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Cisco Reimagines Security for Data Centers and Clouds in Era of AI 

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2 years ago

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News Summary:
Cisco powers and secures AI-scale data centers and clouds, safeguarding every application and device regardless of distribution or connectivity.

  • In today’s highly distributed landscape, the window from vulnerability to exploitation is shrinking rapidly.
  • Defending against this complex threat environment is beyond human scale.
  • Cisco Hypershield enables customers to deploy security wherever needed: in the cloud, data center, factory floor, or hospital imaging room.
  • With AI-native security, customers can autonomously segment networks, enjoy distributed and instant exploit protection without patches, and experience self-qualifying software upgrades with zero downtime.

News in Detail:
Cisco, the leader in security and networking, today unveiled a radically new approach to securing data centers and clouds in response to the increasing demands the AI revolution has put on IT infrastructure. Cisco is rearchitecting how we harness and protect AI and other modern workloads with industry-first, Cisco Hypershield. With this unprecedented innovation, Cisco is tipping the scales in favor of defenders, building on its recent announcements to accelerate AI infrastructure with Cisco’s ethernet switching, silicon and compute portfolio.

Cisco Hypershield protects applications, devices and data across public and private data centers, clouds and physical locations – anywhere customers need it. Designed and built with AI in mind from the start, Hypershield enables organizations to achieve security outcomes beyond what has been possible with humans alone.

“Cisco Hypershield is one of the most significant security innovations in our history,” said Chuck Robbins, Cisco Chair and CEO. “With our data advantage and strength in security, infrastructure and observability platforms, Cisco is uniquely positioned to help our customers harness the power of AI.”

Hypershield is a revolutionary new security architecture. It’s built with technology originally developed for hyperscale public clouds and is now available for enterprise IT teams of all sizes. More a fabric than a fence, Hypershield enables security enforcement to be placed everywhere it needs to be. Every application service in the datacenter. Every Kubernetes cluster in the public cloud. Every container and virtual machine (VM). It can even turn every network port into a high-performance security enforcement point, bringing completely new security capabilities not just to clouds, but to the data center, on a factory floor, or a hospital imaging room. This new technology blocks application exploits in minutes and stops lateral movement in its tracks.

“AI has the potential to empower the world’s 8 billion people to have the same impact as 80 billion. With this abundance, we must reimagine the role of the data center – how data centers are connected, secured, operated and scaled,” said Jeetu Patel, Executive Vice President and General Manager for Security and Collaboration at Cisco.

“The power of Cisco Hypershield is that it can put security anywhere you need it – in software, in a server, or in the future even in a network switch. When you have a distributed system that could include hundreds of thousands of enforcement points, simplified management is mission critical. And we need to be orders-of-magnitude more autonomous, at an orders-of-magnitude lower cost.”

Security enforcement with Hypershield happens at three different layers: in software, in virtual machines, and in network and compute servers and appliances, leveraging the same powerful hardware accelerators that are used extensively in high-performance computing and hyperscale public clouds.

Hypershield was built on three key pillars:

• AI-Native: Built and designed from the start to be autonomous and predictive, Hypershield manages itself once it earns trust, making a hyper-distributed approach at scale possible.
• Cloud-Native: Hypershield is built on open source eBPF, the default mechanism for connecting and protecting cloud-native workloads in the hyperscale cloud. Cisco acquired the leading provider of eBPF for enterprises, Isovalent, earlier this month.
• Hyper-Distributed: Cisco is completely reimagining how traditional network security works by embedding advanced security controls into servers and the network fabric itself. Hypershield spans all clouds and leverages hardware acceleration like Data Processing Units (DPU) to analyze and respond to anomalies in application and network behavior. It shifts security closer to the workloads that need protection.

