There’s a palpable mix of excitement and caution surrounding this year’s meeting in Davos. You don’t need to spend too much time reflecting on today’s headlines to see that the rapid pace of digital t… Read more on Cisco Blogs

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There’s a palpable mix of excitement and caution surrounding this year’s meeting in Davos. You don’t need to spend too much time reflecting on today’s headlines to see that the rapid pace of digital transformation merits a global discussion – at the highest levels – on how real people experience technological change.

Technology is a transformative force for good. But there are risks.

Technology is transforming our lives, changing the way we learn, work, interact with others and get access to all types of services. But amid the myriad benefits of digital technologies, there are potential risks to well-being, where those lacking digital literacy—a blend of technical, emotional, and social skills—fall behind. I’m encouraged by the conversations I’ve had with leaders and policymakers assembled in Davos this week. It’s clear to me there’s a real sense of shared responsibility concerning the stakes involved in this rapid reconfiguration of how society functions.

A rising tide lifts all ships.

Connecting millions to the digital economy is a task that can’t be accomplished alone. Technological benefits such as improved access to education and health information are met with challenges such as weakened social connectedness, persistent digital divides, the spread of disinformation and increasing threats to cybersecurity. We take the relationship between the risks and benefits of technology seriously. Our new partnership with the OECD Centre on Well-being, Inclusion, Sustainability and Equal Opportunity (WISE) shows how working together in new ways to prioritize our collective well-being can help deliver a healthy, prosperous, and safe digital life.

Joining forces with the OECD to study well-being in the digital age

Grounded in the OECD Well-being Framework and aligned to Cisco’s CDA pillars, our joint initiative will present existing and emerging OECD data and examine the complex nature of digital transformation via the Digital Well-Being Hub.

The hub will also feature an interactive platform to gather new statistics and people’s insights on digital well-being, including the impact of the digital divide and inequalities in the uptake and use of digital technologies.

The OECD has already done plenty of groundwork

The OECD WISE Centre Director Romina Boarini has already established the starting point for our partnership. She notes, “The OECD has a long tradition of work supporting policy makers, helping them better understand digital transformation and develop appropriate policies to help shape a positive digital future. Our initial report, ‘How’s Life in the Digital Age,’ highlighted the benefits and challenges of digital transformation, from enhanced access and productivity to issues like the digital divide and personal security threats in people’s everyday life and workplace. Our partnership with Cisco helps us take the next step in broadening what we know about the interplay between technology and life to enrich our understanding of well-being in the digital realm.”

“The OECD has a long tradition of work supporting
policy makers, helping them better understand digital
transformation and develop appropriate policies
to help shape a positive digital future.”
—Romina Boarini, OECD WISE Centre Director

Cisco offers connections and experience to the partnership

Our goal is to connect more people to the digital economy and foster digital inclusion across the globe. We‘re driven by the belief that everyone, everywhere, regardless of where they come from or where they are today, deserve the opportunity to be connected to the digital economy, now and in years to come.

From my position as Chief Innovation Officer, I see with my own eyes, the way Cisco works with governments, industry, education institutions, non-profits, and community leaders. Decades of experience through our Country Digital Acceleration and Networking Academy programs uniquely equips us to partner with organizations and communities to connect the unconnected and build a more inclusive future for all. This partnership taps into Cisco and OECD’s expertise in understanding and mitigating risks, unlocking the value of digitization to ultimately improve digital well-being, power safe inclusive communities and resilient economic development. We are excited for the work ahead.

The year ahead

The partnership will launch its ‘Digital Well-being Hub’ in the second half of 2024. In November, we’ll participate in the OECD’s World Forum on Well-being where we’ll be part of conversations addressing the value of well-being approaches for improving knowledge, performance and cooperation across the public, private and civil sectors in a context of societal change.

Additional Resources

Cisco Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) Program
Cisco Networking Academy
OECD Going Digital Project
OECD report “How’s Life in the Digital Age?”

