service portal built on Cisco.com, a comprehensive, web-based, online resource for information and networked application, was the primary vehicle for delivering responsive, around the clock support for its customers. They relied on
Cisco began web development in early 1990s. Cisco invested around $100 million to web-enable all the applications using standard set of tools and smart group of people. Most of the interactions with customers, partner and suppliers were network-based and began at Cisco's home page which allowed them to do business with Cisco more efficiently and effectively. Below are some of the examples of the intranet and internet applications that were built part of this initiative:
Intranet Applicationss: Employee Self-Service & Communication and distance learning:
Cisco's corporate intranet, Cisco Employee Connection, a centralized portal to access the information, tools and resources needed to streamline processes, facilitate knowledge exchange and maximize employee productivity met the unique needs of 40,000 plus employees. Training modules were available to employees to be trained from their desktops through the distance learning application. The usage of training modules was tracked to improve the quality and its effectiveness. Personalized home pages using ‘My Yahoo!’ retrieved information from the internet based on user preferences and pushed it to their desktops. Cisco’s quarterly meetings were available for employees to be viewed from their desktop. This not just doubled the attendance but also enhanced the Cisco's culture of maintaining a strong relationship with each employee.
Internet Applications:
Customer Self-service through website Cisco's customer self-service portal built on Cisco.com, a comprehensive, web-based, online resource for information and networked application, was the primary vehicle for delivering responsive, around the clock support for its customers. They relied on