Cisco launches Secure Networking approach in India, CIO News, ET CIO

Cisco has launched its Secure Networking approach in India, an innovative offer that combines advanced capabilities of networking and cybersecurity. The offer is built on the concept of zero trust to provide businesses with seamless and secure connectivity to tackle the risks of cybersecurity in a hybrid world.

Amid the dynamic and expanding threat landscape, businesses face a core challenge: strengthening their IT infrastructure to remain resilient in a hybrid world. With employees working from different locations, using multiple connections, and accessing information across diverse platforms, resiliency becomes even more critical. Here, the network plays a crucial role as the first line of defense and the sole control point that comprehensively monitors every connection, be it users, devices, or entities.

“One of Cisco’s unique differentiators is its unmatched visibility of the network, which allows us to secure everything that’s connected. With Cisco Secure Networking, we are bringing together security capabilities including the ability to apply zero trust principles and enforce granular security policies into a single console,” said Vish Iyer, President of Architectures, Asia Pacific, Japan and China at Cisco.

“At Cisco, secure networking isn’t just a theory – it’s an experience that we provide to our customers, partners, and people, enabled by our own technology. The launch of Cisco Secure Networking marks a new era of security-centric networking, bridging Cisco Networking Cloud and Cisco Security Cloud for a best-in-class secure connectivity experience,” added Iyer.

Hybrid work

Companies in India are not ready to fully tackle the cybersecurity challenge. According to Cisco’s Cybersecurity Readiness Index, which launched earlier this year, only 24% of organizations in India have a ‘Mature’ level of readiness needed to be resilient against today’s modern cybersecurity risks. This readiness gap is telling, not least because 90% of the respondents in India said they expect a cybersecurity incident to disrupt their business in the next 12 to 24 months.

The cost of being unprepared can be substantial, as 80% of respondents said they had a cybersecurity incident in the last 12 months and 53% of those affected said it cost them at least US$500,000.
To tackle modern cybersecurity challenges, Cisco recognizes that businesses need a networking experience built on zero trust, visibility and analytics, and enforcement to secure every connection, regardless of its location.

“As we navigate a hybrid world, organizations face an increasing pressure to safeguard their distributed infrastructure and provide employees with fast, reliable, and secure connectivity to applications. Cisco leads the way in the convergence of networking and security, providing enterprises with a scalable infrastructure that is simpler to manage and more flexible, secure, and resilient than ever before. We are therefore excited to launch the Secure Networking offering to enable organizations to enhance their security posture and innovate securely at scale,” Yoshiyuki Hamada, Managing Director, Global Security Sales Organization for Asia Pacific, Japan and China at Cisco, said.