Cisco Live 2025 in San Diego (June 8-12) delivered an incredible week of groundbreaking announcements, insightful sessions, and meaningful conversations that continue to resonate across our partner ecosystem.

For our#CiscoPartners, this year's event was exceptional. The Cisco Security Partner team hosted targeted roundtable sessions to explore the future of cybersecurity and discuss how innovations like embedded agentic AI and Duo IAM will impact partners and their customers. These discussion - led byBrian Feeney, VP Global Security Partner Sales, and myself - focused on strategic and technical priorities tailored to our partners' needs.

From Products to Outcomes: Our Unified Mission

For the last two years the Cisco Security team has been on a transformative journey, from a product-centric approach to focusing on customer outcomes. Partners have played a critical role in this shift bringing their vendor-agnostic expertise and customer-first mindset to deliver meaningful results.

AsScott Stout, Cisco Security Chief Revenue Officer, noted during the Executive Roundtable,"We can't scale and bring value to our customers without our partners."This partnership-first mission was the foundation of everything we accomplished in San Diego.

This approach aligns with the vision shared byRaj Chopra, SVP of Security Product Management and Design, during the Technical Roundtable:"fusing security into the network, making security simpler, and innovating with AI."These priorities have driven the creation of a unified platform designed for partner profitability and customer success.

What became clear in San Diego is how this partnership-centric approach is reshaping our go-to-market strategy. Partners aren't just selling our solutions they're helping us build them, offering real-time feedback informed by their hands-on expertise with customers.

Innovation Highlights & Partner Opportunities

Our roundtable sessions highlighted the technologies that will define the future of security. Here are the key announcements and their significance for your business:

1. The SOC of the Future: Cisco XDR & Splunk Integration

The SOC of the Future (Security Operations Center) was a key focus of our technical discussions.Rob Gresham, Cisco Principal Technical Marketing Engineer, shared invaluable insights from his experience at Splunk, in incident response, and now at Cisco. His central message: it's not about replacing tools but using the right tool for the job. This approach is exemplified by Cisco XDR 2.0, which delivers "Clear verdict. Decisive action. AI speed." With features like Instant Attack Verification and Attack Storyboard, analysts can understand complete attack chains in under 30 seconds, while Splunk continues to handle deep investigations, compliance, and log retention.

Why It Matters for Partners:This proven multi-vendor approach simplifies complex environments at scale. For example, at major events like the Paris Olympics, Cisco XDR was specifically chosen to unify visibility and response across endpoints from multiple security vendors, enabling seamless operations in demanding environments.

1. The Evolving Firewall: Hybrid Mesh Architecture

Cisco's Hybrid Mesh Firewall strategy redefines traditional firewall architecture. With policy written once and enforced across campus, data center, and cloud environments, it delivers seamless security integration. The portfolio refresh includes the new Secure Firewall 200 and 6100 Series, alongside Security Cloud Control for centralized policy management.

Why It Matters for Partners:This creates massive competitive displacement and refresh opportunities. AsStephanie Hagopian, Vice President of Security at CDW, noted,

"Like with the SASE play, we need persona based messaging for Hybrid Mesh Firewall. We can be the drivers between the networking and security teams, but we need the journey mapped out."

Cisco is committed to providing that clear path-helping you guide customers as they fuse security directly into their network for unprecedented ROI.

1. The Unified Experience: Universal ZTNA and Security Suites

Complexity remains one of the industry's biggest challenges, especially as users connect from anywhere on diverse devices, exposing gaps in traditional security models. Cisco addresses this with Universal ZTNA, which moves beyond siloed tools to deliver seamless, secure access for every user, on any device, anywhere. By unifying identity-first zero trust access across modern and legacy applications, IoT/OT devices, and complex environments, Universal ZTNA eliminates complexity while ensuring resilient security and consistent performance. This approach simplifies policy management, enhances user experience, and enables flexible enforcement in cloud or on-premises environments.

At the heart of this innovation is Duo IAM, which doubles Duo's capabilities by delivering a security-first identity platform with end-to-end phishing resistance-a cornerstone of  Cisco's Security Suites. Additionally, Cisco's unified SASE architecture integrates Firewall, Catalyst, and Meraki SD-WAN into a consolidated SSE backend powered by Cisco Secure Access, giving customers robust integration options at the edge.

Why It Matters for Partners:Cisco suites are a cornerstone for platform sales.Sanjay Aggarwal, Cisco VP of Security Product Management & Strategy, emphasized that these suites enhance efficacy with AI, improve administrator and user experiences, and deliver better economics by consolidating products to reduce total cost of ownership. While many customers use Microsoft licenses as a baseline, the reliance on mixed third-party tools to fill security gaps often increases complexity and costs; Cisco suites provide a comprehensive, integrated alternative that simplifies operations and lowers total cost of ownership.

We're Listening: Your Voice Shapes Our Direction

Cisco Live provided invaluable opportunities for candid feedback, and we heard you loud and clear: while you love the technology, you need simpler messaging, a stronger presence with industry analysts, and more customer success stories to strengthen your position in the market.

We're committed to supporting you with the resources and stories that demonstrate the value of Cisco's solutions. Here are a few standout examples:

• LTI Mindtree:80,000 users deployed in under 90 days
• United Rentals:80% reduction in support tickets
• Innovation Federal Credit Union:Comprehensive security transformation

Moving Forward: Running Together

The momentum is real, driven by significant increases in partner-initiated pipeline and deal registrations. AsBrian Feeneysaid while closing our executive session,"If you have doubts, come talk with us and let's run together."

We're investing in your success with programs like our white-glove Concierge Desk, competitive assessment funding, and new incentives for Security Suites adoption. These resources will help you close FY25 strong and dominate in FY26.

What's Next

Thank you to all our partners who made Cisco Live 2025 a tremendous success. Let's channel this energy into achieving even greater milestones.

Together, let's achieve more!

For our partners in the APJC region, join us at Cisco Live 2025 in Melbourne, Australia, from November 10-13, for another exciting event.

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