Cisco's Strategic, Technological and Partnership-Led Approach to Revolutionize Cybersecurity

Cisco, a name the industry is well familiar with when it comes to the network, is taking bold steps to pioneering a multidimensional strategy to elevate its cybersecurity posture. 

Combining high-level strategic planning, technical enhancements and a partnership-driven approach, Cisco is positioning itself as one the largest security companies in the world — one poised to transform into a strategic security partner for organizations of all shapes and sizes. 

Prioritizing customer needs

Cisco is crafting a philosophical approach that prioritizes customer needs above all else. In a recent conversation on wwt.com, Cisco Executive Vice President and General Manager of Security and Collaboration Business Units, Jeetu Patel, emphasized the importance of seamless interoperability between vendor systems. 

"The philosophy that we have is our products will be tightly integrated but loosely coupled," he said. "And what does that mean? That means that you can use our multicloud defense or we don't require you to use our firewall. If you actually happen to have a Palo Alto firewall, we will still work with the Palo Alto firewall. However, our firewall and our multicloud defense will be very tightly integrated. And so that philosophy that we have will be across the board in everything that we do. And what that does is protects the investment for the customer. It makes sure that the innovation is fast because you're able to take the investments that they've made and compound on top of that."

The concept implies a delicate balance between cohesion and independence. Cisco's products will work harmoniously with others in the ecosystem, protecting client investments and enabling rapid innovation. The objective is to provide customers with rapid innovation and economic efficiency. By promoting the consolidation of infrastructure, Cisco aims to reduce costs and protect customer investments, which Jeetu believes to be a core part of Cisco's philosophy.

Patel's comments are likely to resonate with many of the clients WWT engages with, who in most instances are trying to do some form of platform consolidations while optimizing existing investments. 

Technical innovation anchored in flexibility

The future of the industry lies in security platforms centered on the endpoint and the application, and on the elements that link the endpoint to the application, such as access, connectivity, and infrastructure. And Cisco's vision for an integrated platform combines multiple functions - like web, firewall, IPS, and browser isolation - into a single console while remaining determined to create an open platform that interoperates with other solutions. 

Cisco, as a network provider, is extremely well-positioned to deliver in this regard. Tom Gillis, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cisco's Security Business Group, mentioned Cisco XDR as a prime example. 

"The first is a platform that is oriented around the endpoint and the application — think Windows operating system and Office 365, right? So, Microsoft is clearly one of those platform providers," he said. "The second platform will be around the stuff that glues together that endpoint in that application. So, it's about access, connectivity and infrastructure. And who better to deliver that platform than your network provider, Cisco?" 

And that remains Cisco's focus: Everything designed to be complimentary to existing tools already being used in customer environments. 

A partnership approach with industry-leading allies

To embrace that multi-vendor, integrated approach, Cisco relies heavily on partners like WWT to help act as a conduit to organizations looking for how to best piece it all together. 

Technologies that bring together a more diverse ecosystem of vendors are paving the way for a new era of enterprise innovation and agility and fundamentally shifting the way IT leaders think about the role of infrastructure.

But while open technology carries extraordinary potential — improved supply chain posture, more sophisticated business models, streamlined product development and accelerated innovation cycles, to name just a few — it remains incredibly difficult to deliver.

As Cisco fuels the growth and development of a more diverse ecosystem, WWT is able to utilize its system integration expertise to capitalize on that ecosystem. Combining this with our top-tier ecosystem of vendors and partners, we're poised to connect organizations to untapped potentials by identifying opportunities and formulating technology that delivers optimal business outcomes.

Final thoughts

Together, these perspectives underline Cisco's holistic approach to cybersecurity, encapsulating strategic insight, technological innovation, and a partnership-led approach.

By making bold moves in their cybersecurity strategy, Cisco is poised to maintain its position as an essential pillar in any organization's security posture. Its commitment to customers and their investment protection, coupled with industry-leading relationships like that with WWT, ensure that Cisco remains at the forefront of the cybersecurity landscape.