United Kingdom, Mar 21, 2024
Rob Price
Business Unit CTO
Rob is currently the Chief Technology Officer for the Networking Business Unit at Logicalis UK. In this role Rob and his team are responsible for Logicalis’s networking strategy, as well as pre-sales, delivery and the vendor alliance with Cisco.
Reflecting on the insightful happenings of Cisco Live 2024 in Amsterdam, I wanted to further delve into the key takeaways from this event.
Cisco Live serves as a beacon for technological advancements, often marking the occasion for significant industry announcements. This year's rendition was no exception, with a plethora of exciting revelations spanning various domains, underpinning a few key themes.
Among the standout announcements, two, in particular, caught my attention.
Firstly, Cisco unveiled a groundbreaking partnership with Nvidia, poised to embed GPU technology directly into compute and networking platforms. As we delve deeper into this blog, the ramifications of this collaboration resonate positively, particularly in facilitating the deployment of AI-based solutions for Cisco's clients. Notably, IDC's projection of edge compute spending reaching $317 billion by 2026 adds weight to the significance of this initiative.
Secondly, the collaboration between Cisco and Apple piqued interest, resulting in the integration of Webex with Apple VisionPro through a dedicated app. Considering the statistical revelation that 98% of meetings now involve remote participants, juxtaposed with a mere 15% of meeting spaces equipped with video collaboration technologies, initiatives like these are poised to gain paramount importance in the foreseeable future.
Moving on to the major megatrends addressed at Cisco Live, three themes emerge prominently.
First and foremost, cybersecurity stands as an imperative in today's landscape marked by escalating cyber threats. A staggering 83% of CIOs reported experiencing cyberattacks in the past year, as highlighted in the Logicalis 2024 CIO Report. Cisco's serious stance on cybersecurity is underscored by the substantial $28 billion investment in acquiring Splunk. At Logicalis, we advocate for embedding security in all solutions by design, aligning with Cisco's commitment to fortifying digital ecosystems against evolving threats.
The ascent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is unequivocal, with 89% of respondents in our recent CIO Report expressing active interest in incorporating AI into their business operations. Cisco's multifaceted AI implementations are poised to revolutionise IT operations, with AI assistants (Bots) streamlining day-to-day activities and AI-based analytics enhancing threat detection and mitigation. Moreover, AI's transformative impact extends beyond IT, permeating various facets of business operations. Cisco's Motific platform, aimed at ensuring security, assurance, and governance in GenAI utilisation, heralds a new era of AI integration within organisational frameworks.
Lastly, sustainability emerges as a paramount concern, with 96% of CIOs actively involved in crafting sustainability strategies for their organisations. IT plays a pivotal role in driving sustainability initiatives, not only by reducing energy consumption but also by facilitating consequential energy savings through intelligent systems. Technologies like IT sensors hold the promise of optimizing energy usage within organizational infrastructures, thereby fostering a more sustainable operational paradigm.
In conclusion, the trifecta of AI, security, and sustainability emerges as the focal points of discourse in contemporary technological landscapes. While Cisco Live witnessed a myriad of other announcements, space constraints preclude listing them all here. For a comprehensive overview, I invite you to explore my recent Cisco Live webinar!