Cisco has announced a broad set of AI and infrastructure changes, including tools that let AI agents work with live network telemetry and new AI-powered assessments for enterprise systems. The practical shift is towards giving IT teams more ways to spot problems and act on them through Cisco’s existing network and security platforms.
Cisco Watch analysis
What happened
Announced at Cisco Partner Summit in Vancouver on 26 October, the changes span Cisco Cloud Control, Cisco IQ and networking products. Cisco says Model Foundry will let organisations discover, evaluate, fine-tune and deploy its purpose-built AI models using their own data. New Model Context Protocol servers will give AI agents and third-party applications access to live network telemetry through standard interfaces.
Cisco IQ, which the company says covers more than 20 million devices across more than 16,000 customers, is gaining AI assessment playbooks for quantum-security readiness and software nearing the end of vulnerability support. Its AI Assistant will also gain access to device diagnostics and Cisco Technical Assistance Center knowledge, with users able to open, close and escalate support cases through the assistant.
Our top picks
- Agents can access network telemetry
Cisco’s MCP servers are intended to help agents use live network data for troubleshooting and infrastructure workflows. - Cisco IQ adds AI assessments
New playbooks are designed to flag quantum-readiness gaps and devices running software nearing the end of vulnerability support. - More capable Cisco IQ Assistant
The assistant will gain diagnostic and support knowledge, and users can manage support cases through it. - Continuous network testing
Cisco says ThousandEyes data integrated into eligible Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 access points can test performance in the background, even when users are not connected. - Quantum-resilient Wi-Fi 7
Cisco describes a new access point combining Qualcomm-powered hardware with client support from Intel wireless chipsets and Microsoft Windows.
Why it matters
This is a push to make network information more useful to both IT teams and AI agents, while bringing security and troubleshooting into the same operational picture. Standardised access to telemetry could reduce the need for bespoke integrations, though the announcement does not establish how well these tools perform in real deployments.
The security changes also reach beyond AI. Cisco says its Live Protect service can apply temporary, validated controls to supported devices while customers wait for a permanent patch. Its planned Privileged Infrastructure Access product uses short-lived, identity-bound certificates for human administrators and AI agents, records sessions and ends privileges when sessions finish.
Our read
The most useful part is the connection between network data and action: agents may be able to work with live telemetry, while Cisco IQ’s assistant can draw on diagnostics and support knowledge. For network teams, that is more concrete than another promise that AI will make operations effortless. The test will be whether these features give teams clearer answers without adding another layer to manage.
What to watch
- Which Cisco models and customers can use Model Foundry first.
- How the MCP integrations and Cisco IQ agent tools work in real deployments.
- Which products and licences include the new monitoring and assessment features.
- When Privileged Infrastructure Access moves from development to availability.
Discussion spark: Would you let AI agents act on live network telemetry if access were tightly controlled, or should they remain advisory tools?
Sources and evidence
- Cisco expands AI-driven network management and offers new partner incentives – SiliconANGLE (26 October 2026, 20:00 UTC)
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