  Cisco announces a partnership with the OECD to study well-being in the digital age. Our joint initiative will examine the complex nature of digital transformation, its role as both a catalyst for progress and a source of potential risk to well-being.  Read More Cisco Blogs 

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” This quote, attributed to Roman philosopher Seneca, perfectly captures how I found myself here, in the extraordinary world of Cisco.

I was… Read more on Cisco Blogs

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“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” This quote, attributed to Roman philosopher Seneca, perfectly captures how I found myself here, in the extraordinary world of Cisco.

I was browsing the shelves of a huge bookstore when suddenly my eyes landed on the CCNA guide preparation books. It felt like a sign from the universe to buy them. Sure, I may not have had all the networking skills at that moment, but I knew I had to take that leap of faith. And guess what? Luck intervened just a few days later when the Cisco Technical Assistance Center opened offices in Mexico City, and a dear friend referred me to a job opportunity there. Talk about perfect timing!

I threw myself into learning the foundational networking concepts, and my programming background gave me an edge. That combination landed me a spot in the awesome Core and Architecture Technology Solutions team, or as we like to call it, CATS. Meow!

When I first joined Cisco and Support Services, I couldn’t shake the nerves of not having enough technical or soft skills. But you know what? I stayed in Support Services for five years, where I discovered a deep love for helping customers overcome challenges and fine-tuning my troubleshooting skills.

But, the biggest surprise of my career came when I entered to win a chance to attend Cisco Rocks — an event thanking CEO John Chambers for his 20 years of leadership, welcoming Chuck Robbins in as the new CEO, and introducing the new Executive Leadership Team. I submitted a video in a contest through our Employee Communications website, and before I knew it, I was selected as a winner and on the trip of a lifetime with 30 other Cisconians from across the globe in the midst of a grand celebration at the legendary 49ers stadium with famous pop stars singing and getting to know our Executive Leadership Team. In those moments, I truly grasped the essence of Cisco, realizing that it was more than just solving support cases — it was about the incredible people, making meaningful connections, and nurturing a vibrant community.

That trip sparked a fire in me.

Getting out of my bubble in Mexico City, I saw what other Cisconians were accomplishing professionally, personally, and in the spaces where both worlds come together. Through that, I discovered my true passion — empowering people to unleash their potential and removing the roadblocks to their growth. This newfound flame led me to evolve from an early-grade Customer Support Engineer to a Global Support Escalation Manager, all thanks to the support of my leaders, sponsors, and Cisco itself. They provided me with incredible opportunities, including financing my MBA studies at EGADE Business School and attending sessions at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, and Yale School of Management. Talk about a transformative experience!

Over time, I’ve connected even more with Cisco culture, especially through my involvement in groups like Women of Cisco and Women in Science and Engineering (WISE). These communities have become a safe haven, inspiring me to give back to other girls and women. I became co-lead of the WISE Chapter in LATAM, where we invite new voices into the STEM world to reduce the gender gap and show girls that they can achieve anything. And when the pandemic hit, I created the Women Accelerator Program within Women of Cisco Mexico to foster connections and facilitate professional development. Together, we’ve formed a beautiful sense of belonging.

Throughout my journey, I’ve remained passionately dedicated to Cisco and the concepts championed by its visionary leadership that I got to see firsthand on that life-changing trip. The Conscious Culture, guiding principles, Cisco values, and our purpose of “powering an inclusive future for all” have all inspired my personal growth and allowed me to foster a safe and nurturing environment within my team and the groups I’m a part of. Cisco isn’t just a company to me — it’s a part of my family, embracing my husband and our corgi babies, too.

So why am I sharing this story with you? Simple. I am overflowing with gratitude after ten years of belonging to this amazing company. I am thankful for the opportunity to be a part of this extraordinary organization, but more importantly, I am grateful for the incredible friendships I’ve formed along the way. I am thankful for the amazing team I’ve had the privilege to lead. I am thankful for all the lessons, advice, and laughter. And most of all, I am thankful for the people who have inspired me to become the best version of myself.

