We believe a diverse, multicultural supply chain is a source of innovation and is good for business. In many countries, governments are focusing on supplier diversity and requiring it of businesses. For example, in the United States, a company that provides products and services to government organizations or public utilities must demonstrate its efforts to reach out to diverse suppliers, including:

  • Small businesses
  • Veteran-owned small businesses
  • Service-disabled or disabled veteran-owned small businesses
  • Small, disadvantaged businesses
  • Women- or minority-owned small businesses or enterprises

Similarly, throughout the world, Cisco encourages its suppliers to patronize uniquely defined indigenous, women-, and minority-owned businesses. Based on the Cisco Supplier Diversity Business Development (SDBD) program established more than 15 years ago, Cisco has an internal goal of awarding 10 percent of its expenditures to such businesses.

The SDBD team conducts supplier diversity training throughout Cisco's business units on an ongoing basis. The team presents quarterly "How to Do Business with Cisco" seminars at the Small Business Administration (SBA) centers in San Jose and San Francisco, California. It also sponsors a range of organizations that promote supplier diversity at events and conferences throughout the United States, including:

  • National Minority Supplier Development Council
  • Women Business Enterprise National Council
  • Industry Council for Small-Business Development
  • University of California, Los Angeles, Management Development for Entrepreneurs Program
  • Black Enterprise
  • U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
  • U.S. Pacific Asian American Chamber of Commerce
  • National Association of Women Business Owners of Silicon Valley
  • Reservation Economic Summit
  • Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council
  • European Supplier Diversity Business Forum's Migration Policy Group
  • National Minority Supplier Development Council, South African Business Mission

Past Recognition and Future Plans

For the past four years, Cisco has been recognized for our supplier diversity efforts by DiversityBusiness.com. Cisco ranks as one of the top 50 U.S. companies providing multicultural business opportunities, based on feedback received from more than 350,000 women- and minority-owned businesses.

To promote supplier diversity, Cisco is coordinating directly with diversity organizations to effectively identify diverse suppliers throughout our supply chain. During FY2007, we are planning to evaluate all diverse suppliers to ensure that they meet certification requirements and adhere to the Cisco Supplier Code of Conduct.
Report Contents