Cisco Systems last Thursday, April 18, presented a new product for the security architecture, which is designed to provide a high level of cyber defense through the use of artificial intelligence technologies.
The mentioned company’s new development can be applied in data centers, cloud platforms, and other IT environments. Cisco’s press release indicates that the product debuted on Thursday was named HyperShield. This development will be used to provide cyber protection for apps, devices, and data in public and private data centers, digital cloud services, and other locations.
The launch of HyperShield is based on a partnership between Cisco and Nvidia in the area of managing the artificial intelligence infrastructure and ensuring its security. It is worth noting that for the company, the new product is a good chance to assert itself as a significant player in the AI industry. Currently, many companies are striving to gain their share in the rapidly developing and intensively scaling artificial intelligence technology market. Business giants such as Microsoft, Google, and Amazon are directing multibillion-dollar investments to achieve their respective goals.
Jeetu Patel, Cisco executive vice president and general manager for security and collaboration, said during a conversation with media representatives that HyperShield goes beyond the standard concept of a product, being an architecture, the first version of something new.
It is worth noting that against the background of the spread of the processes of development and implementation of artificial intelligence, the issue of cybersecurity has become more relevant. In this context, it should be mentioned that fraudsters also have access to AI, which is why their strategy of action becomes more sophisticated and more complicated in terms of the ability to record the fact of criminal encroachment. In the relevant realities, the personal awareness of users is important. For example, anyone in the Internet search system can enter a query such as how to know if my camera is hacked, and get data on signs of unauthorized access to the device. At the same time, many companies are actively investing in cybersecurity projects, in which artificial intelligence is used as a tool to counter criminals, operating in virtual space and providing preventive measures against potential attacks from hackers. For example, VMware from Broadcom has launched a digital product, applying which companies can use various functional solutions based on generative AI while maintaining confidentiality.
Jeetu Patel stated that HyperShield serves as a security shield, guaranteeing the safety of those objects that need to be protected. According to him, this technology functions as a fabric, not as a fence. In a sense, the mentioned symbolic characteristic means that HyperShield helps cybernetics workers detect software vulnerabilities across various apps.
An autonomous segmentation feature has been implemented in the new Cisco product. This feature helps companies avoid vulnerabilities and breaches. As part of HyperShield, artificial intelligence technology segments a computer network into smaller parts to improve performance and security.
Also in the new Cisco product, a feature called self-qualifying for the update was implemented. In this case, companies can automate the process of testing and deploying updates.
Jeetu Patel says that organizations dealing with critical infrastructure such as oil rigs, Internet of Things devices, and MRI machines in hospitals need to take an extremely cautious approach when updating their systems. He also stated that HyperShield was developed taking into account the new world of artificial intelligence-based digital assistants, including ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and other advanced tools.
Jeetu Patel believes that there is currently a transition from a world of scarcity to a world of abundance, where virtual assistants with AI are used in everything. According to him, the requirements for data processing centers are now increasing, which makes it necessary to rebuild the architecture, rather than build more of the same.
Mr. Patel says that a security architecture like HyperShield has not been developed in the past, since most of these systems in the industry were designed when there were no modern apps and technologies like generative artificial intelligence. According to him, it currently takes about four days to detect a network vulnerability and about 45 days to patch it. He noted that new-generation technologies are needed to solve the mentioned tasks. According to him, artificial intelligence and machine learning will compress the time to detect and eliminate vulnerabilities from several days to several minutes.
In a sense, HyperShield can be called a timely product in terms of Cisco’s interests and prospects. Recently, the company’s performance indicates the need for improvement. Over the past 12 months, the cost of the firm’s shares has been inferior to the Nasdaq index, falling by almost 5% year-on-year. At the same time, the average price index of securities of high-tech companies for the mentioned period showed an increase of more than 30%.
Despite the difficulties, Cisco has not lost its status as the world’s largest manufacturer of computer networking equipment, which includes products such as switches, modems, and routers. The company is also actively developing its business in the cybersecurity area to meet customer requirements and stimulate the improvement of economic performance.
