Cisco Announces Isovalent Acquisition to Boost Security

Cloud Security , Security Operations

Cisco announced plans to acquire Isovalent, an open-source cloud-native networking and security firm, as part of an effort to enhance its secure networking capabilities and services.

See Also: Forrester Wave™ IaaS Platform Native Security Report

Jeetu Patel, Cisco's executive vice president and general manager of security and collaboration, said Thursday the acquisition will allow Cisco to build new multi-cloud security and networking capabilities to aid customers in accelerating their digital transformation.

"Imagine in today's distributed environment - of applications, virtual machines, containers and cloud assets - having security controls with total visibility, without hindering networking and application performance," Patel said. "The combination of Cisco and Isovalent will make this a reality."

Cisco did not disclose its price for the privately held company, known for developing the critical open-source technology called eBPF, which provides developers with comprehensive operating system insights.

Isovalent also oversees Cilium, an open-source initiative the company launched to provide developers with enhanced visibility into cloud-native applications. Patel said Cisco plans to "build on the open-source power of Cilium'' to create new multi-cloud security capabilities.

Cisco has made significant investments in security through a series of recent acquisitions, most notably a $28 billion agreement to purchase the security platform Splunk that was announced in September. At the time, then-Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins told investors the deal would combine Cisco's extended detection and response platform with Splunk's security information and event management platform to help predict and prevent critical cyberthreats (see: Cisco to Bring XDR, SIEM Together With $28B Splunk Purchase).

Cisco purchased Lightspin in March to help address cloud security risks and announced plans to buy a startup called Valtix in February as part of an effort to help clients streamline processes across public cloud environments. The company acquired Armorblox in May to bring generative artificial intelligence into its portfolio.

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Cisco Exceeds Goal To Positively Impact One Billion People

Cisco achieves ambitious goal one year ahead of schedule by scaling social impact programs and digital access for communities worldwide

SAN JOSE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 6, 2023 / One year ahead of schedule, Cisco has surpassed its goal to make a real, tangible difference in the lives of one billion people, leveraging a powerful combination of technology and people, backed by its purpose to power an inclusive future for all.

In 2016, Cisco Chair and CEO Chuck Robbins set a company goal to positively impact the lives of one billion people by 2025. Today, having already achieved that ambitious goal, Cisco credits the extraordinary work of its global network of business and nonprofit partners, the support and leadership of the Cisco Foundation and Cisco's Networking Academy, and the passion of its people - a global effort that unlocked a scale that will drive social impact and digital access worldwide in the years to come.

To achieve its goal, Cisco invested in nonprofits through its Social Impact grants and Networking Academy to help them develop and scale technology-based solutions for the critical challenges facing vulnerable, underserved communities around the world. Cisco also worked with local and national governments to empower communities with IT skills, helping develop the workforce of the future and fostering digital inclusion - all measured by a rigorous tracking methodology.

"Our purpose is to power an inclusive future for all, and this milestone is an important moment in our long history as an impact-focused company," said Fran Katsoudas, Executive Vice President and Chief People, Policy and Purpose Officer. "It's a goal almost ten years in the making, and we're excited to use what we learned, our strengths, and our technology as we continue to scale our work around the world."

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Annual Purpose Report Released

This announcement accompanies today's release of Cisco's annual Purpose Report, which details its latest impact, goals, and progress on ESG topics, including environmental sustainability, social impact, digital access, philanthropy, supply chain, security and privacy, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

As a reflection of the work contributing to Cisco's latest milestone, the report celebrates 25 years of Cisco's Networking Academy, reaching over 20 million people in 190 countries with digital and cybersecurity skills training. Cisco continues expanding its digital access programming and has over 1300 active or completed Country Digital Acceleration programs in 50 countries, including a recently announced effort to strengthen Ukraine's partnership with USAID.

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About Cisco

Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO) is the worldwide technology leader that securely connects everything to make anything possible. Our purpose is to power an inclusive future for all by helping our customers reimagine their applications, power hybrid work, secure their enterprise, transform their infrastructure, and meet their sustainability goals. Discover more on The Newsroom and follow us on X at @Cisco.

Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A listing of Cisco's trademarks can be found at www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Cisco Systems Inc. on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:Spokesperson: Cisco Systems Inc.Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/cisco-systems-incEmail: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Cisco Systems Inc.

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