TheCisco Customer Achievement Awards recognize outstanding Cisco customers who are achieving exceptional results through the innovative use of Cisco solutions. Now in its inaugural year under a revitalized brand and enhanced scope, the program builds on seven years of legacy and the success of the Customer Advocate and CX Hero Award programs. We're thrilled by the response of this latest iteration, with over 130 nominations highlighting impactful business transformations and inspiring customer success stories. A panel of more than 50 Cisco experts and external industry leaders meticulously evaluated each submission to select the organizations and individuals that would advance to the shortlist.

We're excited to officially announce the finalists for the Cisco Customer Achievement Awards: Americas 2025! These organizations represent the pinnacle of innovation, demonstrating how Cisco technologies can drive significant business outcomes and create lasting value.

We look forward to celebrating these finalists and will announce the winners during the Awards Ceremony taking place on Wednesday, June 11, 2025 at Cisco Live San Diego. Now, onto announcing the 2025 Americas finalists for each award category.

AI-Readiness

TheAI Readiness Awards celebrate organizations that expertly integrate AI across diverse environments using Cisco's advanced solutions. This recognition highlights the innovative use of Cisco technologies to modernize and secure data centers, leverage AI-native capabilities, and deliver sustainable, cost-effective AI workloads.

TheOperations PioneerAward recognizes organizations that have implemented Cisco technologies to drive transformative operational improvements. This category highlights customers who have used innovative approaches to enhance efficiency, security, and scalability, overcoming challenges and delivering measurable results that redefine their day-to-day operations.

Congratulations to the finalists:

1. Northwest Natural Gas
2. NYC Health + Hospitals
3. SmartCap
4. Umpqua Bank

TheInfrastructure InnovatorAward celebrates organizations that have modernized their IT infrastructure to enable scalable, secure, and high-performance environments. This category honors customers who have undertaken transformational upgrades to their data centers, networks, and systems, preparing their organizations for the demands of AI workloads and future growth.

Congratulations to the finalists:

1. City University of New York (CUNY)
2. Dolby
3. Groq
4. New England Patriots/Kraft Sports & Entertainment
5. TaxSlayer

TheCustomer Experience Trailblazerrecognizes one finalist with an honorable mention, highlighting the organization that has leveraged Cisco Customer Experience (CX) services to achieve exceptional results. This recognition celebrates a customer who partnered with Cisco's CX teams to successfully implement innovative solutions, navigate complexity, and deliver meaningful outcomes with measurable business impact. The customer honoree for this category will be announced at a future date.

Future-Proofed Workplaces

The Future-proofed Workplaces Awards recognize organizations that modernize diverse work environments with Cisco solutions, ensuring they are ready for the future. This award celebrates those who excel in providing zero-trust secure access, enhancing engagement through collaboration tools, and delivering outstanding hybrid work experiences.

The Modernized Infrastructure MaestroAward honors organizations that skillfully modernized and secured their network infrastructure using Cisco solutions, achieving exceptional performance, scalability, and threat protection to drive business success.

Congratulations to the finalists:

1. Fairlife
2. Texas Children's Hospital
3. University of California, Riverside

The Workplace WizardAward 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:

1. US Department of Commerce
2. Delaware State University
3. Northern Kentucky University
4. GetixHealth
5. Ita