Q&A with Mark Baker

Mark Baker - Manager of New Business Development at Cisco

Mark Baker is part of the Webex collaboration business unit in the product team of collaboration. He is one of the six business developer relationship managers for Webex technology partners. His job is primarily to manage strategic partnerships day to day. Along with his six teammates, he outreaches and pulls in technology partnerships and arrangements that would be mutually beneficial with their products and Webex. 
 

Did the pandemic affect your role in the organization?

The role has not changed, but the importance of online meetings and products like Webex has evolved and has been an essential and strategic part of companies. The ability to continue business in the pandemic that nobody would have ever expected. Everyone has been living with mobiles, and it has changed the way people communicate 1 to 1 basis. The ability for a product like Webex to come in and give a structured capability for users to the team and work anywhere has been a great place from a technology partnership and relationship management perspective. It is all about giving users what they want and what would be valuable to them. 
 

Benefits to integrate with Webex

The online tools have a 2 tier support infrastructure for developers. Like QuickMinutes, technical resources are critical and are expediently available. People can open requests and get quick answers because QuickMinutes is working through things rapidly with lots of demands. Webex’s can fit and give what and when partners need. Webex has an excellent experience relative to onboarding. Webex’s perspective maximises the opportunities because there is a significant investment of time building out the app. Webex has discovered a better framework for embedding the meeting experience. One of Webex’s clients includes the health service executive, the largest employer in the Republic of Ireland, and the health service. They are a big Cisco Webex user for all the virtual meetings.
The app hub store is the marketplace for tech partners and their solutions to be published. It is excellent to bring each capability, application, chatbot, and integration to meet spaces.
 

Cisco policy during the Christmas period

Each year, around the Christmas holidays, the company is shut down to give back to the employees. The time between Christmas and New Year is to decompress and be with family and friends. It is hard for many companies, as they end their fiscal year around that same time, and Cisco’s fiscal year is different. 
 

How can companies collaborate with the Webex app hub?

Companies can take advantage of Webex’s resources available on developer.webex.com. There is a digital white page on the front page for developers interested in exploring, and it also gives a quick tour around Webex. There is a form on the site or on Webex’s app hub that companies can fill up and submit their interest in requests.