Cisco Is Highly Active in AI Development
Among technology solution providers, Cisco has been quite active in highlighting the ways it is striving to infuse AI into its entire portfolio of products, which runs the gamut from cybersecurity to networking, collaboration, data center technology and more. Its senior leaders went to great lengths to make that case at Cisco Live 2023, which took place just as the conversation about generative AI was heating up, sparked by the introduction of large language models such as Chat GPT.
They noted then that Cisco had long been working to bake AI into solutions such as Webex, which has added live transcripts, meeting insights and other tools to make meetings more intuitive and valuable; and security, where AI helps organizations gain greater insights into threats and reduce data exfiltration.
At RSA Conference 2024 last month, Cisco introduced Hypershield, describing it as a “groundbreaking security architecture designed to defend modern, AI-scale data centers.” The company will no doubt have more to say about Hypershield, which will become available to the public in August, at Cisco Live 2024.
On the security front, identity management will be another critical topic, with Cisco Secure Access, Cisco Identity Threat Detection and Response and Cisco XDR high on the list for both the company and attendees.
DISCOVER: How businesses can unlock the value of generative artificial intelligence.
IoT, Observability on the Agenda at Cisco Live
Jill Klein, head of emerging technology and the Internet of Things for CDW, said that IoT and network observability will also be key areas of discussion at Cisco Live 2024. “The three topics are becoming intricately linked as they all play an increasingly important role in tying previously siloed technologies together,” Klein explains. CDW will “be showing how AI works hand in hand with IoT technology to provide business outcome solutions to our customers, such as being able to track, monitor and report on customer patterns and dwell times in locations. We will also be showcasing how AI can be tied into key Cisco technologies, such as Webex, to improve customer service in many ways.”
DIVE DEEPER: Infrastructure as a Service helps manage organizations' IT infrastructure.
Mark Patterson, Cisco’s new chief strategy officer, has been charged with helping to define and articulate the company’s broader AI story, and will lead a discussion on “Organic and Inorganic Innovation in the Age of AI” with assembled press and analysts. Patterson will be joined by Vijoy Pandey, senior vice president of Cisco Outshift, the company’s internal incubator for emerging technology; and Derek Idemoto, senior vice president of corporate development and investments. The trio’s message will be that Cisco is at the forefront of cutting-edge technology trends, especially AI, and plans to invest heavily in those areas.
Of course, Cisco Live 2024 will not be all business. Cisco has lined up some star power for this year’s event, with Elton John performing for attendees on Wednesday night, and legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady among the speakers.
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