Where is Cisco going? What is the positioning you want to achieve on technology in three to five years? More importantly, what role will AI play in that process? On the occasion of Cisco Live! The media consulted Raj Chopra, SVP & Chief Product Officer Security Business Group at Cisco, who proposed thinking about the future of AI from three axes or paths. The first is Attendance, “where AI will assist knowledge workers. It can be in the success of the client, as an administrator or as an end user. For example, in a WebEx session from which I leave to go to get a glass of water, when I return I can literally ask: Did they call me? What did I miss? Update me. This is from the end user’s point of view. On the side of Security Administrators, you can ask questions and the information is provided through the console. And similarly, there are other scenarios where AI provides assistance”.f
The second path has to do with Augmentation (or Amplification), where AI contributes to amplifying human efforts. “For example, if you are in a Security Operation Center (SOC) and there is an incident going on, many of us will be asking: Is everything OK? What went wrong? What was the cause…? And whoever is dealing with the problem must invest time in providing that information to everyone. Instead of spending twice as much time on it, AI can provide updates to those who demand it, so that the worker dealing with the problem focuses on what needs to be focused,” Chopra said.
The third of these axes is Automation. “And this can look good in the Hypershield architecture. So there are AI models that are built into this architecture, so you can upgrade a device directly without anyone having to do anything intentionally. It is updated only”, highlights the CPO of the Security business group.
“These are the three ways we think we’re going to operationally transform the way people deal with infrastructure,” he sums up. “We’re working on more AI-based models that people can train as the infrastructure itself”. For Chopra, these roads determine the teams someone might expect to see at Cisco in the next three to five years.
“We are working so that there are more models based on IA, that people can train as the infrastructure itself”
-Raj Chopra
In line with the above, AI can also help close the gap of professional talent that exists, especially in Security. On this subject, Chopra gives an example: “The goal in launching our XDR and part of the work in the SOCs that we have been doing is to bring a level 1 analyst in the SOC (which can take a year or two of university) to be as productive as a level 2 analyst (who has five to eight years of experience in the work). That way you have fresh talent available, which occupies those positions not occupied by talent shortage”.
At the same time, he adds, the learning curves are not so steep. “You can ask questions in English (or Spanish) and get the appropriate answers instead of having to depend on the experience you could have generated at work”.
Asked what message he would give to a customer or partner who is not yet working within the Cisco ecosystem, Chopra proposes: “First: If you’re looking for innovative solutions that are easy to operate, Cisco should be on your shortlist. If you’re looking for slightly better versions of anything you have today, Cisco is the one. Second: If you’re looking to improve your architecture, Cisco is the place to go. Because until you do this from the ground up, you’re going to be dealing with spot products that produce spot solutions. And the third thing to keep in mind is that Cisco offers three value propositions at the same time. Better efficiency (e.g., operational), more effectiveness (e.g., in safety), and a better economy from the point of what you pay and what you use. So the combination of these three things is what Cisco offers prospective buyers who want to make a change”.