Imagine being part of a company that not only accepts you for who you are but also challenges you to continuously strive for personal and professional growth. That, my friends, is the magic of Cisco.

Do you want to experience the magic of Cisco? Explore careers and more now.

Subscribe to the WeAreCisco Blog.

  A pivotal event in her ten-year career journey led ThousandEyes Technical Support Leader Carmen A. to discover Cisco's culture and unlock her true passion.  Read More Cisco Blogs 

Wireless acts as the front door to a network’s user experience. But with the multitude of wireless devices and things, sometimes the importance of that first impression gets lost. That front door o… Read more on Cisco Blogs

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Wireless acts as the front door to a network’s user experience. But with the multitude of wireless devices and things, sometimes the importance of that first impression gets lost. That front door opens your users to the world of your business, for better or worse. Does your door seamlessly and automatically slide open or is it more like an old creaky door that is hard to open?

With the opening of the 6 GHz spectrum for commercial use via the arrival of Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) and soon Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), there exists a massive opportunity to move more data—and do so faster.

What does the future look like with Wi-Fi 7?

The huge leap in wireless connectivity that Wi-Fi 7 enables will open new capabilities for high-bandwidth, high-impact applications and devices. This can mean opportunities to utilize more augmented reality and virtual reality technology, given Wi-Fi 7’s efficiencies from low latency and increased speeds. Wi-Fi 7 could lead to an entirely new category of devices, like when the Internet of Things jumped off with connected refrigerators and Wi-Fi-enabled cameras. The possibilities with Wi-Fi 7’s data rates and pervasive connectivity are exciting and impressive, and represent a new frontier of usage scenarios.

Wi-Fi 7 could bring holographic meetings to reality (think Star Trek’s holodeck), featuring full-body projections without glitching or lagging. Wi-Fi 7 could replace QR code restaurant menus with augmented reality menu experiences, allowing diners to see presentation and ingredients before ordering. Wi-Fi 7 could deliver seamless, reliable connectivity for users’ devices from building to building without users having to think about which network they should connect to. Wi-Fi 7 will bring about many changes, some of which can only be speculated about because it will be so transformative for networks, devices, and users, everywhere.

But for the future of your business, Wi-Fi 7 presents an opportunity to land an exceptionally differentiated customer experience, increased revenue and efficiency, and reduced time to value for digital initiatives. According to a survey conducted by Gartner, these are among some of CIOs’ most critical outcomes from their technology investments. 1

For retail organizations, Wi-Fi 7 applies to all three of these outcomes. As soon as a customer enters a retail store, they may join the store’s network and opt into its wayfinding without the frustration of buffering or loading. Retail customers and employees alike could utilize virtual reality to see product dimensions and details that display in real time, unlike today’s clunky 360-degree online views. This could lead to more efficient inventory arrays and management, and ultimately, increased sales volume. With the addition of Wi-Fi 7, all the lines of business (marketing, sales, inventory, purchasing, IT, and operations) will have some interaction with each other and the store’s network.

In healthcare, Wi-Fi 7 could yield a better patient experience, reducing risk for both patients and providers. Faster data rates and more persistent wireless connectivity means check-ins can be quicker and more accurate, leaving time for providers to treat a greater number of patients safely. The connections will be so fast and reliable, Wi-Fi 7 could propel laboratories and health research institutions across the globe to collaborate more on data-intensive research.

In education, Wi-Fi 7 could create higher-quality learning applications that are targeted for specific study areas. Imagine realistic 3D projections of microscopic cells for biology students to examine and study, or a machine rendering that mechanical engineering students can disassemble in real time. With improved virtual and digital experiences, Wi-Fi 7 connectivity could potentially accelerate the deliveries of education more than any other time in history.

The devices, applications, and methods used throughout all industries will likely see significant transformations due to innovations with Wi-Fi 7.

How will Wi-Fi 7 work?

