Nov 23, 2020 — Though tech companies across the board have made strides to help the world acclimate to the pandemic, there’s a few whose efforts have risen above the rest. One of these companies is the networking powerhouse Cisco—no surprise there, considering its impressive track record in CSR. Earlier this year, the company pledged to contribute at least $225 million in cash and products and services to help prop up vital organizations such as governments, schools, and healthcare as they struggle to adapt. Amongst other efforts, Cisco also instituted a donation-matching program for its employees who want to help.

With the influx of remote workers and students, Cisco’s Webex video conferencing platform has been top-rated during the pandemic. It’s one of (if not the most) secure and trusted video collaboration platforms on the market, making it an appealing alternative to the ubiquitous (and historically problematic) Zoom. I last wrote on Webex over the summer, when Cisco introduced new security features such as Data Loss Prevention (DPL), Retention, Legal Hold and eDiscovery to Webex Meetings. Now Cisco’s back with more updates—let’s jump in.

Keeping the wheels on the track

With so much of the tech focus during the pandemic centering around how to support remote workers, students, and healthcare, it’s easy to forget that the government, who we entrust to combat the virus, is also struggling with the new reality. Both national and local government institutions worldwide are under intense pressure right now. The public expects them to deliver essential services when an unprecedented number of people are hurting and needing help. Simultaneously, they must continue to govern and keep the big democratic wheels on the track. To do all of that during a global pandemic requires the right tools.

That’s where Cisco’s Webex offering comes in. While we’ve all had to adjust our lives and jobs to practice safe social distancing, governmental organizations can’t leverage any old video conferencing platform. They have to be very careful about complying with regulations and protecting the sensitive data and information they handle. For that reason, it was a legal requirement for many organizations to meet in person before the pandemic. Now that everything has gone virtual, they must turn to collaboration tools instead. And those tools need to have the highest levels of security and privacy built into them. With these organizations in mind, Cisco unveiled two new cloud solutions designed to help the governmental bodies we depend on to function.