"Cisco Partner Summit 2024: Insights, Innovations, and Partner Value"

The Cisco Partner Summit is Cisco's annual global event dedicated to strengthening relationships with its partner ecosystem. Held in locations around the world, the summit brings together Cisco’s channel partners, executives, and industry experts for several days of collaborative dialogue, product announcements, and strategic insights into Cisco's future directions. The event serves as a platform for Cisco to introduce new programs, technologies, and innovations, and it provides partners with detailed guidance on how to align with Cisco’s evolving strategies, especially in key areas like AI, cybersecurity, observability, and digital transformation.

At this week’s Cisco Partner Summit 2024, major announcements highlighted new advancements in AI, security, and partner ecosystems. Cisco is focused on “Forward as One,” underscoring a collaborative push with partners to address market demands in AI and cybersecurity. Key updates include Cisco Validated Designs for AI, which offer scalable, integrated AI solutions developed with leading partners like NVIDIA and Intel. Cisco also launched an enhanced Observability Platform, allowing partners to provide customized, vendor-agnostic observability across five areas, including sustainability and MLOps.

In the security domain, Cisco introduced new security suites focused on user, cloud, and breach protection, providing partners with simpler, cost-effective options to strengthen clients’ security postures. ​

Cisco Blogs Cisco Transform Cisco Investor Relations

Several AI advancements were announced this week, focusing on new solutions and infrastructure optimized for AI deployments, with significant enhancements across networking, security, collaboration, and observability.

1. Cisco Nexus HyperFabric: This cloud-managed, full-stack AI solution simplifies AI infrastructure deployment by managing complex configurations, allowing partners to design, deploy, and scale AI-based networks effectively.
2. AI-Specific Training and Certification: Cisco introduced an "AI Fundamentals" program through its Black Belt Academy, providing partners with comprehensive AI training to support Cisco’s AI offerings in data management, analytics, and machine learning. This specialization helps partners gain skills to deliver tailored AI solutions.
3. Enhanced Security and Observability: AI-driven security features in Cisco Security Cloud were expanded to include Cisco Identity Intelligence, which uses AI for advanced threat detection, and new observability tools, like a natural language interface, simplifying troubleshooting and monitoring.
4. Generative AI (GenAI) Management: Cisco introduced its first SaaS product, Motific, which allows businesses to manage GenAI deployments across IT infrastructures securely. This solution offers governance tools for data security and compliance, essential for businesses exploring GenAI.
5. Webex AI Features: Cisco integrated new AI functionalities into Webex, such as Meeting Summaries and Conversation Summaries, designed to enhance user productivity and collaboration.

Cisco Blogs

Cisco Security

Cisco also announced several significant advancements in security aimed at creating a robust, AI-enhanced security infrastructure. Key highlights include:

1. Cisco Identity Intelligence: This new solution addresses the rise of identity-based cyber threats by leveraging an AI-driven identity graph that draws data from third-party identity management sources, enhancing the ability to detect and prevent unauthorized access. This tool integrates seamlessly with existing Cisco solutions such as Duo and Secure Access.
2. AI Integration in Security Solutions: Cisco introduced the AI Assistant for Security, initially applied in Firewall management and now expanded to Secure Access and Email Threat Detection. This AI capability automates threat detection and response, offering a faster, more precise approach to managing security across multiple domains.
3. Secure Access Service Edge (SASE): Cisco expanded its Secure Access capabilities, integrating them with Catalyst SD-WAN to provide end-to-end security across hybrid environments. This integration, part of Cisco’s SASE offering, is designed to streamline connectivity and enhance data protection across cloud environments.
4. Enhanced Data Loss Prevention (DLP) with Cisco Umbrella: New DLP capabilities in Cisco Umbrella now offer unified policies and real-time management, ensuring data security as more organizations migrate resources to the cloud.
5. Cisco Secure Firewall Updates: The new Secure Firewall 3105, part of Cisco’s broader Security Cloud strategy, is purpose-built for hybrid work environments, boosting remote work capabilities and offering improved VPN performance. It also introduces AI-native management for centralized control and monitoring.

Forward as One

Cisco's "Forward as One" theme at the Partner Summit 2024 emphasizes unified collaboration between Cisco and its partners to address rapidly evolving technology demands. This initiative focuses on strengthening partner relationships and ecosystem value, especially in areas like AI, security, and digital transformation. The program is designed to shift Cisco’s approach from transactional to holistic, enabling partners to deliver more comprehensive lifecycle value for customers, from AI-driven innovations to advanced cybersecurity measures.

Under "Forward as One," Cisco is also simplifying its partner programs by introducing streamlined incentives and enhancing its Partner Experience Platform (PXP). The goal is to reduce operational complexities, improve alignment with customer outcomes, and create a more predictable revenue model for partners. Cisco aims to empower partners to differentiate themselves with specialized technical skills while expanding their reach to meet customer-specific needs. This theme underscores Cisco’s commitment to adapting and thriving with its partners in an era marked by AI integration and digital security advancements​

Cisco Blogs Cisco Blogs Cisco Blogs

Cisco's Validated Designs for AI and its enhanced Observability Platform are foundational elements supporting partners and clients with advanced, scalable AI and monitoring capabilities.