Wi-Fi 6E and upcoming Wi-Fi 7 are wireless standards that are primed to alter the wireless landscape indefinitely. Arguably the greatest advancement in wireless technology in the past 20 years, these standards will change how people and devices connect to networks everywhere.

Some notable functionalities in the Wi-Fi 7 specification include:

4x higher data rates (with a theoretical throughput of approximately 46 Gbps, compared to Wi-Fi 6’s top speed of 9.6 Gbps) using 4K-QAM, 320 MHz channel width, and up to 16 spatial streams
Increased speed, reduced latency, and greater reliability with multi-link operation (MLO), which allows capable wireless devices to associate and exchange traffic on multiple bands (or multiple channels in the same band with a dual 5 GHz radio)
Enhanced spectral efficiency and interference mitigation with multiple resource units (MRUs)
Efficient use of channel and bandwidth via preamble puncturing

It may take a while for Wi-Fi 7 to become a viable element of your networking or technology strategy. As of this writing, the public timeline for Wi-Fi 7’s official release is not until spring 2024. However, now is an optimal time to reflect on your technology strategy and how peak adoption of Wi-Fi 7 (which realistically may be a year or two away) will affect your digital initiatives.

How do you plan for Wi-Fi 7?

It will take time for new and updated client devices, chipsets, and best practices to emerge. As with any new technology adoption curve, some of the growing pains experienced by early adopters will pave the way for the majority to know exactly what is useful and what needs further development. No matter which category your organization falls into, there are both technology and business preparatory measures you can make now, in advance of launching your Wi-Fi 7 deployment, such as:

Designing for the future using the data you have.
Defining where Wi-Fi makes a difference.
Dreaming big for your business.

While Wi-Fi 7 specifications may not be final yet, what we know now can help IT and network teams design for the future. Wireless-device analytics and survey tools can give you a more holistic view of your network and a baseline from which to build on later. Smart wireless design is going to be paramount in this new world of Wi-Fi 7, given how many new pathways will be available for any given wireless device.

Think about which parts of the business can be more efficient using Wi-Fi technology as the change agent. Working across the organization, CIOs can plan on greater use of the network for new tasks in separate lines of business. Consider partnering with other business executive leaders and cross-business segments in developing your plan for Wi-Fi 7 implementations—not just network connectivity and mission-critical functions, but also for front-of-house customer experiences.

With technology areas like cybersecurity, generative AI, cloud platforms, and analytics getting a lot of hype these days, you might be tempted to pause on adopting new wireless technology in favor of those areas. Perhaps you find yourself debating implementing Wi-Fi 6E now or waiting on Wi-Fi 7. Nicholas Swiatecki, Product Manager at Cisco, recently reframed this question as part of his 6GHz and Beyond with Cisco presentation at Mobility Field Day 10: “What might [you] gain from Wi-Fi 7 that [your] users care about?” In the fast-moving world of wireless devices and things, sometimes the perspective of what your users care about can be forgotten. Leaders for any business, in any industry, who seriously consider and plan for Wi-Fi 7 will be the ones who give their organizations a competitive edge.

So, as you think about how to improve customer experiences and maximize efficiency, the most obvious first step is to start with your front door.

1Source: Gartner Press Release, Gartner Survey of Over 2,400 CIOs Reveals That 45% of CIOs are Driving a Shift to Co-Ownership of Digital Leadership, October 17, 2023.

  Wireless acts as the front door to a network’s user experience. But with the multitude of wireless devices and things, sometimes the importance of that first impression gets lost. That front door opens your users to the world of your business, for better or worse. Does your door seamlessly and automatically slide open or is  Read More Cisco Blogs 

In the intricate world of networking, delivering a seamless experience is no easy feat.

Your network is like an orchestra, where each element assumes the role of a unique instrument—computers, d… Read more on Cisco Blogs

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In the intricate world of networking, delivering a seamless experience is no easy feat.

