Cisco Systems, Inc. is staking its reputation on offering flexibility and variety. The company spends a lot time working with partners to create integrated solutions for customers, according to Erik Lillestolen, manager of ISV solution product management at Cisco. Lillestolen acknowledged that “more than one option is needed.” To that end, Cisco supplies “broad product offerings.”

During an interview with Jeff Frick and Stu Miniman, cohosts of theCUBE, from the SiliconANGLE Media team, Lillestolen stated the question that drives the company is: What unique value can Cisco bring to the problem? Cisco looks to leverage management to create a better customer experience. For example, Lillestolen offered the Blade series, which he claims is number one in the North American market. The series goes beyond server as storage, allowing programmable infrastructure with both flexibility and governance.

In regards to the Cloud, according to Lillestolen “there is no one answer for the Cloud,” as some customers are looking for exclusively a private or public option while others are interested in hybrid solutions. The company’s goal is to be “flexible and dynamic,” and Lillestolen remarked that Cloud solutions are “demand driven.”

Cisco “wants to understand their [customer’s] strategic intent,” as well as “what they want from their data center,” he explained. In some cases, Lillestolen has seen customers come in without a “mindset that is 15 years old.” When Lillestolen presents an updated option to their requests, he observes a reaction where “the customer sits back in the chair and says, ‘Wow, I didn’t know we could do that.’”

Photo by SiliconANGLE