The event concluded four days of innovation, insights and networking in San Diego, and online, bringing together industry leaders, AI experts, and business professionals shaping the future of customer and employee experiences.
WebexOne 2025 wrapped up an exciting four-day experience that brought together business leaders, IT professionals, and AI innovators from around the world. From insightful breakout sessions and technical training courses to hands-on labs, an expansive solutions showcase and inspiring keynotes, the event took place in California, offering hands-on labs, keynotes, and a solutions showcase.
Held from September 28 to October 1 at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina, the annual in-person and online conference focused on advancing customer and employee experiences through AI, featuring a wide range of activities. Its complimentary virtual program also made it accessible to a truly global audience.
Attendees also enjoyed customer awards, meet-the-expert sessions, 1:1 executive meetings, a robust partner program, and much more, making it a truly immersive and inspiring gathering.
Ronald Cabrera, VP of Technology at IPFone, described WebexOne 2025 as “an unforgettable experience, blending innovation, learning, and fun in the heart of San Diego.”
According to him, the event offered “unique opportunities to connect with industry leaders, participate in technical training, and explore cutting-edge solutions in the expo hall.” He also highlighted that “networking was effortless, thanks to the many activities and welcoming atmosphere. Overall, it was a truly great learning experience.”
Speakers
The event featured an impressive lineup of keynote speakers, from Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds to tech leaders like Deepu Talla (NVIDIA), Swami Sivasubramanian (AWS), and Cisco executives Jeetu Patel, Anurag Dhingra, Aruna Ravichandran, and Snorre Kjesbu.
Industry analysts Robin Gareiss, Irwin Lazar, and Shelly Kramer also shared their perspectives. Innovators such as Steve Proetz (CarShield), Matt Kravitz (Salesforce), and Ken Pan (Microsoft) added valuable insights on AI, collaboration, and the future of customer and employee experiences.
The Next Era of Collaboration
From chatbots to AI agents: how Connected Intelligence is transforming work.
“We’re moving from chatbots that answer to agents that will conduct tasks almost fully autonomously.”
The keynote “Connected by Intelligence: How Webex Is Shaping the Next Era of Collaboration” brought together Jeetu Patel and Anurag Dhingra, who explored the latest AI innovations transforming how people work and connect. They highlighted the rise of agentic AI—intelligence that acts, adapts, and scales—redefining both employee and customer experiences, while industry leaders from NVIDIA and AWS also shared their vision for the future of AI.
Speakers stressed that AI is not only changing the nature of work, but also reshaping the workforce itself. “Soon, we will all have not only human colleagues, but digital colleagues as well.”
Building on this vision, Jeetu Patel, Cisco’s President and Chief Product Officer, underlined that the future of collaboration will include not only people-to-people communication, but also people-to-AI and AI-to-AI interactions through intelligent agents. “This can be achieved by leveraging Distance Zero, bringing in agentic teammates, and building on an open system of agents. This is Connected Intelligence, the future of collaboration.”
Distance Zero: Collaboration that makes it feel as if there is no distance between you and your colleagues, regardless of how or where you choose to connect.
“We are squarely in the next era of AI where we’re moving from this notion of chatbots that intelligently answer our questions to agents that are going to conduct tasks and jobs almost fully autonomously on our behalf,” he states.
And he added that Cisco positions Webex as open and interoperable, protecting existing investments. In practice: Microsoft 365 Copilot access to Webex summaries and Zoom meetings on Cisco Rooms.
“This whole future of collaboration and how we think about this comes together in this concept that we call Connected Intelligence. That is where we can have people-to-people, people-to-AI, and AI-to-AI work seamlessly together, so we can do things we never even dreamed of doing before. Those things get magical,” he adds.
Finally, he made a bold statement on the stakes for businesses: “There are two types of companies: those who are good at AI, and those who are irrelevant.”
AI Innovations and Platform Updates at WebexOne 2025
At the conference, Cisco introduced a suite of new AI-powered features for its Webex collaboration platform, focusing on team productivity and workflow automation. Key additions include AI agents such as:
- AI Notetaker / Tasking — automate prep and follow-ups
- Polling Agent — create/collect results
- AI Receptionist — route/handle calls
- Meeting Scheduler — auto-book and notify
Availability: Broad rollout beginning Q1 2026 → perfect window to plan pilots now
RoomOS 26 adds Director Agent, which uses AI to provide dynamic, cinematic meeting views, Workspace Agent, powered by NVIDIA AI engines, to optimize physical workspace setups, and Audio Exclusion Zones, allowing IT teams to block background noise—all designed to enhance both in-person and virtual collaboration.
Why it matters
- The new Director Agent uses AI to anticipate and adapt to meeting flow, proactively offering engaging, cinematic views, according to Cisco.
- Impact: Better framing, less noise bleed, and fewer manual room tweaks for IT.
Cisco also expanded its third-party ecosystem with integrations such as Microsoft 365 Copilot, which—thanks to a Microsoft Graph Connector—allows users to access Webex AI meeting summaries and SharePoint/OneDrive files directly from Copilot. For example, a manager can open Copilot, pull a Webex summary along with linked SharePoint documents, and draft action items without switching between apps.
The platform also supports Zoom for Cisco Rooms, allowing teams to run Zoom meetings on Cisco Rooms hardware they already own—less friction, more room uptime.
Updates to the Webex Contact Center portfolio include AI Quality Management, Salesforce integration, and support for Amazon Lex virtual agents, helping businesses deliver more efficient customer experiences.
Impact: Faster resolution, consistent coaching, and fewer escalations.
From Announcements to Vision
These updates aim at fewer manual steps, clearer calls, and faster resolution. Snorre Kjesbu, Cisco’s SVP and GM of Collaboration, Employee Experience, framed the AI agents as transformative: “There is a whole range of agents that are coming out there. The new agents that really amplify the human work.” They reduce clicks, boost meeting quality, and redefine collaboration.
He also connected the hardware side with Cisco’s “Distance Zero” vision: “What we are doing is really trying to tear down the barrier between people that are remote and the people that are in the room.”
Taking the vision further, Ken Pan, Corporate Vice President of Windows 365 and AVD at Microsoft, highlighted the collaborative ecosystem: “We are bringing together Cisco’s world-class devices, NVIDIA’s local AI compute, and Microsoft’s native AI and security. With AI at the edge, you can save bandwidth, reduce latency, and open new scenarios for innovation.” Together, these innovations aim to remove friction, strengthen security, and transform both customer and employee interactions.
Vinod Muthukrishnan, VP and COO of Webex Customer Experience at Cisco, tied it all back to the user experience, emphasizing connected intelligence: “Humans need to engage with humans. Humans need to work with AI. AI now needs to work with AI. All of this on one secure, seamless, and open platform—that platform is Webex.”
Unlocking Possibilities
WebexOne 2025 showcased how AI, connected devices, and intelligent platforms are transforming the way we work, collaborate, and engage with customers. From agentic AI to next-generation workspaces, the event highlighted a future where humans and AI work seamlessly together: empowering innovation, enhancing experiences, and unlocking new possibilities.
The message was clear: the era of Connected Intelligence is here, and those who embrace it will shape the next chapter of collaboration.
IPFone POV
IPFone helps teams turn new AI features into reliable outcomes: stable connectivity (primary + failover), right-sized licensing, and clean Microsoft/CRM integrations—so meeting, room, and contact center gains actually stick. Plan a 20-minute AI/Network Readiness Check → Schedule a demo.