Cisco, with its industry-leading expertise in networking, security and extensive partner ecosystem, together with NVIDIA, is committed to building and optimizing AI-native security solutions to protect and scale the data centers of tomorrow. This collaboration includes leveraging the NVIDIA Morpheus cybersecurity AI framework for accelerated network anomaly detection, as well as NVIDIA NIM microservices for powering custom security AI assistants for the enterprise. NVIDIA’s class of converged accelerators combine the power of GPU and DPU computing, to augment Cisco Hypershield with robust security from cloud to edge.

“Enterprises across all industries are seeking the security that can protect them against ever expanding cyber threats,” said Kevin Deierling, Senior Vice President of Networking at NVIDIA. “Together, Cisco and NVIDIA are leveraging the power of AI to deliver powerful, incredibly secure data center infrastructure that will enable enterprises to transform their businesses and benefit customers everywhere.”

As a revolutionary new security architecture, Hypershield is solving three key customer challenges in defending against today’s sophisticated threat landscape:

• Distributed Exploit Protection: Attackers are adept at weaponizing newly published vulnerabilities faster than defenders can patch. With defenders seeing nearly 100 new vulnerabilities every day, according to Cisco Talos Threat Intelligence, this can lead to catastrophic results. Hypershield delivers protection in minutes by automatically testing and deploying compensating controls into the distributed fabric of enforcement points.
• Autonomous Segmentation: Once an attacker is in the network, segmentation is key to stopping their lateral movement. Hypershield perpetually observes, auto-reasons and re-evaluates existing policies to autonomously segment the network, solving this in large and complex environments.
• Self-qualifying Upgrades: Hypershield automates the incredibly laborious and time-consuming process of testing and deploying upgrades once they are ready, leveraging a dual data plane. This completely new software architecture allows software upgrades and policy changes to be placed in a digital twin that tests updates using the customer’s unique combination of traffic, policies and features, then applying those updates with zero downtime.

Built into the Security Cloud, Cisco’s unified, AI-driven, cross-domain security platform, Cisco Hypershield is expected to be Generally Available in August 2024. With Cisco’s recent acquisition of Splunk, customers will gain unparalleled visibility and insights across their entire digital footprint for unprecedented security protection.

“AI is not just a force for good but also a tool used for nefarious purposes, allowing hackers to reverse engineer patches and create exploits in record time. Cisco looks to address an AI enabled problem with an AI solution as Cisco Hypershield aims to tip the scales back in favor of the defender by shielding new vulnerabilities against exploit in minutes – rather than the days, weeks or even months as we wait for patches to actually get deployed,” said Frank Dickson, Group Vice President, Security & Trust at IDC. “With the number of vulnerabilities ever increasing and the time for attackers to exploit them at scale ever decreasing, it’s clear that patching alone can’t keep up. Tools like Hypershield are necessary to combat an increasingly clever malicious cyber adversary.”

“Cisco Hypershield takes aim at the complex security challenges of modern, AI-scale data centers. Cisco’s vision of a self-managing fabric that seamlessly integrates from the network to the endpoint will help redefine what’s possible for security at scale,” said Zeus Kerravala, Founder and Principal Analyst of ZK Research. “For instance, this level of visibility and control across a hyper-distributed environment prevents lateral movement of attackers, enabled through a unique approach to segmentation that’s autonomous and highly effective. While this may seem fantastical, the time is right given recent AI advances combined with the maturity of cloud-native technologies like eBPF.”

“At AHEAD we believe cybersecurity should be integrated into everything we do. Bolted-on security is more expensive and less effective,” said Steven Aiello, Field Chief Information Security Officer at AHEAD. “Cisco Hypershield ensures that cyber protections are included into the fabric of the enterprise. Distributed Exploit Protection will be a massive win for blue teams – legacy synthetic patching was primarily limited to edge devices, allowing lateral movement once an attacker breached the perimeter. It’s a great day for cyber-defenders!”

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Tax Star Raises $1.75m Seed Round to Scale as a Pre-Approved Accredited Service Provider for UAE E-Invoicing

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1 day ago

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August 17, 2026

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Tax Star, the UAE’s first AI-powered corporate tax software platform, announced it has closed a $1.75 million seed funding round. The raise comes as Tax Star positions itself around one of its most significant regulatory milestones to date, its status as a pre-approved Accredited Service Provider (ASP) for UAE e-invoicing. The round was backed primarily by angel investors.     

