‘We are tipping the scales in favour of defenders’

From R&D to manufacturing hub, Cisco’s 30-year journey in India is only accelerating.

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The company is investing across sales and marketing, engineering, and manufacturing to strengthen its position, whether through enabling secure and scalable infrastructure, developing Al and security solutions, or equipping businesses with digital resilience. “As a key talent hub and fast-growing market, India is vital to Cisco’s strategy,’ said

Daisy Chittilapilly, president, Cisco India & Saarc. In this interview, she speaks to Sudhir Chowdhary on the achievements so far, the India business opportunity, and their plans to help customers modernise digital infrastructure. Excerpts:

How has India contributed to Cisco’s global growth?

The journey of 30 years has been one of deep partnership, with the government, businesses, communities, and our customers and partners. From setting up one of Cisco’s largest R&D centres outside the US to helping launch our latest manufacturing facility in Chennai, we’ve seen tremendous growth. Our Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) programme, now in its third edition, has completed over 125 projects across key sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, and logistics.

A significant milestone last year was the inauguration of Cisco’s manufacturing facility in Chennai to boost supply chain reliability, both locally and globally. India is home to one of the largest Cisco workforces outside the US, with over 16,000 employees. Our R&D and engineering footprint is the largest outside the US, including 8,000+ engineers who have contributed over 1,000 patents. As India continues to establish itself as a technology leader, we believe this will only gain momentum.