Cisco Spaces is a cloud platform that connects people and things within buildings, transforming them into smart spaces. By leveraging Cisco’s network infrastructure and collaboration devices ‘as sensors’, Spaces helps organizations reimagine people experiences, maximize operational efficiency, optimize energy, and make effective utilization of space. This ongoing series, Meet Cisco Spaces, discusses our groundbreaking innovations benefiting industries, people and the planet.
For this edition, we interviewed Rushalee Das, a Product Manager in Bangalore, India. Rushalee discusses the impact of smart spaces and why Spaces is a special place to work.
Please share a high-level overview of your role. What are your primary responsibilities?
As a product manager, I manage the customer lifecycle, including activation and adoption of the product. My goal is to drive product awareness and growth while continuously adapting to our customer’s evolving needs to deliver an exceptional experience.
What excites you about working on the Cisco Spaces team?
I’ve been on the Cisco Spaces team for four and a half years and enjoy my work immensely. It’s inspiring to be a part of a team disrupting industries with ‘smart spaces.’ No other product on the market transforms buildings into smart spaces by connecting the people and things within them. Cisco Spaces is pioneering the smart spaces movement, and it’s exciting to be at the forefront of this groundbreaking innovation.
Which use cases of the product are most exciting to you and why?
At Spaces, we’re constantly innovating, but what inspires me the most are the apps and use cases that simplify people’s lives and help the planet. Our app, Smart Rooms, prioritizes employee well-being and improves energy efficiency with rooms that are intelligently aware of their occupants and environment and automatically adjust airflow. This innovation provides consistent comfort and air quality thereby boosting well-being and productivity. For example, if four people are in a Smart Room, the HVAC adjusts to maximize efficiency and productivity. When the room is empty, air conditioning is optimized to save energy and meet ESG goals. Not only does this innovation benefit the environment, it also reduces costs for businesses.
What other product innovations help create meaningful experiences for employees and visitors?
Another exciting innovation is our Digital Signage 2.0, which enables people to visualize live meeting rooms on AI-powered 3D maps, and search for rooms based on availability, capacity and environmental conditions (air quality, noise levels, temperature, humidity, etc), among other things. Innovations through Cisco Spaces can save time, reduce stress, create efficiencies, enhance productivity and save resources.
How would you describe the overall team culture at Cisco Spaces?
One unique attribute of the Cisco Spaces team is that there isn’t a power hierarchy. Of course, we have leaders, but all employees are treated as equals. We are encouraged to share our opinions and our perspectives are valued. Additionally, our team is very transparent — we communicate openly and honestly. Everyone on the team is updated on new developments through weekly and daily sync-up meetings. Since this industry is constantly evolving, our team has to be able to adapt and pivot quickly. Finally, we are a self-driven and respectful team; we care about our work and each other.
Why should a candidate consider working at Cisco Spaces?
Cisco Spaces is a special team to be a part of for various reasons. Our team comprises cognitively diverse people who come from different backgrounds and have varying educational experiences and unique specialties. Candidates should consider working with Cisco Spaces if they value sharing perspectives, are willing to learn and grow quickly, are adaptable, and want to make a significant difference in the world.
Discover more about Cisco Spaces on our website and YouTube page and explore exciting career opportunities on our careers site.
