Rebecca Jacobie transforms Cisco to counter 3.0 Generation

It’s hard to find woman executive in global IT industry and it’s even harder in business organization. With active look but determined, Rebecca Jacobie, is one of a few who has been promoted as Senior Vice President and CIO of Cisco Systems Inc, one of the world’s top IT firms.

Her main responsibility is to work with IT groups of Cisco, strengthen relationships with partners as part of strategy to increase revenue, customer satisfaction, market share and productivity. She used to work as senior manger for manufacturing, director of Access business and vice president for customer service and operation. She also received YWCA Tribute to Women and Industry (TWIN)

Restructure to 2.0 Generation

Rebecca said that as a supplier for technology, it is certainly that IT has been deployed to increase efficiency of operation especially web technology 2.0 and Wiki to develop knowledge centre for employee and allow them to create their own blog.

When apply this new technology with Unified Communication and develop to use collaboratively with software to support WebEx, Cisco can interactively work with all parties including supplier, designing process, management, customer and partner. Especially “partner” which is the key part because 80% of Cisco revenue generated through partner channels.

“We call this internal changing process as Cisco 3.0 which is not only bring IT to change working process but also differentiation of innovation to create new business opportunity for both Cisco and partners to increase more value for customer when utilizing technology.

Leveraging video

Aside from web technology, she also brings video technology to improve communication between employee and customer to be more collaboratively. For example, Tele Presence which is a high resolution teleconference installed along Cisco’s main offices around the world.

“We can save cost of transportation for US$150 million a year as well reduce green effect and carbon dioxide by 10%”

Utilizing video can help changing various types of working operation especially giving opportunity for executives to discuss with customers. Previously, executives have to travel 1-2 times per week to meet customer. With virtualized video conference, she can talk with 10 customers who live in different states just few hours. This also includes conducting interview to recruit new executives like she have made with executives in Bangalore, India.

Propose Mega IT project

“I’ve got green light from CEO to push mega IT projects of large enterprises that have million US dollars in term of value and take many years to complete. All projects are strategic move of corporate.

Cisco starts with developing 5-6 data centers that utilize virtualization technology to make customer understand the trend of Data Center 3.0 to support their business through leasing software service (SaaS).

Cisco meanwhile is on the move to adjust Commerce Application to be able to upgrade technology and enabling programming process to be done faster in case that Cisco launch new program to support partner. Such application enable partners to have flexibility and faster speed to upgrade existing technology.

Utilize IT to create business innovation

Deploying IT as strategic tool must reflect the real value and give opportunity for business expansion. When combining IT utilization with a new business model, it is able to fit to business operation in the age of globalization which is reaching customer, partner, supplier and capable human resource around the world.

An experienced CIO also mentioned that there are a lots of enterprises who have impressively utilized IT to create business innovation for example P&G and HSBC which deploy IT to change working process or making as IT as a service.

Believe woman can be CIO

Through out her 13 years working with Cisco, being a woman is not obstacle of her work as the whole teams are male. However, she foresees that role of woman with inter personal skill for communication can push a collaboration among many divisions and working as multitasking at the same time. This is nature of woman.

“Communication skill is the major qualification of CIO especially at the age of complexity of IT and needed collaboration among a lot of people. In the future, there may be more woman CIO”