Your network is like an orchestra, where each element assumes the role of a unique instrument—computers, devices, applications, security measures, remote connections.

Without direction and coordination, a concert can devolve into a cacophony of disjointed sounds. To play great music, these elements need the guidance of a maestro. Cisco SD-WAN empowers both enterprise IT teams and managed service providers (MSPs) to become the maestros of their networks, conducting a symphony of simplified operations, secure networking, and a superior user experience.

As the digital landscape continues to evolve and the demands on network infrastructure escalate, Cisco SD-WAN offers a suite of enhancements that simplify network operations, enhance security, and elevate user experience. Let’s explore the specifics of these enhancements and discover how they help you get the most out of your network.

Simplified operations for your business success

Setting up and managing hierarchical or multi-region networks just got simpler with newly introduced enhancements in Multi-Region Fabric configuration and monitoring with UX2.0.

The Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager (formerly vManage) now brings an intuitive UI to the table, simplifying the setup and configuration of regions, sub-regions, and secondary regions via network hierarchy. With this enhanced UI, network teams can efficiently onboard sites, create configuration groups, and deploy configurations. The enhanced global monitoring dashboard now offers a logical, region-based perspective of the entire network infrastructure, allowing you to easily assess the health of your border router and edge router sites within each region.

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager also helps monitor tunnel health, access other critical metrics, and gain a comprehensive, bird’s-eye overview of your entire network. In the event of any issues or anomalies, users can quickly identify the precise location needing attention, ensuring a proactive and efficient response to maintain network stability and optimal performance.

Managing app performance across networks used to be challenging, but not anymore. We’ve got eyes on your network with Cisco ThousandEyes, now available on Meraki MX. This native integration enables businesses to quickly use the Meraki dashboard to set up perpetual monitoring across all of their networks for their most critical applications—no matter where they reside. This integration provides in-depth visibility, offering actionable insights and hop-by-hop analysis for targeted troubleshooting.

With rapid deployment capabilities, users can activate branch monitoring using preconfigured test templates in just minutes. Additionally, ThousandEyes on Meraki enables proactive monitoring through synthetic tests, helping identify and address performance issues before they impact users.

Enhanced security for your peace of mind

Address evolving network security threats with the latest enhancements in Catalyst SD-WAN Manager.

For example, with the introduction of security enhancements in SD-Routing mode in the 17.13 release, comprehensive support for on-premises next-generation firewall (NGFW) solutions with Catalyst SD-WAN Manager is included when managing a traditional routing environment. Security stack configuration and visibility are seamlessly managed through the SD-WAN Manager, so traditional routing customers can effortlessly leverage the NGFW stack’s capabilities.

This includes security zones, segmentation, application aware firewall, advanced malware protection (AMP), intrusion prevention system (IPS), and URL filtering. Use the simplified and guided security workflow to expedite implementation and to ensure that your security policies are consistently applied across multiple branch locations. You’ll be able to minimize complexity and maintain consistent security standards throughout your network.

With Catalyst SD-WAN Service Insertion, you can streamline IT configurations, reduce operational cycles through automated service insertion, and fortify network security with consistent policies across multicloud environments. Use this feature to automate on-demand service insertion into the SD-WAN fabric. Whether it’s a physical or virtual service, Cisco or third-party, on-premises or in the cloud, we’ve got you covered.

Empowering a connected workforce

Today, remote work demands more than just connectivity; it requires a holistic solution that is secure and always on. The Meraki Z4C cloud-managed teleworker gateway acts as a router, VPN, cellular modem, and firewall that provides secure remote access for your distributed workforce. This addition to Meraki’s line of teleworker gateways delivers flawless connectivity that is as reliable as being in the office, delivered in a sleek, silent, and secure desktop form factor.

With integrated cellular capabilities, automatic WAN to wireless failover, and 500mbps of firewall throughput, the Z4C ensures remote employees consistently maintain a secure connection to the corporate network. When combined with the Secure Teleworker license, you’ll get heightened network visibility and improved security, thanks to seamless integrations with Cisco Talos and AMP.

