This week is the annual Cisco Live conference, where the attendees are spending the time with their favorite Disney and Universal characters in Orlando, Florida! Beyond the superheroes and animated characters, let’s take a look at what this conference has for technical attendees, and what opportunities the conference provides.
First of all, the conference is divided into a number of technology tracks, as follows:
- Certifications
- Internet of Things
- Cloud
- Mobility
- Collaboration
- Security
- Data Center
- Service Provider
- Enterprise Networks
While the Enterprise Networks track consists of what people normally associate with Cisco, you can see Cisco has branched out in recent years with offerings for almost any technology professional. Even if you are there primarily for the Security track, there is nothing stopping you from branching out into a Cloud breakout session, as the Cisco Live conference pass is valid for tracks and sessions.
For example, the Data Center track consists of 169 sessions, and address a multitude of topics within them, such as a Cisco HyperFlex Architecture Deep Dive, ACI for VMware Admins, Advanced Storage Area Network Design, and Designing Storage Networks in an All Flash Data Center.
This, along with the other technology tracks makes Cisco Live the premier destination for technology professionals, especially ones looking to step out of their comfort zone and learn something new.
During his keynote, Cisco’s CEO Chuck Robbins key talking points was “the network’s next act”. This further solidify’s Cisco’s position in today’s organizations and data centers.
Another interesting track is always the Certifications track. This track is comprised of the sessions to get IT professionals ready for their next Cisco certification. If someone has been studying put o the time of Cisco Live, this track is a great way to give them the confidence to go and take the exam. There is also an on site testing center when attended are ready to test.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention some of the excellent sessions in the Enterprise Networks track, after all, this is what made Cisco the compact it is today. With this track is a number of learning paths, like Analytics, Orchestration and Automation, WAN Design, MPLS, Quality of Service, and of course, Network Virtualization. Of the 119 sessions in the Enterprise Network track, there is something for everyone, from beginner to intermediate, spanning all network product lines. You can find a complete list of sessions in this track here.
To me, some of the most interesting sessions are the ones that talk about the product architectures, such as the Cisco Catalyst 9500 Switch Architectures sessions. As with any technical conference, it is always a great opportunity to hear from the engineers who have worked on the solutions.
If you want to take part in Cisco Live and don’t happen to be in Orlando, there are many ways to follow the conference on Twitter. Of course, the #CLUS hashtag on Twitter is the one to follow. Cisco has also published a broadcast agenda as your guide to the available live streams.