Based on the “performance” it’s clear that the security BU, the sales specialists and TSAs are subpar. Time to ditch this weight around our ankles.
18 replies (most recent on top)
Long term technical security sales rep here. I'm interviewing for a CSS job. This blog is creating some hesitation on my part. Other large primarily HW focused companies (IBM, EMC, HP, etc), haven;t figured it out yet either. I think that Cisco would benefit with more focused attention attention on security. Somebody said it earlier, it's in everything we do (or should be). Should I ride in like a white knight or move on to greener pastures? Does anyone at Cisco even care about security?
Security sales are a rounding error to Cisco.
Agreed, no one would be interested in buying security.
Probably makes more sense to sell Collab or UCS than Security.
LOL, pity the fool...who says cut loose security, clueless
Wow, the best example you can come up with is Umbrella??
I agree the root of the problem is that the core sales teams are uneducated and therefore don't even want to talk about security to their customers. However, it's not their fault - it's the Security BU for not giving them proper training and enough info to start the conversation with their customers. So yes, they are ignorant, as evidence from the original poster
Here's one example for the ding-a-ling: It's called Umbrella, it is a Secure Access Service Edge tool. It is displacing all of those VPN devices you all sold in the 90's and 2000's. I'm beginning to think its not the CSS's/TSS's but rather the core sales team is uneducated, half of them can't even spell security
“ Cisco would be crazy to spin off security. It's become integral to everything we do and everything customers do. Without security, we are a bunch of commodity HW. Most everything is moving to S/W defined... and it's easy and PROFITABLE to include security in a SAS environment. Wake up fool”
Give one example, ya ding do-g. You’re just repeating meaningless marketing.
Cisco would be crazy to spin off security. It's become integral to everything we do and everything customers do. Without security, we are a bunch of commodity HW. Most everything is moving to S/W defined... and it's easy and PROFITABLE to include security in a SAS environment. Wake up fool
Interesting that the CSS's and SE's in security are sub-par, and hard to believe frankly. I agree that customer security spend is double digits and growing. I'm concerned that Cisco security grew at 1%. Is it really the sales force/mgmt or is it the product portfolio? Could it be lack of headcount? I heard that we are filing new CSS slots.
The plan for Security was $900 mil, we hit $821 mil (1% increase). So we missed plan and achieved a lousy 1% increase. Competition is growing at double digits.
Someone needs to be fired for missing plan, especially when CR is talking about Duo, Umbrella and SASE as main pillars for the future
The poster below is correct, something is not adding up. 1% growth is pathetic. Wait till you see the security competition earnings over the next several weeks.
It is called a lack of Sales leadership and CR needs to do something real quick to get rid of SB and her engineering friend that is as clueless as SB.
Hang on though, the best is yet to come from SB and her engineering friend. CSSs will no longer be able to engage their dedicated TSA without going to the disaster called Click to Expert. That sucks for us as now we have more work and process to actually sell. We are already in SFDC so why not just add them there instead of this extra process. It gets better, the Click to Expert actually communicates with SFDC to put TSA into opportunity. So why add the extra process. It is all about distracting from the real issues that SB and her engineering friend can’t lead a global sales and engineering organization and they need to show that things are bad and they are taking steps to fix it. Well, they are not fixing the dwindling security sales.
Something does not add up in the narrative... Number 1 security company, yet only 1% growth?
(During a hot cyber security customer demand cycle)
Also all the CSSes suck big time.
There is no real security sales leadership. What do you expect from a person that has no sales leadership experience and no security foundations who is put in charge of worldwide security sales. Another 1% quarter while our competitors are growing by double digits. That 1% growth includes reoccurring revenue. If you look at net new bookings, it is negative growth. Glad that our inept worldwide security sales leader invested in SMB. That was her plan when she came into power. She touted her plan and how she broke the glass ceiling being the first woman security VP. She needs to be fired. She is clueless. The last 2 quarters are pathetic. She is out of touch.