Maximizing success for MSPs

For MSPs, simplicity and scalability are paramount. Cisco SD-WAN now includes multitenant edge, which means you can host multiple enterprise customers securely using a single physical or virtual SD-WAN platform. This simplifies and accelerates SD-WAN design and deployment while also providing capital and operating expense savings. You’ll also benefit from adding new service offerings to your catalog, enabling you to generate additional business.

MSPs, system integrators, and end customers can now securely split responsibilities through granular role-based access control (RBAC). With granular RBAC, users gain co-management functionality over application routing and security policies while leaving the day-to-day network management to the MSP. This ensures that end customers can focus on their core business without worrying about the intricacies of network operation. For MSPs, the ability to define roles with granular control means faster adoption of new features, reduced development efforts, and a streamlined co-management process.

Much like a conductor directing various instruments to bring an orchestra into harmony, you can use Cisco SD-WAN to simplify operations, secure the network, and provide an exceptional user experience. Whether you’re on an enterprise IT team or optimizing networks for diverse users, you’ll have the help you need to excel in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

With these technologies, enterprises can streamline operations, fortify network security, and foster innovation like a maestro, and MSPs can effortlessly manage and optimize clients’ networks, streamline internal operations, and maximize business potential.

Dive into the details of these enhancements andlearn how you can shape the perfect tune for your network,
becoming the maestro of your digital journey.

  Cisco SD-WAN helps enterprise IT teams and managed service providers (MSPs) simplify operations, enable secure networking, and deliver a superior user experience.  Read More Cisco Blogs 

As an MSSP (Managed Security Service Provider), there is no overstating the intense and well-founded focus on pervasive network security. Whether an organization is looking to secure the network,… Read more on Cisco Blogs

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As an MSSP (Managed Security Service Provider), there is no overstating the intense and well-founded focus on pervasive network security. Whether an organization is looking to secure the network, endpoint, email, cloud, applications, identity, or anything in between, security professionals are overwhelmed with the sheer volume of tools, technologies, and security methodologies that need to be considered. This is only exacerbated by the increasing number of complex threats and techniques being employed by bad actors and nation states.

Current Security Challenges Facing Customers

Regardless of vertical or segment focus, all organizations have been struggling for years to design and deploy a comprehensive, scalable, and effective security architecture to mitigate these constant and increasing threats. Organizations are in desperate need of solutions and strategies to identify, assess and remediate threats by applying analytics to collected telemetry data.

One of the biggest challenges these organizations face is dealing with too many alerts and managing all the issues, which makes it difficult to decide where to focus their valuable time, effort, and resources.

Because of these challenges, more and more organizations are turning to MSSPs. These providers help them discern, implement, and manage the most effective solutions and methodologies to achieve, maintain and continuously assess their security posture.

Enter | Extended Detection and Response (XDR)

One solution that many MSSPs and their customers are evaluating and adopting is Extended Detection and Response (XDR) platforms.

By definition, a single extended detection and response solution allows providers to achieve three primary outcomes:

The collection of telemetry from multiple security tools.
The ability to apply analytics to that collected data to detect threatening behavior.
The ability to respond to and remediate those threats.

An effective XDR platform takes data from several elements (such as endpoint, network, email, cloud, identity, firewall), moves that data into a data lake, applies threat intelligence, asset context, user context and compares it against the MITRE framework. This process allows for the prioritization of impact and remediation.

The reduction in investigation time and the ability to accelerate response time leads to increased operational efficiency within an organization.

At the end of the day, the solution should be outcome focused. It should aim to achieve the following:

Reduce the average time to resolution.
Cut the costs associated with breaches.
Decrease the percentage of missed threats.
Increase the percentage of threats blocked.
Improve detection, reporting, and response to threats through automation.

By focusing on these outcomes, the solutions can effectively enhance overall security.

