An infrastructure revolution
When Wi-Fi 7 arrived, Cisco IT was tasked with the monumental effort of upgrading Cisco's networks — and transforming its security posture in the process.
Challenge
It was no question that Cisco would upgrade its networks as soon as Wi-Fi 7 hit the market; the question was, how would they go about doing it? Cisco IT saw an opportunity to rethink not just how its network was built, but how it was secured — simultaneously. Here's what they were up against:
- Global scale and complexity: Upgrading a vast, global network infrastructure without impacting daily business operations is no simple task.
- Demands of the AI era: AI-powered applications require maximum network performance and reliability — while AI-driven threats and multiplying identities demand a stronger security foundation than most networks were built to support.
- Little room for operational disruption: Cisco couldn't afford to suffer network downtime. The effort needed to take place without disruption.
- Aggressive goals: Cisco IT was determined to set a new benchmark for speed, simplicity, and security — redefining the way networks are built and defended.
Solution
Cisco IT's Wi-Fi 7 success story wasn't built on a single product; it was powered by the entire Cisco networking ecosystem. From intelligent automation to baked-in security, Cisco's networking solutions eliminated complexity and enabled rapid, confident deployment. The key enablers were:
Increased speed and ease of deployment
Decreased network onboarding time from 2 days to 1-2 hours, turning a monumental upgrade into a routine deployment.
Strengthened network security
Cisco IT embedded security into the network fabric, enforcing zero trust access, continuous identity verification, and network segmentation to limit the blast radius of compromised endpoints.
Enhanced performance and throughput
Increased data rates from 500 Mbps to 1.2+ Gbps, utilizing a wider frequency spectrum to strengthen network reliability for all employees and reduce reported incidents by 40%.
Unlocked AgenticOps: AI at work on the network
Embedded AI agents across security and network operations to automate high-overhead tasks, delivering a 10x improvement in engineer productivity.
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