{"id":25563,"date":"2025-11-18T15:17:16","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T20:17:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/?p=25563"},"modified":"2025-11-18T15:23:18","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T20:23:18","slug":"ciscos-aruna-ravichandran-on-ai-purpose-driven-marketing-and-the-future-of-human-agent-collaboration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/cisco\/ciscos-aruna-ravichandran-on-ai-purpose-driven-marketing-and-the-future-of-human-agent-collaboration.html","title":{"rendered":"Cisco\u2019s Aruna Ravichandran on AI, Purpose-Driven Marketing, and the Future of Human-Agent Collaboration"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Key Takeaways:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Cisco\u2019s SVP and CMO of AI Networking and Collaboration, Aruna Ravichandran, discusses the shift from hybrid work to an era defined by AI and intelligent agents.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>She emphasizes \u201cbrand with a purpose\u201d \u2014 marketing that connects emotional gravity with measurable ROI.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cisco\u2019s new \u201cConnected Intelligence\u201d framework bridges human-to-human, human-to-agent, and agent-to-agent collaboration.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Webex\u2019s AI-driven tools, including Note Taker and Task Agent, highlight how collaboration and productivity are evolving.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cisco\u2019s proprietary networking LLM, trained on 40 years of domain knowledge, enhances performance and autonomy across its platform.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>When Cisco\u2019s Aruna Ravichandran sat down with me for a recent The Tech Authority interview, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=hFEtWHOO8Z4&amp;list=PLislxYape3xsga0jfuki2faEyTIb8wxah\">conversation<\/a> was as forward-looking as it was reflective. As Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Cisco\u2019s AI Networking and Collaboration business, Ravichandran represents both the company\u2019s deep technical roots and its growing leadership in AI-driven transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ravichandran began by reflecting on her journey from engineer to marketing executive. \u201cGrowing up in India, my mother gave me three choices\u2014engineer, doctor, or loser,\u201d she said, laughing. \u201cSo I chose engineering.\u201d After earning degrees in computer science from India and Santa Clara University, she spent a decade at Hewlett-Packard, working on networking and high-availability systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While she excelled as an engineer, Ravichandran was drawn to customer engagement and storytelling. \u201cEven back then, I always gravitated toward building products that mattered to customers,\u201d she said. That drive led her from engineering to product management, and eventually into marketing \u2014 a transition that revealed how data, creativity, and purpose intersect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMarketing isn\u2019t just about flashy ads,\u201d she explained. \u201cThere\u2019s a science to it \u2014 it\u2019s about building affiliation and creating meaning. The most successful brands are those that stand for something larger than their products.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At Cisco, she\u2019s applied that philosophy through the concept of \u201cbrand with a purpose.\u201d The approach centers on aligning business strategy, customer empathy, and measurable outcomes. \u201cPurpose becomes your North Star,\u201d Ravichandran said. \u201cIt drives every decision, inspires employees, and creates lasting connections with customers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To embody that mindset within Cisco\u2019s marketing organization, Ravichandran introduced a simple but powerful mantra: <em>Make it now. Make it wow. Make it matter.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><em>Make it now<\/em> reflects urgency in an ever-shifting landscape.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Make it wow<\/em> captures pride, craftsmanship, and accountability.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Make it matter<\/em> emphasizes purpose and empathy \u2014 the idea that technology should amplify humanity, not replace it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>That same philosophy underpins Cisco\u2019s latest innovation, introduced at its Webex One conference in San Diego: <strong>Connected Intelligence<\/strong>. The concept acknowledges that the modern workplace is no longer just human-to-human, but increasingly human-to-agent and agent-to-agent. \u201cIf every person soon has ten AI agents working on their behalf, we\u2019re entering a world with the capacity of 80 billion people,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have to build tools that help humans and agents collaborate seamlessly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cisco\u2019s Webex platform now integrates a range of AI agents designed to simplify and personalize work. The <strong>Note Taker Agent<\/strong> can automatically summarize conversations \u2014 even outside a formal meeting \u2014 capturing key points and action items in real time. The <strong>Task Agent<\/strong> extends that capability by scheduling follow-ups or creating meetings based on context. Ravichandran also highlighted <strong>Slido<\/strong>, an interactive polling tool that uses AI to surface relevant questions during large meetings and foster engagement among participants who might otherwise stay silent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These tools reflect a broader evolution of collaboration \u2014 one that blends autonomy and oversight. \u201cWe believe in human-in-the-loop,\u201d Ravichandran said. \u201cYou can let the agent take autonomous action, or you can retain control. It\u2019s about trust and flexibility.