Cisco Exec Admits Every Competitor Was Beating Them. Now He's Saying AI Just 'Changed' The Game In Their Favor.

Cisco Systems Inc ‘s (NASDAQ: CSCO ) position in the cybersecurity market has changed dramatically over the past decade, transforming from a networking-focused vendor that was rarely included in security discussions into a major player in one of technology’s fastest-growing markets. Cisco executives, speaking at the Bank of America Global Technology Conference on Thursday, said the network gear-maker’s expansion into cybersecurity was driven by years of acquisitions, product development and growing customer demand for integrated networking and security platforms. Cisco’s Security Reputation Has Changed “Cisco was not so much in the mix in the security conversations,” said Peter Bailey , the company’s Senior Vice President and General Manager of its security business, adding that somewhere in the middle of the last 10 years that had changed. The company’s security business generated roughly $2 billion in revenue during the third quarter of fiscal 2026, accounting for about 13% of total company sales. Years of investment in security products and platforms helped drive the shift, as customers increasingly sought integrated networking and cybersecurity offerings from fewer ... Full story available on Benzinga.com