Crisis response

In 2003, Cisco established the Tactical Operations (TacOps) team to provide on-the-ground connectivity, collaboration, and security solutions for governments, disaster and humanitarian relief organizations, and populations affected by crisis. Since then, the team has responded to dozens of incidents worldwide, providing emergency connectivity, solutions consulting, and more.

Meanwhile, our Critical Human Needs investment portfolio has provided cash and product grants to organizations responding to humanitarian crises—including homelessness, mass displacement, food and water insecurity, and natural disasters—for the past 20 years. For example, the portfolio played a critical role in Cisco's response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, providing more than US$50 million in cash grants to nonprofits that were helping those most disproportionately affected by the pandemic: first responders, refugees, people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, and those facing food insecurity. We also work closely with organizations like Mercy Corps and Destination: Home through multiyear, multimillion-dollar partnerships.

In fiscal 2021, we merged our Critical Human Needs portfolio with our TacOps team to form Cisco Crisis Response (CCR). In partnership with Cisco employees, first responders, government agencies, corporations, NGOs, and other partners, CCR helps communities worldwide prepare for, respond to, and sustainably rebuild from crises.

This shift allows the combined CCR team to draw upon its collective assets and resources to provide greater value to our partners working in emergency and humanitarian response. The team's focus is expanding from disaster preparedness and response to include resilience-building and longer-term recovery. As CCR doubles down on capacity-building and strategic partnerships, it will be able to respond to more crises and maximize its impact.

CCR helps through:

• Incident response—Deployment of personnel to install emergency networking and communications gear, disaster grants, and employee-matching gift campaigns
• Capacity building—Solutions for our partners, social impact investments, training, and the expertise of our over 400 Cisco employee volunteer community
• Technology solutions—Product grants, connectivity kits, equipment loans, and consulting on emergency connectivity solutions
• Strategic partnerships—Collaborations and joint deployments with select NGOs, governmental, and emergency response agencies

The crisis response portfolio provides cash and product grants to organizations responding to humanitarian crises (including homelessness, mass displacement, and food and water insecurity) and natural disasters. We have formed long-term partnerships with leading nonprofit organizations at the forefront of these crises, including a five-year initiative to help Mercy Corps test technology in humanitarian settings, and another five-year commitment to Destination: Home, which helps to develop and fund innovative strategies to reduce and prevent homelessness in Santa Clara County, California. In 2022, CCR launched a new, US$15 million partnership with NetHope, which will focus on evolving emergency preparedness and connectivity-as-aid for people affected by crisis, and on seeding innovative digital solutions in vulnerable and climate-affected communities in the over 190 countries where NetHope member NGOs operate locally.

CCR also has a team of technical engineers, operations and logistics coordinators, and solutions architects dedicated to building and maintaining networks to support mission-critical humanitarian relief efforts. The group is supported by over 400 employee volunteers, known as the Cisco Crisis Response Community. Cisco, first through TacOps and now through CCR, has responded to over 70 incidents in 32 countries since 2003.