Cisco’s Next Era of AI Ready Networking.
Cisco today made their broadest and deepest announcement to their core Networking proposition that I can recall for over 10 years (and perhaps even longer!)
This is significant news for the market and of course for Cisco clients, and marks a significant update in Cisco’s core portfolio and market focus – so I wanted to break this down and consider what this means for networking strategies beyond 2025!
So, what have Cisco just announced? Well there are 5 Key Takeaways…
- Lots of Hardware! A brand new portfolio of switches, routers and IoT devices as well as expansion of the Wi-Fi 7 lineup.
- AI Ready Hardware! Not only are Cisco launching an AI Assistant but also an AI Canvas, helping empower NetOps to take advantage of the capabilities of this new hardware.
- Security-fused Network! In a post quantum crypto world with ever increasing AI-driven threats, Cisco think we need even more security in the network. I and most CIOs agree.
- Simplification and Unification! Whilst networks necessarily become ever more complex, operating them from Day 0 to Day n should not be – Cisco are therefore simplifying their portfolio through a common hardware, software, licensing and more.
- Embedded Assurance! Cisco have a wealth of market-leading business resiliency assurance with ThousandEyes and Splunk – this is now injected into the network platform’s DNA helping network operators immediately understand user experience in real time.
I think you can see why Cisco have branded this aNew Era for AI Ready Secure Networking!
So what does it mean for clients?
This new hardware looks truly exciting – we are not simply talking about a speed bump and more PoE. New embedded co-processors enable advanced use cases for edge processing – of particular interest is unlocking Cisco’s Hypershield at the network edge, enabling an end to end Zero Trust solution from Campus to WAN to DC but also unlocking programmable line rate services and use cases – just think about the options for encryption and analytics!
Unified and common hardware platforms should simplify Cisco’s product design, development and manufacturing processes, unlocking greater economies of scale. This should boost Cisco’s bottom live, and allow them to inject even more innovation into their products to meet anticipated and new demands of technology from business.
Network operators will always have flexible demands in the way they manage networks, and I feel Cisco is meeting clients where they are by providing a platform that can cater for all. This brings huge benefits to clients in terms of choice, with a single hardware platform and choice of management.
A simplified licensing structure has long been a common refrain, this is now a reality with a single easy to consume and adjust subscription common across all platforms that can accommodate the changing needs of your business as it grows. I also think this wonderfully complements the Enterprise Agreement buying programmes, giving clients unparalleled choice in how they now consume networks.
The key announcement is clearly around AI. What can I say about AI that has not been addressed at length already? AI has often promised to make the lives of Ops teams easier by floating the most relevant information through the noise, however I would question whether this ambition has been fully realised by the market. My view has always been that to get the most from an AI Assistant, one requires to be a domain expert – otherwise the interpretation of recommendations will always be flawed, and an AI bot will always struggle to understand the context and priorities of business.
It is therefore exciting to see Cisco bring to market something which will have a huge dataset from their TAC and broad install base, which I am sure will be an able helper to NetOps teams around the world. I am most excited about the AI Canvas, as Cisco have correctly identified the Achilles heel in the disparate usage of AI assistants – people need to collaborate! Enabling the sharing of key insights and data from agentic workflows will in my opinion have even more of a transformative effect for NetOps teams by elevating contextual visibility across platforms – again with user experience and assurance front and centre.
All sounds amazing right? But when? Cisco are being aggressive here, this is a soft launch with orderability this month! Cisco have whetted appetites so I am anticipating significant demand.
For those that missed Chuck and Jeetu go in to further detail, here is the keynote broadcast in full.
To close off my thoughts, this is really exciting times for Cisco clients and the wider enterprise networking market at large! There is still uncertainty with respect to market dynamics, and I feel today’s announcements show Cisco taking further leadership and bringing new capabilities in response to client demand.
I feel this will ultimately be well received, with the key innovations around Security, AI and Simplified Operations being precisely what clients have been calling out for. I can’t wait to get my hands on it all!
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