Cisco Validated Designs for AI

Cisco Validated Designs (CVDs) for AI are comprehensive, pre-tested solutions developed in partnership with technology leaders like NVIDIA, Intel, AMD, and others. These designs focus on streamlining AI infrastructure deployment by providing verified blueprints tailored for various AI use cases. They are engineered to simplify AI setup, integration, and management across data centers, thus minimizing risks and accelerating time to value. This collaboration ensures that businesses can deploy AI workloads with greater confidence and efficiency, focusing resources on business outcomes rather than infrastructure complexity​

Cisco Blogs Cisco Blogs

Enhanced Observability Platform

Cisco's enhanced Observability Platform expands its monitoring and troubleshooting capabilities, providing real-time insights across multiple IT domains. This platform is vendor-agnostic and offers modules focused on areas like business insights, networking, SAP, MLOps, and sustainability. A key feature is its natural language interface and advanced AIOps capabilities, which allow IT teams to interact with the system more intuitively and automate complex monitoring processes. These enhancements enable organizations to proactively monitor their systems, diagnose issues quickly, and improve overall operational health, making the platform invaluable for both IT teams and Cisco's partner ecosystem​

Newsroom Cisco Blogs

Cisco also introduced new Security Suites designed to offer integrated, scalable solutions for specific security needs across various environments. These suites address the most pressing cybersecurity challenges, making it easier for organizations to deploy, manage, and scale their security infrastructures.

Key Features of Cisco’s New Security Suites

1. User Protection Suite: Focuses on securing user interactions across devices and applications. It includes advanced threat protection and user authentication features, such as Duo’s multi-factor authentication and the newly enhanced Cisco Identity Intelligence, which uses AI-driven insights to detect and block identity-based attacks.
2. Cloud Protection Suite: This suite is tailored for organizations with cloud-heavy infrastructures, offering secure access and visibility across multiple cloud environments. Integrated tools like Cisco Umbrella and Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) ensure secure connectivity and data protection, whether users are on-site or remote.
3. Breach Protection Suite: This suite provides comprehensive threat detection and response to protect against breaches. Leveraging Cisco’s AI-driven tools, such as XDR (Extended Detection and Response) and integrations with Splunk, it enhances real-time threat visibility, enabling rapid response to potential attacks.

Benefits for Partners and Customers

The new suites simplify the purchasing and deployment processes by bundling Cisco’s security offerings into packages optimized for specific needs. This approach allows organizations to streamline their security strategy with predictable costs, easier management, and improved interoperability across Cisco’s Security Cloud platform​

Cisco Blogs Cisco Blogs Newsroom

These suites exemplify Cisco’s commitment to delivering integrated, outcome-driven security solutions that can scale with evolving threats, providing partners with a profitable, flexible model for supporting diverse customer requirements.

Cisco’s Partner Summit plays a crucial role in driving the quality and innovation of Cisco’s solutions, ensuring that end users benefit from the latest advancements in technology, security, and streamlined services.

Through this event, Cisco aligns with its partners to provide powerful, tailored solutions that address the evolving needs of businesses and individuals. By empowering partners with cutting-edge tools, training, and strategic insights, Cisco creates a ripple effect, enhancing the technology experiences of customers globally.

Sustainability

Cisco reinforced its commitment to sustainability with several initiatives designed to help partners and customers drive environmental impact. Cisco's sustainability focus includes energy management, IT asset disposition (ITAD), and circular economy principles, encouraging the use of more sustainable practices across technology lifecycles. Cisco highlighted the Environmental Sustainability Specialization for partners, a framework supporting sustainable technology solutions, and Circular IT Design principles aimed at reducing e-waste through enhanced product life cycles and recycling initiatives.

Additionally, Cisco celebrated partners demonstrating leadership in sustainable practices by recognizing them through awards such as the Global Sustainability Partner of the Year. This recognition underscores Cisco's aim to collaborate closely with partners who prioritize environmental responsibility, providing clients with technology solutions that reduce carbon footprints and promote efficiency​

Network Solutions - Cisco Gold Provider

Network Solutions, Inc. (NSI) is a Cisco Gold Provider, a designation that signifies NSI has met Cisco's highest standards in service delivery, technical expertise, and customer satisfaction. Achieving Gold Provider status means NSI has demonstrated advanced competencies across Cisco's solutions, including networking, security, collaboration, and data center technologies. This certification reflects NSI's commitment to delivering reliable, high-quality services backed by Cisco’s latest technology and best practices, ensuring that customers receive expert guidance and support for their Cisco implementations. For more details, you can visit their official page.

If you would like to learn more about the emerging technologies coming out of Cisco’s 2024 Partner Summit or any other business technology solution, contact the experts at Network Solutions!