Enter | Cisco XDR (Extended Detection and Response)

Although these can be extremely complex technologies in their respective parts, Cisco XDR is simplifying extended detection and response for end customers and for MSSPs.

Cisco XDR is a powerful SaaS-based platform which natively correlates telemetry data allowing users and MSSPs to identify and focus on the most critical security events which demand attention.

One key feature is the ability for Cisco’s XDR to natively integrate with several 3rd party solutions across endpoint, network, cloud and application improving security efficacy. This is a critical capability due to the expansive landscape of security vendors being used by most customers and MSSPs.

In addition to the power and versatility of Cisco’s XDR offering, customers and MSSPs will be able to consume Cisco XDR through various flexible consumption models. Increasingly, within the multi-vendor security landscape, customers and MSSPs are choosing to consume many SaaS based offers, like Cisco XDR, via utility, post-paid model licensing agreements. This will allow organizations to post-pay only for what licenses are used, as opposed to paying up front and running the risk of needlessly paying for unused licenses.

In short, as an MSSP supporting multiple customers with both common and customized needs, Cisco XDR is a powerful solution which should be considered as one which addresses concerns over increasingly complex and multiplying threats, budget constraints, evolving compliance requirements and alert fatigue fueled by an ever-growing and segregated set of security tools.

As a leader within the MSSP market, please reference the resources below to familiarize yourself with the power of Cisco XDR and how it will help you further differentiate your organization within the Managed Security market.

#GoManaged

Learn more about how you can #GoManaged:

Visit Cisco XDR

Subscribe to the Cisco Partner Managed Services Voice of the Engineer (VoE)

Access the XDR dCloud Demo Portal

Subscribe to XDR on Youtube

We’d love to hear what you think. Ask a Question, Comment Below, and Stay Connected with #CiscoPartners on social!

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  MSSPs help organizations implement and manage the most effective solutions to achieve and continuously assess their security posture by leveraging Cisco XDR.  Read More Cisco Blogs 

Digital transformation and new hybrid work models have created a highly distributed and diverse IT landscape. Organizations must run applications on-premises, in public and private clouds, and as… Read more on Cisco Blogs

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Digital transformation and new hybrid work models have created a highly distributed and diverse IT landscape. Organizations must run applications on-premises, in public and private clouds, and as SaaS to support the hybrid workforce. As a result of working across different types of environments, organizations may face multiple operating models, disparate management domains, and vendor sprawl, which can lead to uncontrollable TCO and lack of a holistic IT strategy.

Security continues to be top-of-mind for today’s global enterprises, confirmed in both the 2022 Global Hybrid Cloud Trends Report and the 2023 Global Networking Trends Report from Cisco. Our Global Networking Trends Report also found that when addressing security concerns, most of today’s organizations want a consistent operating model across their IT environment (86 percent) and a simplified approach to managing their technology (85 percent).

Organizations also struggle to recruit and retain the security experts they need for 24x7x365 protection. The ability to effectively use AI and automation tools gains importance for organizations looking to manage increasingly complex infrastructures. As you know, managed service partners hold a unique position to address these needs, with proven methodologies to standardize and create repeatable operating models, leveraging OEMs like Cisco to work toward achieving their customers’ business goals.

Managed Security services represent a total addressable market (TAM) opportunity of more than US$58 billion in global product revenue by 2027. Using our extensive portfolio, you can expand your service offerings and deliver improved security solutions to your customers. Strong, effective security has become the enabler for achieving current and future business outcomes. Cisco has the technological expertise, the infrastructure, the portfolio, and the integrations to support our service providers in delivering these outcomes. Cisco brings a long history of success in working with and supporting our Provider Partners in delivering the solutions that customers need.

Managed Security enables business outcomes

The Cisco Partner Managed Security portfolio provides efficiency, automation tools, and better operating models so you can enhance the value you bring to your customers. Cisco is moving to a platform-based strategy that is rooted in standardizing the user interface and experience (UI/UX) across the product portfolio. With a consistent UI/UX, you can develop standardized, repeatable operating models, and can build solutions that can bolt on new services as enablement and customer interest grows. For example, Provider Partners with Security solutions can leverage Digital Experience Monitoring to upsell and enable Full-Stack Observability.

