Cisco Channel Partner Team Hires Former CRN Editor

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) has hired former CRN Editor-at-Large Chad Berndtson to help drive the networking company’s channel-focused content development, communications and social media strategy. It’s an intriguing move, considering Berndtson has been one of the IT channel’s top news hounds and multimedia reporters in recent years.

Highly visible at IT channel conferences, Berndtson didn’t pull any punches while covering the IT landscape. When Cisco named  Nick Adamo to succeed Chuck Robbins as its top executive in the Americas in early 2013, it was Berndtson who broke the story. Apparently Cisco was impressed with Berndtson’s knack for connecting the dots between journalism and social media.

Berndtson isn’t the first CRN veteran to join Cisco. Former CRN and VARBusiness Editor T.C. Doyle made a similar jump years ago. Doyle also went on to work on various books and video projects.

As for Berndtson, The VAR Guy has not spoken directly with the new Cisco hire. But perhaps our anonymous contributor will step out of the shadows during Cisco Partner Summit 2013 in Boston to say hi and see how the new gig is treating Berndtson…