Expansion

The vendor, partner and client have worked together in the past. Notably, El Paso used its partners’ help in setting up a temporary shelter in 2020 when unhoused individuals needed to shelter in place. Nicole Ferrini, El Paso’s climate and sustainability officer (pictured), said the city protected more than 3,000 individuals through its Delta Welcome Center.

She added that she needed Cisco to collaborate with her in a flexible, fast-paced manner.

“We had to find a way to connect and communicate, and we had literally 24 hours to figure that out,” she said. “So I picked up the phone, call my partners and friends at Cisco and said, ‘I have a problem,’ and I explained the problem.”

She said wasn’t, however, calling for a “piece of equipment.”

“I needed a thought partner, and they came through in spades and brought other partners to the table,” Ferrini said.