At Cisco, we consider within the energy of expertise and our individuals to drive significant change. For over 30 years, we’ve partnered with India to form our shared digital future, foster innovation, and construct a workforce prepared for tomorrow. However our impression goes far past enterprise.
Collectively, we’ve been working to empower communities and enhance lives—and due to the ingenuity and diligence of our many non-profit collaborators, we’ve achieved one thing actually exceptional.
Watch our overview video to find out how Cisco and our companions helped 50 million individuals in India.
Above and past: How a authorities mandate to present again change into an inspiration to go additional
In 2013, when India applied a regulation requiring corporations to put money into company social accountability (CSR) initiatives, Cisco noticed a chance not simply to satisfy the mandate, however to go above and past. In 2018, we set a daring purpose: positively impression 50 million lives in India by 2025.
Once we join the unconnected, we develop alternative for all. Working intently with our non-profit companions, we didn’t simply meet that purpose—we exceeded it, reaching this milestone in March 2025. (Grants made inside India since 2015 are included within the whole rely.) This achievement displays our ongoing dedication to powering an inclusive future for all.
From opening our first workplace in India in 1995, to main initiatives that empower hundreds of thousands at the moment, Cisco’s legacy in India coincides with the nation’s development as an rising chief in innovation and expertise. With practically one billion web customers, the world’s third-largest digital economic system, and greater than 70 p.c of its youthful technology aspiring to work in tech, it’s secure to say India is firmly in its digital increase. Actually, simply final yr, Boston Consulting Group ranked India within the prime 10 for AI readiness and second globally for AI specialists.
Our India Goal Workplace staff’s extraordinary achievement exemplifies Cisco’s technique for social funding—from shut collaboration with native specialists, to rigorous measurement of constructive impression, to regular emphasis on the distinctive energy of tech-fueled innovation to achieve extra individuals in want. Their work has helped advance our imaginative and prescient of thriving individuals and empowered communities all through India.” —Charu Adesnik, Government Director, Cisco Basis; Director, Social Impression Investments
A daring imaginative and prescient fueled by our individuals
The Cisco India Goal Workplace led the best way, crafting a technique that mixed progressive expertise with collaborative partnerships. By means of initiatives just like the India Money Grant Program, we’ve been capable of amplify our impression by supporting native non-profits that use expertise to deal with essential wants like training, healthcare, disaster response, and financial empowerment. By aligning with authorities priorities and fostering collaboration in our grantmaking, we’ve created lasting change for a extra inclusive and affluent society.
However our work didn’t cease there. Cisco staff additionally performed a key position—from mentoring our companions on cybersecurity to sharing experience in enterprise operations. Collectively, we’ve empowered these organizations with the assets, data, and steering they wanted to develop and create lasting impression.
Tales that encourage
From enabling job readiness to reworking healthcare, listed here are a few of the unbelievable initiatives rooted from our collaborative efforts:
Indus Motion: Bridging academic gaps
Cisco’s collaboration with Indus Motion via the Eklavya challenge transforms training coverage with tech-driven options. Supporting India’s Proper to Schooling Act, which makes training a elementary proper for youngsters aged 6-14, Cisco’s grant enhanced knowledge assortment techniques—enabling environment friendly decision-making and coverage execution for state governments, whereas positively impacting 500,000 individuals.
NIIT Basis: Empowerment via training
Since 2017, Cisco and the NIIT Basis have collaborated to champion training and empowerment via the Cyber Suraksha challenge (Suraksha means “security” in Hindi). From 2022 to at the moment, this challenge has helped greater than 1 million people—40% of them ladies—develop cybersecurity expertise, and greater than 7,000 contributors safe cybersecurity roles.
Quest Alliance: Constructing future-ready expertise
The Future Proper Expertise Community is a collaborative effort between Cisco, Accenture, SAP Labs, and J.P. Morgan, facilitated by Quest Alliance. Thus far, greater than 300,000 college students gained profession expertise throughout Industrial Coaching Institutes. As well as, over 26,000 college students landed full-time jobs, and greater than 1,500 trainers acquired assist.
The Piramal Swasthya Basis: Revolutionizing healthcare supply
Cisco’s partnership with Piramal Swasthya within the Niramay initiative is revolutionizing healthcare supply in Assam, India. By integrating digital well being expertise, the collaboration enhances telemedicine, diagnostics, and affected person report administration, addressing very important healthcare wants in underserved areas. With greater than 110,000 affected person data digitized, this partnership is setting new requirements in public healthcare.
Wanting forward
With 1 billion lives impacted globally and one other 50 million lives modified in India, our journey to Energy an Inclusive Future for All continues. Our ongoing collaborative efforts will be sure that life-changing expertise reaches those that want it most. Collectively, we’ll hold creating constructive social impression—one partnership at a time.
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