Apple @ Work Vendor collaboration will be required in the AI era
Jan 27, 2026
Aruna Ravichandran, SVP & CMO at Cisco known for leading collaboration and enterprise networking, discusses why vendors must collaborate as AI reshapes networks. She talks about shifting value from hardware to outcomes. Short takes cover agentic networks that prioritize by consequence, safety in industrial IoT, and building open platforms to prepare IT for AI-driven operations.
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Value Moves To System-Level Intelligence
- Value is shifting from individual networking products to systems that work together to deliver outcomes.
- Agents need a coherent, real-time model across network, security, cloud, and devices to act effectively.
Choose Open Platforms Not Vendor Lock-In
- Prioritize openness and interoperability so customers can mix best-of-breed and platform choices.
- Build a shared operational layer rather than forcing a single vendor stack.
Industrial IoT As The First Testbed
- Industrial IoT environments test agentic networks first because there is no room for error and operations must keep flowing.
- Manufacturers want one network that supports machines and people without trade-offs.
