In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, AI and machine learning (ML) are reshaping industries at unprecedented speeds. “Customers are seeking ways to leverage AI to drive a couple different things: drive innovation within their industry, to improve productivity and to remain competitive within their industry and within their sector,” said James McGregor, U.S. GTM Strategist for Cisco Security at TD SYNNEX, in a recent webinar discussing the Cisco-Splunk alliance.
As more businesses embrace AI and ML, TD SYNNEX distribution partners have a unique opportunity to support this transformation. While AI holds the potential to boost productivity and competitiveness, many organizations face challenges such as fragmented tools and siloed teams that “can’t keep up with the speed and complexity of modern IT environments,” noted McGregor. To address these obstacles, the Cisco and Splunk partnership offers integrated solutions that deliver real-time data insights, enhance digital resilience, and reduce operational burdens. This collaboration enables partners to provide added value to clients, helping them stay agile and resilient in the face of rapid technological advancements.
Why Cisco and Splunk Matter in AI and ML
“In a traditional approach, customers who are relying on these siloed teams and these sort of disconnected tools and solutions, they simply cannot keep up with the speed and the complexity of modern IT environments as they continue to change rapidly,” McGregor observed. “To combat that, Splunk and Cisco together have come to offer a solution to these challenges. By unifying your data, your customers’ data, all of the data that’s out there, and providing actionable insights while leveraging AI, Cisco and Splunk break down those silos and empower teams with the tools that they need to innovate faster, adapt to changes within the market and within the IT realm, and stay ahead of this AI driven era.”
Data lies at the core of Cisco and Splunk’s vision. “Data is at the heart of every modern business,” McGregor emphasized, whether in banking, sports, insurance, or whatever sector—big or small. By leveraging real-time data to automate processes, identify issues at their root, and deliver actionable insights, Cisco and Splunk empower businesses to anticipate problems, enhance performance, and strengthen digital resilience.
Splunk’s capabilities, such as real-time analytics, log monitoring, and synthetic monitoring, create a “single pane of glass for everything in the IT ecosystem,” explained Jori Krasner, Field Solutions Architect at TD SYNNEX. With deployment options across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments, Splunk enables businesses to monitor infrastructure, analyze logs, and use ML for automated insights. Paired with Cisco’s robust security, network, and cloud infrastructure, this partnership provides TD SYNNEX partners with a powerful toolkit to guide customers toward AI-driven operations, helping them optimize processes, detect risks, and innovate confidently.
A New Standard for Threat Detection and Incident Response
Today’s sophisticated cyber threats demand a shift from reactive to proactive security approaches. “It’s no longer if you will be hacked or breached or attempted to be hacked, it’s when,” warned McGregor. To address this reality, Cisco and Splunk offer an AI-powered Threat Detection, Investigation, and Response (TDIR) platform. Cisco’s Extended Detection and Response (XDR), combined with Splunk’s Security Information Management (SIM) and Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) tools, brings best-in-class capabilities for threat detection and response, reducing alert fatigue and enhancing prioritization. This proactive approach helps organizations improve security posture and reduce response times, which is critical in limiting potential damage from cyber threats.
Transforming the Future of IT Operations
By unifying observability, security, and resilience, Cisco and Splunk are setting a new standard for IT and security operations centers (SOCs) of the future. McGregor stated, “The goal is to ensure the resilience of digital systems while reducing the manual burden of operating those systems…identifying problems, pinpointing root causes, and automating corrective actions.” This shift enables organizations to focus on strategic growth initiatives instead of constant IT troubleshooting.
As technology advances, Cisco and Splunk remain committed to building a resilient, data-driven IT ecosystem that empowers businesses to thrive in an AI-centric world. Through comprehensive digital visibility and embedded intelligence, Cisco and Splunk are helping organizations move from reactive to proactive, positioning them to meet today’s challenges and embrace tomorrow’s innovations.