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cisco is also bringing AI innovation to the infrastructure layer through its new <strong>AI Canvas<\/strong> platform. Built on the company\u2019s proprietary networking large language model, trained on over 40 years of Cisco\u2019s data, AI Canvas powers what Ravichandran calls \u201cagentic ops.\u201d It can correlate and troubleshoot issues across domains, reducing the need for traditional war rooms. \u201cWe benchmarked our deep foundation model against other LLMs,\u201d she said, \u201cand found 20 percent higher efficacy \u2014 that\u2019s the advantage of four decades of networking expertise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Ravichandran\u2019s view, AI doesn\u2019t replace intuition \u2014 it enhances it. \u201cFinding market fit in the age of AI means solving real problems, not just selling products,\u201d she said. \u201cAI allows brands to listen at scale \u2014 to understand what customers need, while marketing provides the \u2018why\u2019 that connects those insights to purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She sees this combination of intelligence and empathy as the next great transformation in how organizations engage customers and employees alike. \u201cAI reveals the <em>what<\/em>, marketing defines the <em>why<\/em>, and purpose provides the <em>so what<\/em>,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen you connect all three, you don\u2019t just create value \u2014 you create meaning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the conversation drew to a close, Tehrani asked for her advice to young women aspiring to leadership roles. Ravichandran\u2019s answer was both personal and universal. \u201cPassion is everything,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you\u2019re passionate about your work, you\u2019re not just doing a job \u2014 you\u2019re having fun. Never give up on your passion, even when the path is hard. Purpose gives your work meaning, but passion gives it life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From HP\u2019s labs to Cisco\u2019s global marketing strategy, Ravichandran\u2019s journey embodies the convergence of engineering precision and creative purpose. As Cisco continues to evolve its AI-driven collaboration and networking platforms, her message is clear: the future of technology is human \u2014 supported by intelligent agents that make work faster, smarter, and more meaningful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-10.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"299\" height=\"136\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-10.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20657\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If you liked this post, you\u2019ll love one of the the leading global business communications and technology events since 1999, the&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.itexpo.com\/\">ITEXPO #TECHSUPERSHOW<\/a>, Feb 10-12, 2026 Fort Lauderdale, Florida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t forget the collocated&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.mspexpo.com\/\">MSP Expo<\/a>&nbsp;\u2013 just for managed service providers!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Aside from his role as CEO of&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.tmcnet.com\/\">TMC<\/a>&nbsp;and chairman of&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.itexpo.com\/\">ITEXPO<\/a>&nbsp;#TECHSUPERSHOW Feb 10-12, 2026,&nbsp;Rich Tehrani is CEO of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rt-advisors.com\/\">RT Advisors<\/a>&nbsp;and a Registered Representative (investment banker) with and offering securities through&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.4pointscapital.com\/\">Four Points Capital Partners LLC&nbsp;<\/a>(Four Points) (Member FINRA\/SIPC). He handles capital\/debt raises as well as M&amp;A. RT Advisors is not owned by Four Points.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The above is not an endorsement or recommendation to buy\/sell any security or sector mentioned. No companies mentioned above are current or past clients of RT Advisors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The views and opinions expressed above are those of the participants. While believed to be reliable, the information has not been independently verified for accuracy. Any broad, general statements made herein are provided for context only and should not be construed as exhaustive or universally applicable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Portions of this article may have been developed with the assistance of artificial intelligence, which may have contributed to ideation, content generation, factual review, or editing<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways: When Cisco\u2019s Aruna Ravichandran sat down with me for a recent The Tech Authority interview, the conversation was as forward-looking as it was reflective. As Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Cisco\u2019s AI Networking and Collaboration business, Ravichandran represents both the company\u2019s deep technical roots and its growing leadership in AI-driven<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":25564,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[180],"tags":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25563"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25563"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25563\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25566,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25563\/revisions\/25566"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}