In an era where the pace of business transformation is accelerating, IT leaders are no longer just supporting the enterprise—they are the primary architects of the future. As we kick off the second year of the Cisco Customer Achievement Awards, starting in the Americas, we recognize that the mandate for technology leaders and teams has evolved into a complex mission of balancing rapid innovation with unwavering digital resilience.
Today’s finalists have demonstrated an extraordinary ability to navigate this landscape, mastering everything from hybrid cloud integration and AI-driven operations to the complexities of next-gen work environments. They have not only kept pace with shifting industry demands but have consistently gone the extra mile to turn technological challenges into competitive advantages, ensuring their organizations remain agile and secure. Cisco services played a significant role and was woven throughout this year’s awards, supporting many of the extraordinary outcomes achieved by the finalists.
We are honored to celebrate these remarkable achievements and the trust our customers place in Cisco as their technology partner. These nominations highlight the vision and dedication required to thrive in a dynamic world, and we are thrilled to spotlight the teams who are setting the standard for excellence across the Americas.
AI Visionaries
The AI Infrastructure Innovator Award celebrates organizations that are modernizing their architecture to support the exponential networking and compute demands of the AI era. It honors customers who are deploying high-performance, GPU-optimized foundations to ensure their infrastructure can power both traditional and AI workloads at scale.
Congratulations to the finalists:
- CVS
- Five9
- McCain Foods
- Palm Beach County
The Applied AI Pioneer Award recognizes organizations that are transforming their business by integrating AI-native intelligence into their operations and workflows. It highlights customers who leverage Cisco’s platform to knit together data and models, delivering measurable business outcomes through the intelligent application of AI.
Congratulations to the finalists:
- Las Vegas Metro Police Department
- Amazon
- California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES)
Future-Proofed Workplaces
The Modernized Infrastructure Maestro Award honors organizations that skillfully modernized and securedtheir network infrastructure using Cisco solutions, achieving exceptional performance, scalability, and threat protection to drive business success.
Congratulations to the finalists:
The Workplace Innovator Award celebrates organizations that have transformed their workplaces into engaging and productive environments for users and employees, leveraging Cisco technologies to create seamless experiences through immersive collaboration and hybrid work solutions.
Congratulations to the finalists:
- Orange County Information Technology Department
- Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services
- NYC Health + Hospitals
Digital Resilience
The Cybersecurity Defender Award honors organizations that excel in leveraging Cisco security solutions to effectively prevent, detect, and respond to threats, ensuring comprehensive protection across their business operations.
Congratulations to the finalists:
- San Juan Regional Medical Center
- Louisiana State University
- Kimberly–Clark Corporation
The Assurance Avenger Award recognizes organizations that achieve seamless end-to-end connectivity using Cisco’s assurance solutions, ensuring reliable application delivery and optimized network performance.
Congratulations to the finalists:
- NYC Health + Hospitals
- Stay tuned—more finalists are joining this category
The Observability Visionary Award honors organizations using Cisco’s observability tools to prevent downtime and enhance user experiences, ensuring operational excellence and service reliability.
Congratulations to the finalists:
- TIAA
- Indiana Office of Technology
- Autodesk, Inc.
Sustainability Changemaker
The Sustainability Changemaker Award honors the implementation of innovative Cisco solutions to reduce environmental impact and create business value. This recognition highlights how modernizing large-scale network infrastructure can improve energy efficiency while advancing operational agility and security. This award celebrates the integration of sustainability into business operations.
One exemplary customer has been determined to receive this award. Stay tuned until the Awards Ceremony at Cisco Live 2026 Las Vegas to find out!
CX Customer Hero of the Year
The CX Customer Hero of the Year award is a prestigious recognition presented to a customer who has demonstrated exceptional leadership and initiative in leveraging Cisco’s Customer Experience services within their organization. Namely, this award celebrates the individuals who not only embraced Cisco’s technologies but also effectively leveraged Cisco services to drive significant technological advancements and achieve phenomenal outcomes within their organization.
Congratulations to the finalists:
- Scott Gibbons – GlobalFoundries
- Jeff Lutz – NYC Health + Hospitals
- Patricia Voight – Webster Bank
Cisco Insider of the Year
The Cisco Insider of the Year celebrates the customer who has made the most significant impact on the Cisco Insider community and will be nominated by the Cisco team, themselves, or other Cisco Insider Members. This individual has consistently contributed to the broader Cisco Insider community and has supported other customers through activities such as mentorship, community building, exchanging best practices and/or advocating with Cisco through speaking at events or case studies. Join us in celebrating the amazing journey and awesome impact this standout individual has had on the Cisco Insider community and beyond.
Congratulations to the finalists:
- Tim Roberts – Fleetworthy
- Jeremy Shupick – Wyoming Machinery Company
- Gustavo Leon Delgado – Emerson
Please join us in congratulating the finalists! Follow @CiscoInsider on LinkedIn and Instagram to stay up to date on the awards.
If you’re attending Cisco Live 2026 Las Vegas, be sure to add the Awards Ceremony to your agenda for the week, and we’ll see you there!