Security, Interoperability, and AI: Decoding Cisco Live 2023

It’s that time of the year again. With much fanfare, Cisco Systems Inc. held its annual customer and partner event in Las Vegas. The Cisco Live 2023 was perhaps the most symbolic of where the company is headed.

It’s typical for the networking giant to announce new products and technologies, but this year was marked by more visionary announcements. 

Cisco is branching out to provide its customers with more comprehensive solutions. This was evident when Chief Executive Officer Chuck Robbins opened the event with the tagline “Innovation to solve your challenges.” The company is eyeing the big prize by consolidating its wide array of products and services. 

There’s a lot to unpack from the event, but in this article, we’ll touch upon the most important announcements and what they underscore regarding Cisco’s trajectory and industry trends.

Security Takes Precedence 

Like most industry leaders, Cisco is doubling its efforts to improve security across its products and services. With new cutting-edge capabilities announced, it’s clear that they want to prioritize security and use it as a highlight of their products. 

During the keynote address, security was frequently mentioned, with the CEO and executives expressing their concerns. As a networking products manufacturer, security is a natural fit for Cisco. However, the rising need for more integrated security solutions provides the company with new opportunities. 

Cisco hasn’t exactly been a pinnacle of cybersecurity, and its portfolio of security offerings is not its most successful. But the company is changing that narrative, at least, that’s what some of the new announcements pointed to. 

The Security Cloud initiative is a highlight, a specialized security cloud that aims to consolidate security features, making management and deployment easy. 

Here are some other security-related announcements made at Cisco Live 2023:

• Cisco Secure Firewall 4200 Series was announced and leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to detect and mitigate threats. These firewalls also employ the zero-trust model. 
  
  
• Cisco Secure Access is a security service edge solution introduced in light of the still-going strong hybrid work environments. It will simplify access to devices and applications with automatic network steering and contextual awareness. Like the firewalls, it’s based on the zero-trust model and relies on the company’s ThousandEyes network visibility platform.
  
  
• Cisco Multicloud Defense will allow enterprises to use firewalls with multiple public clouds based on policy and a single console. 
   
• Single Sign-On (SSO), although widely used by enterprises, is a first by Cisco to allow customers to access different Cisco cloud platforms with the same credentials. This is more of a feature focused on convenience than security. 
  
  
• Panoptica, Cisco’s cloud workload protection platform, will receive security posture management capabilities. With this feature, Cisco is enhancing cloud-native application protection via increased visibility. 

From Product to Platform

All the shiny new products and features aside, the most notable takeaway of the event was Cisco’s platform strategy. With scattered platforms, such as Catalysts, Meraki, and Webex, the company isn’t often referred to as a platform in the industry. But that’s about to change. 

With some of the announced products and capabilities, analysts didn’t take long to understand where Cisco is going. For instance, the Catalyst and Meraki integration through the new Cisco Networking Cloud clearly indicates that the company is finally simplifying connectivity and compatibility within its portfolio. 

Another example is Secure Access, which the Cisco Security Cloud will offer. It makes access simpler and quicker across different cloud platforms, integrating them more readily. Once in, users can access whatever they need based on permissions and policies with reliable performance. 

These integration and access capabilities aim to remove the barriers between the company’s various product offerings and unify them as a platform. 

For years, Cisco has been pushing out reliable and compatible products. However, the tech giant is now pivoting its approach to providing more inclusive and comprehensive solutions. 

The company’s goal to unify its cloud and security offerings is one to watch. Analysts are betting on this approach, likening it to the world’s most valuable tech company, Apple Inc. 

The Cisco Networking Cloud, which is not a product but a repackaging strategy, will consolidate different branded platforms and reduce operational complexities and silos. 

Embracing Interoperability

Cisco is notorious for vendor lock-ins. Although many of its networking products, particularly hardware, have decent compatibility, it has largely been seen as a company that’s, for the lack of a better word, proprietary. However, the tide is changing as the networking manufacturer becomes more open.

This is not news, as the change has been in motion for years. However, at the event, it became even clearer. Cisco executives accepted that consumers today want more openness and interoperability from tech companies. They said that those days of proprietary protocols were behind them. 

This was also evidenced by the cross-product integration between Webex and Microsoft Teams, two traditional rivals. Cisco’s Webex can be integrated with Microsoft Teams to compensate for the features customers have to add, saving them money. 

This was a first for Cisco, as instead of competing with Teams, the company encouraged customers to use their product in conjunction with it. 

AI Fever Continues

Of course, it’s 2023, and if tech companies are announcing something major, AI has to be somewhere there. Cisco Live 2023 was no different, as AI was a big theme. 

Cisco must be attributed for its contributions to bringing AI to the network and cloud. The company has been delving into AI-focused technology for a decade to enhance its existing products and bring out innovative new solutions. 

Webex is getting an AI makeover with exciting security and operations tools that leverage the technology. For instance, the Cinematic Meetings feature of Webex is getting an AI shakeup.

The remote meeting feature uses multiple cameras and audio and can now choose the best view automatically to provide the best experience. 

The one area that will see the most AI is, of course, security. For instance, the company has introduced an AI-powered security analyst to understand network events. With this feature, administrators and network engineering teams can get to the root cause of issues.  

The Key Takeaways

Cisco Live 2023 wasn’t just about announcing new products but also gave a glimpse into the company’s vision for the future. And that vision is clear: foolproof security, platform integration, increased interoperability, and technological innovation to provide a better customer experience. 

The world’s leading networking manufacturer is learning from past mistakes while thinking outside the box. The event's announcements were nothing short of positive news for enterprises that rely on the company for their infrastructure and operations.