Cisco introduces modernisations to campus, branch, and industrial networks

Following the launch of its AI-ready secure network architecture for enterprises, Cisco is introducing new advancements to modernise campus, branch, and industrial networks.

Designed to deliver automated deployment and security across highly distributed networks these meet the high-bandwidth, ultra-low latency, and intelligent traffic management demands of distributed AI workloads that are increasingly moving to the enterprise edge, according to Cisco.

The new Global Overview in Meraki Dashboard provides direct visibility and access to Catalyst Center-managed networks for a single cloud dashboard experience. It aims to simplify network management across campus and branch, whether cloud-based or on-premises. It's currently in beta and will be generally available in calendar Q4 2025.

Cloud-managed fabric, a scalable and secure architecture to simplify network management that reduces the steps required to provision, manage, and troubleshoot large sites, while enabling adaptive segmentation policies, will be in beta in Q4 2025 and generally available in calendar Q1 2026.

Available today, workflows spanning Meraki, Catalyst Center, Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, ISE, Nexus and more can be automated and orchestrated with AI Assistant. With a simple prompt, AI Assistant can automate previously manual tasks, such as switch migration, Wi-Fi setup, and device onboarding.

Teams can also use the AI Assistant within AI Canvas, now in alpha, to troubleshoot a network issue using natural language in seconds by unifying real-time telemetry, AI insights, and collaboration into one intelligent workspace. 

Making it easier to deploy branches

With Cisco Unified Branch, new changes intend to make branch deployments faster and more reliable.

With new automation toolkits, Cisco Validated Designs powered by Agentic Workflows empower Cisco partners to enable customer IT teams to deploy, scale, and secure branches in minutes instead of hours.

Scalable devices

New 8200 and 8400 Series Secure Routers bring high-performance routing, advanced security with a built-in firewall, and ultra-low latency for branch and campus deployments for automated connectivity. Devices are orderable in calendar Q4 2025.

New Wi-Fi 7 access points (CW9171I, CW9174 Series) and the CW9800L Wireless Controller for low and medium-density deployments provide high throughput, low latency, and intelligent management for scaling.

New wireless assurance capabilities including Roaming Health and the upcoming Active Testing feature powered by Cisco ThousandEyes uses Wireless APs to aim to deliver enhanced visibility, faster troubleshooting, and optimised performance. Devices are orderable in calendar Q4 2025.

Security into the network

Cisco is delivering a cloud-managed, identity-driven architecture that unites access control and cloud security within the Meraki Dashboard. This new approach intends to simplify operations while strengthening defense across the branch, campus, and cloud, addressing the dual challenge of securing an expanding attack surface with limited resources.

Cisco Secure Access extends Zero Trust to the cloud, providing consistent protection for users and applications . All Cisco SD-WAN offerings, including Meraki, now integrate with Cisco Secure Access, enabling a complete secure access service edge (SASE) offering.

This delivers secure access for hybrid workforces by applying unified identity-based policies across SaaS, internet, and private apps, eliminating policy gaps between on-prem and cloud environments and ensuring one policy framework for every connection

The new Cisco Access Manager fuses identity into the network, delivering full identity-based access control natively through the Meraki Dashboard. Fueled by Cisco ISE, optimised for cloud-managed networks, and delivered as SaaS, Access Manager is designed for simple deployment with no hardware or complex setup.

It enables adaptive segmentation to isolate users, devices, and IoT by identity and posture and ensures every connection in the branch is authenticated, segmented, and secure; it will be enerally available in calendar Q4 2025.

"The networks of the future not only need to power the massive compute and bandwidth demands of AI experiences that are surging into campus and branch networks, but also be easy to deploy and secure with powerful AI tools of their own," said Jeetu Patel, president and chief product officer at Cisco.

"Cisco delivers the only networking infrastructure that can scale to AI's exponential growth, while also giving over-worked and under-resourced IT teams truly agentic tools for managing and securing deployments from core to edge."