CDW Autonomous Incident Response
One demo station will focus on AI-powered incident response and security monitoring. Built by Nathan Cartwright, chief architect for AI at CDW, this demo showcases an AI-powered system that automatically investigates and responds to cybersecurity incidents — no human needed to manually dig through logs, open tickets or send status updates. From the moment an alert fires, the system handles the entire response workflow, end to end. At Cisco Live, the CDW Autonomous Incident Response tool will be leveraging the Cisco Security Lab as a Service environment.
The system can detect attacks or alerts, conduct automated research and generate remediation recommendations. Fonferek described the approach as “the monitor of monitors.”
Customers have reported taking their resolution time down from 45 minutes to 2 minutes with this solution. It should appeal to enterprise IT and cybersecurity teams looking to simplify operations and improve response times.
AI Avatar Demonstrates Edge and Data Center AI
Another station will showcase Hope, CDW’s AI avatar, displayed on a Samsung Spatial Display. The multilingual assistant runs across several layers of infrastructure, including an Apple Mac Mini, a Cisco Unified Edge device and a Cisco AI pod operating in CDW’s lab environment.
The demonstration will show how organizations can deploy AI workloads across centralized data centers, branch environments and the edge.
The technology could resonate with retailers, hospitality organizations and customer service environments exploring interactive digital engagement technologies.
READ MORE: Here are three ways AI is revolutionizing customer experience.
Enhancing Enterprise Licensing Lifecycles and Renewals
CDW’s customer experience team will also demonstrate tools and processes designed to get maximum value from Cisco enterprise licensing agreements and enhance the renewal process.
The process can significantly reduce the labor and administrative overhead associated with recurring licensing reviews, Fonferek says. It also ensures that customers are consistently aware of the optimization of their ELAs.
The demo may be especially relevant for large enterprises managing complex software and infrastructure environments.
Monitoring AI Infrastructure With DeepWatch
Another workstation will highlight CDW Deepwatch, an on-premises AI operations platform that watches systems in real time and turns raw technical data into clear, auditable incident tickets and fixes. Running on a Cisco AI pod in a CDW test environment, the solution tracks graphics processing unit utilization, CPU performance and bandwidth consumption as well as other key items, such as token cost tracking.
All of this runs inside the enterprise boundary, giving organizations privacy, full traceability and better operational visibility over their AI and GPU infrastructure.
The platform also offers greater visibility into how AI resources are being consumed and where infrastructure can be optimized.
The technology could benefit enterprises building large-scale AI environments and looking to improve efficiency and cost management.
LEARN MORE: Cloud and AI drive small business efficiency.
Crowd Analytics for Retail and Hospitality
CDW will also demonstrate a crowd analytics platform developed with WaitTime, a Cisco-certified independent software vendor partner. Using a Meraki camera mounted above the booth, the platform will generate heat maps and analyze attendee traffic patterns in real time. CDW will be using Cisco’s Unified Edge technology to run the demo live in the booth.
Fonferek says the technology has applications in retail, hospitality and entertainment environments, where organizations want to improve staffing, customer flow and guest experiences.
The solution can help businesses understand customer movement patterns and optimize operations accordingly.
AI-Powered Network Configuration
The sixth demo station will feature an AI-based network configuration platform developed by CDW engineer Carl Gruber. The tool can take a hand-drawn network diagram and automatically generate both a formal network design and Cisco configuration files.
The platform can also analyze bills of materials and create deployment-ready configurations before equipment ships.
Fonferek says the technology could reduce network installation and configuration time by up to 90%.
The demo is expected to resonate with enterprise networking teams and organizations managing large-scale infrastructure deployments.
DIVE DEEPER: AI networking can spur financial innovation.
CDW and Cisco Focus on Practical AI Outcomes
Fonferek says CDW’s long-standing partnership with Cisco helps organizations bridge the gap between emerging AI technologies and real-world implementation.
“We’re focused on making AI real,” Fonferek says.
By combining Cisco’s infrastructure portfolio with CDW’s implementation expertise and services capabilities, the companies aim to help organizations deploy AI solutions that are scalable, secure and tied to measurable business outcomes.
The focus on practical implementation will also extend beyond the show floor. On Wednesday, June 3, CDW’s Cody Weaver and Cisco’s Gaurav Khanna will present a session at Cisco Live titled “From AI Ambition to AI Outcomes,” a theme that closely reflects CDW’s broader message throughout the event.
Across its six demo stations, CDW is positioning AI not as a future concept but as a set of technologies organizations can deploy today to improve operations, automate workflows and deliver measurable business results. Together, CDW and Cisco aim to help customers move from experimentation to execution with the infrastructure, expertise and services needed to operationalize AI securely and at scale.
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