How Do You Distinguish AI for Networking vs Networking for AI?

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What does it really take to build an AI ready network in 2025? In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I speak with Vikas Butaney from Cisco and Ali Tehrani from Presidio to unpack the biggest announcements from Cisco's Partner Summit and discuss how their collaboration is helping enterprises modernise networks for the AI era. Together, we explore how businesses can move faster, strengthen security, and simplify operations while adapting to a world of continuous data flow and intelligent automation.

Vikas shares how Cisco's strategy is built around three customer imperatives: AI ready data centers, future proof workplaces, and digital resilience. He talks about how Cisco is weaving these priorities into new innovations such as secure routers with five times the throughput, Wi Fi 7 access points, and unified dashboards that bring Catalyst Center and Meraki together for a single view of the network. He also introduces AI Canvas, a multiplayer workspace that allows NetOps and SecOps teams to collaborate in real time, showing what it looks like when AI becomes part of the operational fabric rather than an add on.

Ali joins the conversation with the partner's perspective, explaining how Presidio brings Cisco's architecture to life through the last mile of execution. He describes how the Cisco Unified Branch initiative uses AI workflows and branches as code to deliver zero touch rollout across thousands of sites. By combining automation, golden configuration templates, and telemetry driven SLAs, Presidio helps customers reduce deployment times from weeks to minutes while maintaining consistent performance and security.

Throughout our discussion, we compare AI for networking, where AI helps to run and optimise the network, with networking for AI, which provides the infrastructure to power high volume AI workloads. We talk about how Cisco is building security directly into the network with Access Manager, simplifying IoT segmentation, and preparing for a post quantum world.

If you want to learn more about Cisco's announcements and vision for the AI era, check out these resources:

• The Presidio and Cisco Partnership
• Cisco Supercharges its Secure Enterprise Network Architecture for the AI Era
• Unlocking the AI Era: How Cisco is Delivering on its Vision for a Secure, Simplified, and Scalable Network
• From Fragmented to Future Ready with Unified Branch: Powering IT in the AI Era

This episode offers a clear, inside look at how Cisco and Presidio are shaping the next generation of secure, intelligent networks. So, how ready is your organisation for this new era of AI driven connectivity?

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