Cisco advances AI security with new tools and partnerships

SAN FRANCISCO - Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO), a prominent player in the Communications Equipment industry with a market capitalization of $225.61 billion, today unveiled a series of innovations and partnerships aimed at bolstering cybersecurity in the age of artificial intelligence (AI). The company, which generated $54.18 billion in revenue over the last twelve months with an impressive 65.13% gross profit margin, is advancing its offerings to simplify threat detection and response with advanced AI capabilities. According to InvestingPro analysis, Cisco maintains strong profitability metrics, suggesting solid backing for its strategic initiatives.

The company’s Extended Detection and Response (XDR) platform, Cisco XDR, now integrates with Splunk Security to enhance threat detection and enable faster, AI-driven responses. This includes the new Instant Attack Verification feature, which automatically generates and executes investigation plans using AI to confirm threats and automate responses. The XDR platform also introduces automated forensics and a Storyboard feature for visualizing complex attacks, aiding security teams in swift and decisive action.

In collaboration with Splunk, Cisco has enhanced Splunk Enterprise Security (ES) and Splunk SOAR 6.4 to provide better visibility and more efficient defenses against threats. These improvements aim to empower organizations to build a future-ready Security Operations Center (SOC) that leverages AI for rapid threat identification and resolution.

The cybersecurity firm also announced a deepened partnership with ServiceNow to facilitate secure AI adoption at scale. This includes integrating Cisco AI Defense with ServiceNow SecOps for more comprehensive AI risk management.

Furthermore, Cisco introduced Foundation AI, a team specializing in developing open-source security tools for the AI era, including a novel reasoning model for security applications. They also released benchmarks for evaluating cybersecurity models and additional tools for adapting these models. With a return on invested capital of 14% and strong cash flows, Cisco demonstrates the financial strength to support these innovative developments. InvestingPro subscribers can access detailed analysis of Cisco’s financial health metrics and 7 additional key investment tips.

To address industrial cybersecurity, Cisco has enhanced its Industrial Threat Defense solution with new integrations, such as Cisco Vulnerability Management and Splunk Asset and Risk Intelligence, to prioritize operational technology (OT) cyber risks. Cisco Secure Firewall and the Splunk OT Security add-on in Splunk ES have been updated to unify IT and OT visibility and improve protection of industrial networks.

These advancements reflect Cisco’s commitment to securing AI and using AI to bolster security, as the company continues to lead in providing AI-powered solutions for an increasingly connected world.

This report is based on a press release statement from Cisco Systems, Inc.

In other recent news, Cisco Systems Inc. has been actively expanding its collaborations and strategic initiatives in the AI sector. The company has partnered with NVIDIA Corporation to develop the Cisco Secure AI Factory, a comprehensive infrastructure solution aimed at enhancing security across data center operations. This partnership is designed to simplify AI workload deployment for enterprises, integrating security at every level of the infrastructure. Additionally, Cisco is collaborating with AMD, Nokia, and Jio Platforms Limited to develop the Open Telecom AI Platform, which seeks to enhance telecom platforms with AI-driven automation and security.

In financial developments, Citi analysts have raised Cisco’s stock price target to $73, maintaining a Buy rating due to the company’s promising AI growth prospects. This upgrade is linked to Cisco’s recent collaboration with NVIDIA, which is expected to boost its AI order outlook. Furthermore, Cisco and NVIDIA have announced a unified architecture to simplify AI-ready data center networks, integrating Cisco’s networking software with NVIDIA’s Spectrum-X platform. This initiative aims to offer a standardized approach to data center infrastructure, addressing the complexities enterprises face in adopting AI technologies.

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