NTT DATA and Cisco today unveiled a new co-sponsored IDC InfoBrief, Wired for Intelligence: A CIO Guide to Enterprise Networking and AI. The study shares strategic guidance for organizations seeking to accelerate transformation by modernizing their network infrastructure.
As organizations integrate AI into more applications, from manufacturing and healthcare to financial services, the demand for high-speed, low-latency, and secure networks is surging. Legacy infrastructure is no longer sufficient to support the scale and complexity of AI workloads. NTT DATA and Cisco are responding to this shift by helping clients evolve from outdated architectures to intelligent, adaptive infrastructure that can power AI-driven innovation.
“As two market leaders, NTT DATA and Cisco are well positioned to help clients modernize their digital infrastructure foundations for the AI era. The network exists as a catalyst for growth and organizations can unlock powerful new capabilities and achieve AI-driven business transformation at scale,” said Dilip Kumar, Global Head, Technology Solutions, NTT DATA, Inc.
Commenting on the relevance of the announcement, Hani Nofal, SVP Technology Solution in Middle East and Africa said:““East Africa is embracing AI faster than ever, and strong, modern networks are key to making that transformation work. Our partnership with Cisco helps businesses in the region build secure, AI-ready infrastructure that supports growth, innovation, and better services for their customers.”
The Critical Foundation Empowering AI-Driven Growth
The study highlights that:
- Over 78% of companies say networking capabilities are either important or very important when selecting providers for GenAI infrastructure.
- AI is transforming network management through automated configuration, anomaly detection, self-healing capabilities, and AI-driven monitoring, which enhances resiliency and responsiveness.
- Industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, and financial services are already leveraging AI in networking to improve operational efficiency, ensure secure connectivity and reduce costs.
“Network modernization is about more than replacing old hardware—it’s about allowing enterprises to lead in an AI-driven world,” said Brink Sanders, Senior Vice President of Global Networking Sales, Cisco. “Our partnership with NTT DATA equips clients with the technology and expertise needed to build secure and connected networks.”
NTT DATA is Enabling Network Modernization Through Intelligent Services
NTT DATA’s comprehensive suite of intelligent services helps clients modernize their digital infrastructure and build secure networks. These services span the full lifecycle from advisory to sourcing, professional services, support and managed services to enable organizations to modernize and unlock the full potential of AI.
With many companies undergoing hardware refresh cycles due to the emergence of AI, NTT DATA’s services are designed to meet this critical moment:
- Advisory: Strategic guidance to align infrastructure modernization with AI goals.
- Strategic Technology Sourcing: Recommending and procuring the right technology to transform infrastructure to be AI-ready.
- Professional Services: Architecting and deploying scalable, secure and high-performance networks.
- Software-Defined Infrastructure Services: Driving business outcomes through adoption of automation and AI agents into IT operations and license optimization.
- Adoption Services: Maximizing value from infrastructure investments through greater adoption of software, continuous improvement and change management.
- Managed Network Services: End-to-end network management to ensure seamless data flow from edge to cloud, minimizing latency and enhancing application responsiveness.
NTT DATA recently launched AI-powered Software Defined Infrastructure (SDI) services for Cisco products to deliver intelligent automation and real-time insights to optimize infrastructure, reduce costs, and drive business outcomes.
The Strategic Importance of Infrastructure Modernization
The urgency to modernize infrastructure stems from the rapid adoption of AI across industries. According to IDC, AI is transforming network management through automation, anomaly detection and self-healing capabilities—making networks more resilient and responsive.
“Your network will make or break your AI transformation. Overcoming the challenges of legacy networking technologies is essential. This IDC InfoBrief gives organizations the steps to transform enterprise networking from a bottleneck into a business advantage,” said Chris Barnard, Vice President, European Telecoms and Infrastructure, IDC.
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Also Read: NTT DATA Partners with Google Cloud on AI Adoption
