The AI Revolution: Are You Ready?

We're in the midst of a massive shift: the age of AI. It's not just hype; it's a fundamental change in how businesses operate. Going forward, companies will either embrace AI and lead the way, or risk falling behind. It's that simple.

For those taking AI seriously, the workforce is about to look very different. Today, it's all human. Tomorrow? Think humans plus a whole team of AI workers: apps, agents, robots, even humanoids. We're talking about a world where people and connected AI agents collaborate on complex tasks. The potential gains in productivity and efficiency are enormous. Imagine what 8 billion humans could achieve with the combined capacity of 80 billion!

The New Risks of AI

Securing AI in a business is a new and complex challenge. AI applications are fundamentally different. They have this extra layer called "models," and unlike traditional software, these models can be unpredictable. Most organizations will be using tons of different models across various cloud environments, creating a complex, multi-model, multi-cloud, multi-agent world. This requires a new approach to security.

The risks are serious. When AI models fail, the consequences can be serious. Plus, there are the usual security threats – hackers trying to steal data or break into systems. While model vendors and app developers will have some safeguards, those measures won't be enough.

In the end, your security team needs one main place where they can see and control everything. They need to understand where AI is being used in your organisation (by both employees and developers) and always check and make sure your security rules are being followed for how AI models, apps, and agents are behaving.

Introducing Cisco AI Defense: Security Reimagined for AI

You need to start using AI as soon as possible, but you can't compromise on security. That's why we're excited to tell you about Cisco AI Defense. It's been designed to solve this very problem, allowing you to innovate without worrying.

AI Defense protects you in two key ways:

• Secure Access to AI Apps: Third-party AI apps can boost productivity, but they also bring risks like data leaks and malware. AI Defense gives you complete visibility into app usage and lets you set policies for safe access, all powered by Cisco Secure Access and enhanced with AI-specific protections.
• Secure AI App Development: Developers need the freedom to innovate without worrying about vulnerabilities in their AI models. AI Defense finds all the places where AI is used, checks that the models are safe, and makes sure they are protected. This happens in real-time, both in public and private clouds.

AI Defense is built on two new ideas: checking AI all the time and protecting it when it is used by lots of people.

Validation at Scale: The Algorithmic Red Team

It's important to make sure your AI models are working as they should and aren't vulnerable to problems like unexpected behaviors, data poisoning, or other issues.

With traditional apps, you'd have a "red team" of people try to find weaknesses. But that's not practical for AI models. That's where our AI Algorithmic Red Team comes in. This is a key reason why we bought Robust Intelligence. They're AI security experts who developed what we believe is the world's first algorithmic red teaming solution.

Instead of humans trying to "break" a model, the Algorithmic Red Team sends lots of different questions to the model to try and get it to respond in the wrong way. Think of it like playing a game of 100 questions, but automated and on a wide scale.

AI Defense finds vulnerabilities and recommends security guardrails that you can apply. It does this continuously, so whenever your model changes or a new threat appears, your model is re-validated and updated guardrails are put in place.

Protection at Scale: The Power of the Platform

Cisco already integrate traditional security right into the network. This means you get thousands of distributed enforcement points, exactly where you need them. These control points can be in a public cloud app, on a private cloud server, on a switch, or even at the edge.

AI Defense uses this platform so your AI guardrails are also distributed and available wherever you need them. You get complete visibility across your AI landscape and the control to enforce your policies everywhere.

Importantly, AI Defense is seamless for developers. It's invisible. No agents, no libraries, nothing to slow down development. This means you can move quickly to create new AI experiences.

Purpose-Built Technology and Unmatched Intelligence

AI Defense is built on technology designed for a specific purpose and our own custom AI models, which are powered by Scale AI. By working with leaders like Scale AI and using our own intelligence, AI Defense delivers unmatched insights for fast, efficient and accurate protection.

Unlocking the Full Potential of AI

Cisco AI Defense helps businesses to move quickly, create new things and use AI in the best way – safely and securely.

Ctelecoms, your trusted Cisco partner in Saudi Arabia, understands these challenges and we are ready to help. We give Saudi businesses of all sizes the tools they need to protect their people and their data with the latest security solutions like Cisco AI Defense.
Contact us today to learn how we can help you navigate the AI landscape securely.