A Look Behind Cisco Crisis Response

The following is an excerpt from our FY24 Purpose Report, celebrating 40 years of impact at Cisco. Data and metrics are reflective of Cisco’s fiscal year 2024, ending on July 31, 2024.

Today, connectivity is no longer a form of aid; instead, it’s often necessary to even receive aid. Beneficiary registration, digital cash, relief benefits, and social service applications all require secure connectivity— and Cisco helps deliver this essential need.

Cisco Crisis Response (CCR) is a leader in the private sector in responding to humanitarian challenges and works directly with government agencies, humanitarian and emergency response organizations, and those affected by crises.

CCR’s support includes on-the-ground connectivity, collaboration solutions, and security solutions for both communities and support agencies. In addition, we provide training to help build preparedness, response capabilities, and long-term resilience to NGOs supporting crisis-affected communities. CCR also offers cash and technology donations to humanitarian nonprofit partners, as well as pro bono consulting on network design and emergency connectivity solutions.

Spotlight On: Powering Communications on the Ground 

Cisco’s Network Emergency Responsible Vehicles (NERVs) provide fast and secure communications when existing communications may be disrupted or degraded. Offered free of charge, onboard NERV features include: fully redundant Cisco Meraki networking components for mission-critical communications; hyperconverged Cisco UCS compute cluster; Cisco Industrial IoT solutions for monitoring and control of vehicle systems; and a high capacity, rechargeable, hybrid power system that powers mission workloads and improves readiness, deployment longevity, and sustainability.

In fiscal 2024, CCR introduced new features to help reach, power, and connect even more communities in need. This includes Line-of-Sight 2.0 kits—comprised of Cisco’s Ultra Reliable Wireless Backhaul products—which extend the reach of the NERV to remote networks beyond the limitations of WiFi or when wired networks are not feasible. We also incorporated a Starlink High-Performance solution to add to the suite of backhaul options.

Take a virtual reality tour of the NERV and learn more about the set-up and features.

Here are a few examples of how our Cisco Crisis Response supported communities around the world in FY24: 

Combatting Homelessness

In 2018, Cisco committed US$50 million in grant funding over five years—the largest corporate donation of its kind at the time—to address homelessness in Santa Clara County, California. We have far exceeded our original commitment and geographic scope— investing US$130 million to address housing and homelessness globally. This includes US$22 million in product donations to homeless service organizations and supportive housing developments around the world. In Santa Clara County, Cisco’s flexible, private funding has leveraged over US$1.5 billion in public funding to create 3,500 homes, and our homelessness prevention efforts with Destination: Home have prevented 7,200 households from becoming homeless.

Learn more about Cisco’s efforts to address homelessness.

Responding to Wildfires in Maui 

In August 2023, wildfires broke out in Hawaii, prompting evacuations and causing widespread damage. The lack of connectivity left many unable to use credit or debit cards, access ATMs, or pay for essential items like gas, food, and medication. CCR mobilized to restore critical Internet, wireless, and phone connectivity for government agencies and nonprofits. We also launched an employee donation-matching disaster campaign that raised US$360,000 to support the American Red Cross, Americares, the Maui Food Bank, and World Central Kitchen.

Protecting Against Hackers 

Many nonprofits and NGOs lack enterprise-grade cybersecurity, giving bad actors the opportunity to either disrupt rescue operations or steal personal, financial, or government data. CCR and NetHope work together to boost nonprofits’ cybersecurity capabilities and provide the technology, cooperation, and expertise that will thwart hackers, even during vulnerable crisis situations. In addition to the world-class security that is built into every product, Cisco provides innovative mobile networking kits that are highly effective— and secure—in crisis situations. We also use AI to analyze network activity for malicious patterns that allow our response partners to identify and neutralize threats faster, minimizing risk and protecting vulnerable populations’ data.

Read the full FY24 Purpose Report

To learn more about the progress we’re making to Power an Inclusive Future for All, visit our Cisco Purpose Reporting Hub.

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