Cisco CTO Warns of IT Skills Crisis Amid Rapid Industry Change

Rob Lay, chief technology officer (CTO) for Cisco in the UK and Ireland, leads the company's technical go-to-market organisation. He explained that his background as a network engineer and solutions architect has given him a deep understanding of the challenges faced by customers.

Lay emphasized the importance of lifelong learning in the rapidly changing IT industry. He noted that unless individuals develop their ability to learn quickly, they will struggle to keep up with new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI).

Cisco's Partner 360 programme has been revamped to help partners capitalize on the momentum seen in the market. Lay highlighted the critical role of AI and the need for guidance on how best to build use cases that can make the most of its potential.