This blog was co-authored by Sophia Filipe, Country Digitization Program Manager, within the Cisco Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) program.

This is the second in a series of blogs on CDA Sustainability Projects that go behind the scenes of the sustainability projects we are engaged in, and the impact we are having through Cisco's CDA program.

Enel Group, a global Italian power utility, have constantly embraced new technologies to make energy more reliable, more affordable, and more sustainable, from the introduction of the first smart meter to becoming the world's largest producer of renewable energy. Through a Cisco CDA investment, Cisco has partnered with Enel to co-innovate on digital solutions and support energy decarbonization, digitization and decentralization.

Innovation and sustainability are of great importance to both companies, and Enel and Cisco are eager to collaborate on digitizing critical infrastructure and support progress towards global net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions ambitions.

We sat down with members of Cisco's Enel team, Giovanni Colombo, systems architect, and Federica Ingrao, account manager, to hear their perspective on sustainability and the outcomes this unique partnership can drive.

It is critical to address climate change now. Why is it important to Enel and to you?

Federica:My personal commitment to sustainability goes back to growing up in Sicily, Italy. The ecology and history of Sicily is strongly connected to sustainability. Its culture and economy have a deep connection to nature. For me, it is important to work for a company that values the environment. Sustainability is an integral part of Cisco