Build an AI-ready network to secure your organization’s future

NTT DATA and Cisco have long championed the critical role of the network in powering digital transformation. As AI rapidly redefines business strategies across industries, your network’s agility and intelligence will determine your ability to benefit from it. 

By combining our expertise in software-defined infrastructure and lifecycle management with Cisco’s leading-edge, AI-ready secure network architecture, we are leading our clients into a new era of opportunity — one that revolutionizes how you think about infrastructure and data in the AI era.

We recently published a co-sponsored IDC InfoBrief, Wired for intelligence: A CIO guide to enterprise networking and AI. Today, we’re excited to share insights from this IDC InfoBrief,which explores how CIOs and IT leaders view their networks in the AI context, with a particular focus on the manufacturing, financial services and healthcare industries.

What’s holding you back from an AI-enabled future?

IDC estimates AI will generate a cumulative global economic impact of $19.9 trillion by 2030, representing 3.5% of global gross domestic product, with network operations the first AI integration point for many enterprises looking to improve their business processes.

Furthermore, 40% of organizations globally are looking at incorporating agentic AI into their network operations as they recognize the technology’s potential for more efficient and autonomous network management.

However, the IDC research uncovers a significant disconnect: Most organizations are still operating with legacy playbooks and networks that simply weren’t built to meet the unprecedented demands of AI.

While they are eager to capitalize on AI’s potential for everything from predictive maintenance in manufacturing to hyperpersonalized customer experiences, many of these organizations are attempting to run these advanced workloads on infrastructure designed for a different era.

AI thrives on data — massive volumes of it, moving at incredible speeds, with ultralow latency and unwavering security. Traditional networks, often siloed and lacking intelligence and automation, become bottlenecks that hinder AI adoption and limit its true potential.

• ALSO READ → Beyond connectivity: Chart a course for your future-ready network

How your network needs to shape up for AI

This isn’t only about speed; it’s also about intelligence, agility and security at every layer. AI applications demand a network that can:

• Handle unprecedented data flows: From edge devices generating vast amounts of raw data to data centers processing complex AI models
• Provide real-time responsiveness: Critical for applications such as autonomous systems and real-time analytics
• Ensure robust security: To protect sensitive AI models and the data they consume and produce (security vulnerabilities were the most common network concern flagged by organizations in the IDC research)
• Embed security everywhere: Securing agents operating at the network edge, managing the increased traffic they generate and extending robust protection to robots as they become more prevalent
• Offer dynamic scalability: Adapt instantly to fluctuating AI workload demands

This is precisely where the combined strength of NTT DATA and Cisco is a game changer. We believe that your network shouldn’t just support AI — it should be a catalyst for both AI and growth.

What NTT DATA and Cisco contribute together

Cisco’s intelligent, programmable and secure network infrastructure, from the data center to the edge, is designed to handle the scale and speed AI requires. NTT DATA offers deep industry expertise, strategic consulting and integration services to design, implement and manage these AI-ready environments so they align with your business outcomes.

Together, we help you:

• Assess your current network readiness for AI by identifying gaps and opportunities.
• Modernize your infrastructure by building a network that is agile, secure and optimized for AI workloads.
• Integrate AI solutions seamlessly to ensure your network facilitates the smooth deployment and operation of AI applications.
• Unlock new levels of efficiency and innovation by transforming your operations with AI, powered by a network built for the future.
• Maximize the value of your technology investments with NTT DATA’s Software-defined Infrastructure Services to streamline deployment, adoption and renewal processes.

The future of AI is here, and its success hinges on the network. Don’t let legacy infrastructure slow down your AI ambitions. Partner with NTT DATA and Cisco to transform your network into an engine for innovation and sustainable growth.

Watch three recent IDC webinars featuring NTT DATA and Cisco:

• High-yield AI in financial services depends on secure, scalable networks
• Factory floor 2.0: How AI-ready networks are reshaping manufacturing
• AI in healthcare: Why your network is the missing piece

Blog adapted from The network: From foundation to AI catalyst by Vinay Nichani, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Sales, Solutions and Alliance at NTT DATA, and Brink Sanders, Senior Vice President of Global Networking Sales at Cisco, originally posted on 23 September 2025.