IT teams must modernize their networks and rethink how they operate while keeping systems secure against fast-changing threats. AI workloads are placing new demands on infrastructure, and agents are entering production workflows. At the same time, AI-discovered vulnerabilities are rapidly reshaping the threat landscape. The PHP2Shell disclosures are one recent example of this broader problem, creating an urgent focus on networking as a key enforcement point for security.

Customers need a practical way to move forward while keeping their businesses running. That is where Cisco partners lead.

The opportunity extends across the customer journey: assessing AI readiness, modernizing infrastructure, integrating workflows, building skills, and delivering managed operations.

For example, partners are building their own intelligent orchestration capabilities with our model-context protocol (MCP) servers, specializing in secure networking to help customers detect and respond faster to AI-era threats, and offering next-generation managed services like the recently announced On-Demand Network from Bell Canada. Across our ecosystem of more than 30,000 partners, we have the expertise and customer relationships to help make that transition practical.

Over the past 18 months, Cisco has introduced Smart Switches, Secure Routers, and scalable Wi-Fi 7 capabilities designed for the AI era. With Cisco AgenticOps and Cisco Cloud Control, we are also changing how those networks operate.

At Cisco Partner Summit, we are advancing that foundation with new AgenticOps and secure networking capabilities that give partners more ways to turn network modernization into lasting customer value.

AgenticOps creates a new opportunity to lead

A recent Cisco and Omdia study of 1,000 IT and network operations leaders found that 51% of respondents are already using agentic AI to act on NetOps processes and tasks in production. And 84% expect to reach an AI-led operating model within 12 months.

In conversations with partners and customers, the requirement is clear: greater autonomy must come with visibility and control. Teams need to understand what an agent found, what evidence supports its recommendation, which actions need approval, and whether the service has recovered.

Partners can help customers put those principles into practice. That work creates opportunities for differentiated services, from the first readiness assessment through ongoing operations.

ThousandEyes intelligence: Strengthening the foundation for trusted action

Better telemetry is foundational to trusted autonomy. We’re embedding ThousandEyes synthetic testing directly into wireless networks, which greatly simplifies deployment and enables agents with better data. Synthetic testing allows agents to understand what is happening inside the network—even when no users are online—so they can proactively fix issues before users even experience them.

Starting with supported cloud-managed Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 access points, ThousandEyes automatically discovers critical services, orchestrates active testing, and adapts as conditions change, even when no users are connected. Combined with infrastructure and experience telemetry, this intelligence helps teams and agents detect issues earlier, investigate causes, and validate recovery.

Included with eligible Cisco Networking Essentials licenses starting in late fourth quarter 2026, foundational assurance requires no separate license, agents, or individual test configuration making it easier for customers to adopt and partners to deliver.

Experience Metrics for Applications: Connect network performance to user impact

When an application slows down, IT teams need to understand where the problem begins and who it affects. Experience metrics combine thousands of individual telemetry signals into easy-to-read Wired and Wireless experience metrics that are designed from a user’s perspective to help ensure consistent digital experiences.

We are extending Experience Metrics to applications. This raises the bar for user experience beyond detecting network performance issues, to give teams a clearer picture of the actual application user experience (for example, slow performance or choppy video calls) and enables them to find causes, identify emerging issues, and address them before more users are affected. Existing customers can sign up for the Experience Metrics beta.

Agentic Actions: Trusted autonomous operations

Agentic Actions brings network and experience intelligence together with AI agents and Deep Reasoning to help teams prioritize issues, investigate root causes, and move toward remediation.

Now in controlled availability, Actions gives operators visibility into agent reasoning, recommended actions, and resolution tracking. Customers can progressively expand autonomy from approving individual changes to autonomous execution within defined policies and guardrails, with human oversight.

For partners, this provides an opportunity to build an AgenticOps practice where they determine what type of work to delegate and help customers establish controls and best practices. Existing customers can sign up for the Agentic Actions beta.

Networking MCP servers: Build on live network intelligence

Networking MCP servers uniquely empower partners by providing a standardized, supported integration layer that connects AI agents directly to live network data. This eliminates the need for partners to build and maintain custom integration code, significantly reducing development complexity.

By leveraging MCP for troubleshooting, reporting, and compliance tasks, partners can accelerate the delivery of customer-specific workflows and unlock new AI-enabled innovations. This scalable and secure platform complements Cisco AI Assistant and AI Canvas, allowing partners to extend Cisco’s network intelligence into broader enterprise workflows and environments.

Ultimately, MCP servers enable partners to deliver differentiated, tailored solutions that integrate seamlessly with Cisco’s AI ecosystem, creating new business opportunities through innovative AI-enabled network services and driving enhanced operational efficiency for their customers.

Agentic Actions, now in controlled availability, helps operators view priority incidents, recommends actions, tracks resolution, and takes action.

Secure networking makes modernization more urgent

As agents take on more work, the infrastructure they depend on must remain secure. Threats enabled by frontier AI models and the transition to post-quantum security are giving customers new reasons to reassess their networks.

Partners can connect immediate protection needs with longer-term modernization plans, helping customers strengthen the infrastructure they rely on today and prepare for what comes next.

Bring post-quantum protection to wireless

Cisco is bringing quantum resiliency to Wi-Fi 7, wireless controllers, and campus gateways to help secure wireless communications against future quantum threats.

Partners can help customers assess their environments and plan a transition that protects their existing investments wherever supported.

Extend Live Protect across more of the network

Building on previously announced support for Smart Switches, we are extending Live Protect to wireless controllers, Campus Gateways, and Secure Routers, planned for IOS-XE 26.2.2.

Live Protect helps reduce exposure to newly discovered vulnerabilities while customers test and deploy permanent fixes through their normal update process. For partners, it strengthens the services they can offer around vulnerability response, patching, and upgrade management.

Make secure branch deployments repeatable

Unified Branch brings together routing, SD-WAN, switching, wireless, security, and cloud management into a repeatable model that partners can deploy and manage across customer sites.

Bell’s On-Demand Network shows how managed services can make connectivity easier to customize. Using Cisco 8000 Series Secure Routers with segment routing over IPv6 (SRv6), it turns requests into services designed for different types of traffic. These services are easier to activate, scale, and protect as data travels from a branch office across the wide-area network (WAN).

Build growth around outcomes customers can trust

Cisco Cloud Control gives partners a common foundation for turning these capabilities into repeatable services across customer environments.

The work starts with understanding where each customer is today. It continues through modernization, workflow integration, and the operational discipline to expand autonomy with confidence. And it creates an ongoing role for partners in helping customers improve performance, strengthen protection, and build the skills their teams need.

Customers will judge this transition by what changes in their businesses: how quickly teams resolve problems, how confidently they make changes, and how reliably the network supports the people and applications that depend on it.

Helping customers make that progress is how we build lasting growth together.