Cisco’s path to identity management started before it was trendy several years ago when it deployed its own unique identifier and started leveraging it for advertising.  Since then, the company has learned that amassing first party data is not itself a strategy. A strategy involves building content, tagging and naming conventions that render the data you need and help penetrate corporate silos. It is in how you leverage that data with partners and even gather more from supposedly “walled gardens.” It is in tracking how potential customers interact with you, but more importantly knowing how, when and where your brand is impacting them. A real first-party data strategy plays a long game.