Technology

As attackers shift focus from hardened endpoints to network infrastructure, human-led processes can no longer scale against the speed and complexity of modern AI threats.

• The network as the primary target: As the common thread connecting IoT, cloud, and hybrid work, the network has become the ultimate target for attackers. A single breach of core infrastructure can now expose the entire enterprise.
• AI-driven threats: New AI models are fundamentally changing the landscape, enabling adversaries to discover, connect, and weaponize vulnerabilities in hours rather than weeks. Traditional, human-led security processes can no longer keep pace.
• Operational complexity: Bolting point security tools onto existing infrastructure leads to fragmented visibility and policy drift. These gaps, combined with manual, fragmented patching processes, create vulnerabilities exploiters look for.
• The quantum risk:  Bad actors are harvesting encrypted network traffic, storing it until future quantum computing capabilities make it readable.

Cisco IT and STO partnered to implement a layered, integrated approach that fuses security directly into the network fabric — from campus and branch to data center and cloud utilizing:

• Resilient infrastructure: Hardens operating systems and boot processes across infrastructure, with plans to integrate post-quantum cryptography to mitigate future risks, and use Cisco Live Protect to put compensating controls in place.  
• Scalable network segmentation: Replaces static VLANs with software-defined segmentation using Cisco Identity Services Engine and TrustSec to identify, profile, and enforce policy on every connection — compartmentalizing the network to contain lateral movement of detected threats. 
• Zero Trust Access: Applies an identity-first approach to continuously verify every identity—from human workers to autonomous AI agents—granting least privilege access. 
• Hybrid Mesh Firewalling: Extends consistent protection across data centers, cloud, and hybrid environments to secure critical applications. 
• Visibility and insights: Centralizes telemetry from ThousandEyes and network controllers into Splunk for a real-time, cross-domain view of every device, connection, and dependency. 
• Common policy: Advancements toward a unified framework to enable teams to define once and enforce consistently everywhere, replacing fragmented, manual processes. 
• AgenticOps: Developing capabilities to autonomously detect changes, triage incidents, and enforce updates at machine speed.