Tax Star built its reputation as the first AI-powered corporate tax compliance software in the UAE, helping businesses navigate the country’s evolving tax landscape with automation and intelligence at the core of its product. This new funding builds directly on that foundation, with the company now doubling down on its role in the UAE’s e-invoicing rollout, a mandate will require businesses across the UAE to appoint an ASP and implement a compliant e-invoicing process connected to the UAE Electronic Invoicing System.

As a pre-approved ASP, Tax Star is positioned to serve as a trusted bridge between businesses and the UAE’s e-invoicing infrastructure. Being pre-approved validates Tax Star’s technical readiness ahead of key regulatory deadlines, and signals to the market that the company is positioned to capture demand as UAE businesses work to become compliant.

Proceeds from the round will be directed toward three core areas: go-to-market expansion, product development, and simplifying compliance for businesses navigating the UAE’s e-invoicing requirements. Rather than allocating the raise narrowly toward specific accounting-software integrations or new-market entry alone, Tax Star said the funding is designed to strengthen the of what businesses need to become, and stay, compliant.

The raise also supports Tax Star’s broader regional ambitions. The company has stated plans to expand into the GCC     as part of its longer-term roadmap. The UAE’s e-invoicing framework, and Tax Star’s early positioning within it, is expected to serve as proof as the company pursues similar opportunities in other markets undergoing their own digital tax transformations.

Tax Star also acknowledges that being part of the Plug and Play and Dubai Founders HQ (DFHQ) start-up program helped Tax Star to prepare themselves for this investment round and helped refine its future expansion plans. The company is also part of the Microsoft for Startups Program and is aspiring to join Dubai’s D33 initiative.

The timing of the raise aligns with a fast-approaching regulatory calendar. Businesses in the UAE with annual revenue of AED 50 million or more      face an ASP- appointment deadline of October 30, 2026, ahead of the first mandatory implementation phase for businesses with annual revenue of AED 50 million or more in January 2027. Tax Star said the new funding is intended to help ensure UAE businesses, regardless of size, are equipped to meet these deadlines without disruption to their operations.

“This funding allows us to focus on what matters most right now: easing the compliance burden for businesses across the GCC as e-invoicing becomes a reality,” said Rayhan Aleem, Co-founder and CEO of Tax Star. “Being a pre-approved ASP puts us in a strong position to support businesses through this transition, and this raise lets us invest in the team, the product, and the go-to-market work needed to do that at scale.”

Tax Star is the UAE’s first AI-powered corporate tax software platform and a pre-approved Accredited Service Provider for UAE e-invoicing. The company is also the only Accredited Service Provider listed on the Xero and QuickBooks App Stores offering native integration with those accounting platforms, alongside smooth integrations with Zoho, Odoo, and Naqood. Tax Star helps businesses simplify tax and compliance obligations through automation and AI, with plans to expand its footprint across the GCC and into Europe.

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FIFA Selects Globant to Create a Continuous Fan Experience Ecosystem for Football Fans Using AI Pods Powered by Glob.AI

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1 day ago

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August 17, 2026

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FIFA has selected Globant (NYSE: GLOB) to redesign its global fan engagement, transforming how football is delivered to and experienced by billions worldwide.

Key FIFA digital platforms will now enable a more “joined-up” experience for fans where their preferences are recognized across platforms and competitions. Powered by AI Pods by Glob.AI, these platforms will continuously learn from real-time data and generate new experiences for fans all year round, growing FIFA’s influence beyond single tournaments.

This announcement marks an exciting evolution in how FIFA leverages technology within this partnership. FIFA is embracing an AI-native, consumption-based model. Glob.AI brings together human-supervised AI agents based on Globant’s proven processes, forged over 23 years of enterprise software experience. All institutional knowledge generated is secured within a proprietary token vault, granting FIFA complete ownership of its data and future AI-driven innovations. Initial pilots with FIFA have already demonstrated a 20% efficiency increase in throughput generation while maintaining or improving quality rates .

