SAN JOSE — Cisco Systems has officially opened a new San Jose office where the tech titan will employ thousands of workers within the amenities-rich Santana Row mixed-use neighborhood.
About 3,900 workers from Cisco and its subsidiary Splunk will be employed at the Santana Row office building, according to Cisco Systems Chief People, Policy & Purpose Officer Francine Katsoudas.
San Jose Chamber of Commerce President Leah Toeniskoetter (left), Cisco Systems Chief People, Policy & Purpose Officer (center) Francine Katsoudas and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan (right) cut a ribbon to officially open a Cisco Systems office at 3098 Olsen Drive within the Santana Row mixed-use neighborhood in San Jose, Nov. 12, 2024. (George Avalos/Bay Area News Group)
The building totals 236,000 square feet and is located at 3098 Olsen Drive on the south side of Santana Row. Federal Realty Investment Trust is the principal owner and developer of Santana Row, a destination mixed-use neighborhood of office buildings, shops, restaurants, entertainment hubs, housing and hotel facilities.
“It’s a big day for us,” Katsoudas, a Cisco executive vice president, said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the new office. “San Jose is very important to us. We have a huge campus in northern San Jose as well. This allows us to bring our Cisco and Splunk teams together.”
The new office site will be known as Cisco Santana Row, according to Katsoudas.
“Cisco is fitting into a pattern we have seen from a number of companies,” San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said in an interview after the event. “Employers want to be in places that have amenities. They want to get workers back into the office.”
Santana Row and downtown San Jose offer those kinds of opportunities in the mayor’s view.
“The best way to do that is to create attractive environments,” Mahan said. “People can go out to dinner, grab coffee during the day, have places to walk around in areas that are safe and clean with full amenities. There are no better places to do that than Santana Row and downtown San Jose.”
Cisco, which was founded 40 years ago and has maintained its headquarters in San Jose for 30 years, has been trimming office space and reducing its workforce worldwide and in the Bay Area.
The new Cisco Santana Row office offers a welcome counterpoint to some of the sour trends in the tech industry over the last three years. Cisco itself has been laying off workers and reducing its office spaces.
“To see Cisco with 3,900 employees be one of the anchors on this side of Santana Row is exciting,” said San Jose Chamber of Commerce President Leah Toeniskoetter.
Plus, NetApp has established its headquarters at a building next to the Cisco office building, creating something of a tech enclave in that section of Santana Row.
“This provides more support for the local businesses nearby,” Toeniskoetter said. “It’s a huge benefit.”
Cisco executives wanted to locate their employees in an amenities-rich office hub.
“We look to enter this next phase of our journey to drive innovation by creating a vibrant and engaging workplace for our employees,” Cisco said in comments it emailed to this news organization. “The Santana Row office serves as an example of how Cisco works to reimagine workplaces by integrating emerging technologies like AI to foster collaboration, inclusivity, and innovation.”
The 3,900 employees based at the Cisco Santana Row campus are not mandated to be in the office, according to Cisco. A growing number of tech companies are requiring workers to be in the office at least some days a week.
“Today’s workers demand flexibility, so Cisco fosters a cutting-edge workspace that’s inviting and supportive of collaboration and creativity,” Cisco said in in the prepared release. “We believe it’s up to leaders, teams and employees as to how they work best, including when they work in the office.”
