Thread regarding Cisco Systems Inc. layoffs

No point complaining, nothing is going to change with these posts... The internal northbound networking at those levels are strong, they will do whatever suits them, until wallstreet takes notice on this specific line of business and questions it's growth pattern and it's overall value to Cisco's bottom line. Industry needs to call out the marketing hype which is away from reality, then things could change.

Jump ship if you have the skills and feel so strongly about everything around you and your role's future. Change can be overwhelming, but suffering everyday is also not worth it either.. there is more to life than getting stuck and complaining. Lot of companies growing much faster than Cisco security and are more relevant in customers eyes.

Would you say that if they were not women?

You should never be permitted to criticize women for anything.

The situation in GSSO and especially in SBG engineering is concerning. In last 12 months, almost all leaders in both orgs left themselves because of politics and lack of funding. Even the SVP/GM of SBG left last month. Really a sad state.

In GSSO it is more terrible situation. SB is a joke . How on earth, the senior leadership allowing her to continue in this position. I doubt she is educating herself to keep up with the new trends and every changing technology. Looks like she got stuck in legacy firewall world. It is difficult to convince her even after providing detailed information, multiple times, in multiple format – in ppt, excelsheet, in detailed document with executive summary.

I may sound rude, but sorry to say that both SB and her close friend CGS need more experience in field to be in this position. Currently they really lack knowledge about the industry and trends, and we can make out easily when they speak. Even a start-up firm will doubt to take CGS in a strategy management position. They may be good people managers in Cisco but currently their role demands more than that. To build a vision without wide experience and knowledge is a challenge. And it is more challenging for people around them to educate about industry and trend. Her teams members like JF and JH are other arrogant chaps. They only know to talk about the TDMs from Saleconnect. Their solutions are good for legacy world - guys we need more advance vision and solutions to compete with PA and FortN etc.

CGS doesn’t get the new concept, she just repeating the same old stories. Either she is too narrow into traditional legacy network security domain, or she is not updating herself. Either way it is really a struggle to make her understand about the Cloud and Semantic web.

If any senior management reading this post, please move them to non-strategic role. Sad that we didn’t learn from past mistakes. The can easily take down the security business in months.

Seriously, people want to turn this into because they are women. Their gender has nothing to do with them being in over their head, I have women VPs before that are phenomenal. Agree with OP these two are clueless and it has nothing to do with them being women. Talk to some of the directors that reported to them and how much of a disaster and ineptness in running a global organization. The OP should have said they are examples of “The Peter Principle”. Look that up and what it means.

Would you say that if they were not women?

Agree with OP. SB is a disaster. She never been in a sales leadership role at any level and then she becomes VP of Global Security Sales. The results she has shown is pathetic. There is significant in-fighting in her org even at the VP and Director level. No one knows what they are doing there. Ask the several directors that have left already or ask the people they have taken with them.

Why is the competition growing double digits and why is Cisco Security not. Why is the competition hiring and GSSO is letting people go and starting another round of limited layoffs in GSSO.

Maybe SB should have not been reveling in her breaking the glass ceiling and sharing her climb to the top, and instead focused on being a sales leader.

Maybe SB should not have created all these SMB roles and investment in SMB while the competition is investing in Enterprise.

Maybe SB should takes some responsibility and ownership instead of blaming everyone else. That is SB’s MO her entire career. Ask the partner and collab teams.

Maybe SB should stop hiring her friends like VP of Engineering who has created another disaster. Look at everyone leaving there too.

To quote a recent Director that left “She is in over her head and she does not realize the magnitude of this is peoples livelihood.”

All she says is “catch phrases”. The people need actual leaders willing to be bold and be a leader not talk about being a leader.

Can you give any specifics on what SB should or should not have done? Also, do you place any blame on the bad products?

CGS and SB have taken GSSO to new lows. Competition is growing significantly and these two have negative net new bookings and now these two have to start cutting Opex which means layoffs.