According to CRN, Cisco’s new channel chief Tim Coogan revealed multiple AI, networking and security innovations at Partner Summit 2025, with the company expecting AI to form the majority of partner business within 3-5 years. The Cisco Unified Edge platform integrates compute, networking, storage and security into a single modular system for AI workloads and will ship in December 2024. Cisco IQ brings AI-powered support and professional services into a single interface with flexible deployment options and launches in the second half of fiscal 2026 starting February. Security Cloud Control for MSPs gets multi-customer management capabilities and becomes generally available in February 2025, while the Global Overview feature for unified Meraki and Catalyst visibility enters beta now with general availability in Q4 2025. New 8200 and 8400 Series Secure Routers plus Wi-Fi 7 access points will be orderable in Q4 2025 to handle distributed AI workloads.
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The Edge Computing Gold Rush
Cisco Unified Edge is basically the company’s answer to the massive AI inferencing problem. Here’s the thing – everyone’s talking about AI, but most networks can’t actually handle the real-time data demands. This platform isn’t just another server – it’s Cisco’s attempt to extend data center power to where the action actually happens. The integration with Cisco Intersight means partners can manage edge deployments using the same operational models they’re already familiar with from data centers. That’s smart because it reduces the learning curve dramatically.
AI Is Coming for Your Support Calls
Cisco IQ feels like the company finally admitting that traditional support models are breaking under AI’s complexity. Think about it – how many different interfaces do partners currently juggle for assessments, troubleshooting, and professional services? Now they’re throwing everything into one dashboard with real-time insights and automation. The flexible deployment options are crucial too – SaaS for most customers, but air-gapped for those with serious security requirements. This could actually change how partners deliver services, but I wonder how much customization will really be possible.
Making Security Manageable for MSPs
Security Cloud Control for MSPs addresses a huge pain point that’s been growing for years. Managing multiple customer environments through different interfaces is incredibly inefficient. Centralizing everything while adding AI-powered protection? That’s the dream for MSPs trying to scale their security practices. The hybrid mesh firewall push is interesting too – Cisco clearly wants to own that next-generation firewall market. But here’s my question: will this actually reduce complexity or just move it to a different dashboard?
Future-Proofing Networks for AI
The new routers and Wi-Fi 7 access points show Cisco is serious about infrastructure upgrades. AI workloads aren’t just happening in data centers – they’re everywhere, and they demand low latency and high throughput. The 8200 and 8400 Series with built-in firewalls suggest Cisco sees security and networking converging even further. And Wi-Fi 7? That’s not just incremental improvement – we’re talking about serious bandwidth for medium-density deployments. The timing is interesting though – Q4 2025 feels like forever in AI time. Will partners be waiting too long for this hardware?
