Hey folks, Cisco Live 2019 is a few days away and back in San Diego, California. Time to enjoy the wonderful weather and good times all around. Other than walking 10+ miles a day, I’m really interesting in hearing more about OpenRoaming and the 9800 Catalyst Wireless products. More information about “what is OpenRoaming” can be found here. I have a theory that with OpenRoaming and Apple’s new sign-on method, which seems to live at “appleid.com”. Things could be interesting, now this is just a theory, but it would be super cool if Apple made a better sign-on process for public wireless. You know, sorta like HotSpot 2.0 but without the Cell Carriers. Anyways, that’s just me dreaming and hoping to see something come out of it. Anyways, If you have never been to Cisco Live and this might be your first time, wear good walking shoes and drink lots of water. Have Fun.

Cisco Live 2018 in Orlando, Florida just finished up …. and once again .. I went to one session. HA. This time was my fourth year, which allowed me to become a NetVet, aka the Red Lanyard. Being a NetVet allows you access to a lounge area with drinks, snacks and quick access to lunch. This lounge area also has a good amount of chairs and tables to relax at. Also, they had some retro arcade games setup to fool around with. Good times.

So why only one session? I typically schedule a few sessions, mostly on Wireless topics. Sometimes I manage to join in, sometimes I do not. Let me explain why.

I find the “networking” aspect of Cisco Live more fun than anything. Just the random encounters and walking up to people that I know or recognize, or sometimes don’t even know at all, and just saying “Hi”, is the best part. The little stories you hear and people talking about what they do and why they do it. That’s the best part.

I find the randomness of chatting with people more of a value than sitting in a session(plus most of the sessions are recorded anyways). Now, sometimes sitting for an hour long sessions is great, because, Cisco Live is huge, the first day alone you will walk at least 10 or more miles.

Another part of the community I find fun is the Cisco Champion group. Being part of this group allows access to some private activities and sessions. This is a yearly “application” that you do and if you’re in, it truly is worth it.

Also, last but not least is Cisco DevNet/Create. The DevNet group of people are truly a fun time to hang around with. They have little sessions, usually around 10-20 people on different topics, from IoT automation, to face tracking with cameras. Lots of cool stuff going on there.

If you are new to Cisco Live, I will leave you with these important rules: wear good walking shoes and drink lots of water.

See you again next year!