Ahmad Bilal Siddiqui

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT AHMAD BILAL SIDDIQUI

Sr. Manager Technical Marketing for Cisco’s flagship routing platform, working on hardware roadmap and software roadmap, positioning, and end-to-end lifecycle for systems built on Cisco Silicon One ASICs.• Translate complex customer requirements and RFPs into clear PRDs and feature specifications, balancing technical feasibility, time-to-market, and business impact.• Contribute to network platform definition for fixed and modular routers, aligning silicon, system architecture, port speed, port densities, optics, and software to meet backbone, WAN, edge, peering, Data Center and AI fabric use cases.• Partner with ASIC engineering to map Silicon One capabilities (scale, buffering, QoS, convergence, telemetry, etc.) to router roles and target use-cases. Provide structured feedback for next-generation ASIC enhancements.• Experience in planning, design, testing, implementation and support of Data Center networks.• Designed and deployed DC architectures for financial, commercial and enterprise customers.• Work closely with hardware teams to navigate mechanical, thermal, and power constraints for hardware architecture.• Define optics strategy and roadmap (800G/400G, coherent ZR/ZRP, breakout, etc) to support on Cisco routers.• Collaborate with software engineering to prioritize and deliver feature sets (MPLS, Segment Routing, EVPN, QoS, telemetry, automation, AI/ML fabrics) aligned with platform and customer roadmaps.• Lead customer engagements with web scalers, service providers, and large enterprises to gather requirements, validate architectures, run trials/POCs, and close strategic deals.• Conduct competitive analysis across industry to make informed positioning, pricing, and differentiation decisions.• Define and execute go-to-market plans for new Cisco platforms, including launch narrative, messaging, pricing guidance, and field enablement content.• Evangelize the platforms and solutions at industry events and conferences.• Expert knowledge and experience of networking OS, tools, and protocols, such as Cisco IOS and IOS-XR, SONiC, BGP, EVPN, VXLAN, IGP, RoCEv2, Advance Load Balancing, Telemetry etc.• Expert in Data Center, AI Fabrics, Backbone, Peering, and Edge networks designs.• Strong understanding of NPU/ASICs, network hardware such as routers and switches, mechanical architectures, optics, thermal & power.• Strong communication and cross functional collaboration skills.• Strength in leading customer engagements and strategic deals.