The following table depicts numerous Managed Security services that support business outcomes. Modern businesses are data-driven, and therefore protecting an organization’s data and critical applications becomes central to supporting that organization’s performance and growth.

We can help you build your managed security services catalog to support the business outcomes your end customers want. For example:

Optimize the application experience to provide end users with seamless access to the tools they need for their jobs. Security leads the effort for anytime-anywhere access.
Deliver secure environments with consistent, comprehensive security parameters around a standard policy to protect from internal and external threats.
Connect everything with confidence using managed detection, including third-party devices that need to connect into the infrastructure.
Elevate the hybrid experience to provide consistency and high performance using tools such as Duo and multi-factor authentication to enforce secure access, no matter where the workforce is located.

With the convergence of network and security, Cisco brings a unique perspective to help you deliver simplified, connected experiences and richer security. And Cisco continues to bring new solutions to market to help our Provider Partners and customers grow their portfolios and profitability.

Expanded security solutions announced

As announced at Partner Summit 2023, we’ve expanded our partner managed-ready solutions with security-based items:

Managed Firewall
Managed XDR (Extended Detection and Response)

Managed Firewall: Firewall security provides the foundation you can build from to add protection for users, cloud access, and the overall customer enterprise. Cisco Firepower and Cisco Cloud Defense Orchestrator provide the core technologies needed to defend the ever-expanding threat vectors your customers face. With Firepower products, you can enhance your security services catalog with VPN, intrusion detection and response, and multi-cloud defense-leveraging gateways. Cisco can help you expand your service catalog to address additional security use cases for your customers and provide value-added services such as Unified Threat Management. For more information on Managed Firewall, read Nathaniel Hang’s blog on Firewall as a Service; it explains how next-gen firewalls support modern networks and lists expected business outcomes confirmed by Forrester research.

Managed XDR: This emerging solution uses the Cisco XDR platform to reduce time for threat detection, analysis, and full exfiltration. We’re using machine learning, AIOps, and telemetry data (including outside sources) to build correlations and upscale the level of work performed by security and network engineers. With Managed XDR from Cisco, you can drive better operating models, new routes to market, and enhanced value for your customers with a solution that helps detect threats more quickly, prioritize by potential impact, lower investigation time, accelerate a response, and extend the device context.

Secure Access: With this solution, Cisco can help you differentiate from other providers. Cisco Secure Access provides a frictionless user experience, allowing workers to authenticate once and then work on any application. With this service, you can eliminate the extra steps often required for VPN access. Once users connect, Secure Access provides continuous and transparent security inspections that block known bad destinations and files, alert on suspicious traffic and behaviors, and protect sensitive data. Details on Cisco Secure Access can be found in this blog by Jeff Scheaffer.

Ready to move forward?

These enhanced Managed Security solutions can help you improve your customers’ overall security posture and free up their internal resources to focus on strategic business objectives. Cisco is ready to help you position and differentiate your services as you build out your service catalog.

You can leverage our experience to expand your business. We work with 62,000 partners globally, support 70,000 cloud security customers, handle more than 600 billion DNS requests per day, process more than 5 billion reputation requests, and evaluate 2.1 million malware samples. As a result, more than 1.7 million networks are protected using Cisco products.

#GoManaged!

Learn more about how you can begin building next-generation managed security solutions:

Visit the Cisco Partner Managed Services page

Watch From platform to profit: how MSPs can leverage Cisco to deliver performance, impact and experience from Cisco Partner Summit 2023

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  Security remains a top priority for today’s organizations. With expanded Managed Security offers, Cisco can help its Provider Partners create differentiation in the marketplace, grow their business, and better meet their customers’ needs.  Read More Cisco Blogs