With this new advanced technology implementation, FIFA is working to create a centralized digital ecosystem that learns and will be able to adapt in real time to improve core pillars of the match day and fan experience including:

  • Unified Fan Identity: Strengthening FIFA ID as the connective tissue across all digital touchpoints, enabling the organization to recognize, reach and reward fans whether they’re watching from home or attending a match.
  • FIFA website: Evolving FIFA.com into a personalized hub for fans, leading to personally relevant content.
  • The FIFA Tournament App: Evolving a single, customizable platform that brings together schedules, real-time content and local host city insights for fans on the ground.

For the fan, this means a more human-centric experience: a single digital thread that connects their interaction with FIFA platforms and their attendance at FIFA tournaments, where their fandom is remembered and can be rewarded. Every touchpoint will be powered by specialized AI architectures, which will learn from each action in order to provide increasingly precise and efficient services.

For FIFA, this move will help to end the era of the “anonymous fan” by connecting disparate journeys through a single and actionable ecosystem. By consolidating first-party data and strengthening digital identity, FIFA will gain better insights about how global fans operate and how to enhance their football experience, applying this intelligence to future tournaments, content and commercial initiatives.

“Our goal is to ensure every fan experiences football in a personal way that deepens their emotional connection,” said Mattias Grafström, FIFA Secretary General. “With Globant’s continued innovation, we can hold our technology projects to a higher standard and develop a system that learns and adapts to the needs of our global audience. By keeping the needs of fans present at all times, we will create a more sustainable future for our game.”

“We’re working with FIFA to shape technology around the fan,” said Martin Migoya, Co-founder and CEO of Globant. “With our AI Pods powered by Glob.AI we are building on our five years of collaboration by implementing a whole new service delivery model that moves at the pace of fandom. Football is the world’s number one sport because it remains unpredictable and accessible to all; the human-assisted AI model is key for technology systems that scale quickly and deliver the always-on entertainment that fans expect.”

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95% of Enterprises Have Delayed AI Projects as Infrastructure Limitations Spark “The Great AI Re-Architecture,” New Cloudera Report Finds

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1 day ago

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August 17, 2026

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Cloudera, the only company bringing AI to data anywhere, today released its latest global survey, The Great AI Re-Architecture, revealing a fundamental shift in enterprise IT as organizations redesign their data architectures to meet the demands of AI. Based on responses from 1,500 Enterprise Architects, Cloud Infrastructure Leads, and Data Architects worldwide, the report finds that while AI adoption has become mainstream, legacy data architectures are increasingly limiting organizations’ ability to scale AI securely, efficiently, and cost-effectively.

The findings point to a fundamental shift in enterprise IT architecture. While 77% of organizations are actively using AI, nearly all (95%) have delayed or canceled AI initiatives over the past year because of data governance, compliance, or regulatory challenges. To overcome these challenges, 72% say their current data architecture requires a significant overhaul to meet future AI requirements, suggesting today’s infrastructure was not built for the demands of modern AI.

Together, these findings highlight what Cloudera calls “The Great AI Re-Architecture”—the mass transition from legacy data architectures toward hybrid environments that enable organizations to bring trusted AI to trusted data, wherever it resides.

“This current era of AI is forcing organizations to rethink the foundations of their technology infrastructure,” said Sergio Gago, Chief Technology Officer at Cloudera. “Many enterprises are discovering that the architectures built for traditional analytics weren’t designed for the scale, governance, and flexibility AI demands today. Success will depend on building a data foundation that gives organizations the freedom to run AI wherever it makes the most sense, without compromising control or security.”

AI Is Driving an Enterprise Infrastructure Reset

AI has moved well beyond isolated pilot projects and is now embedded across enterprise operations. As organizations expand AI across the business, they’re placing mounting pressure on infrastructure that was never designed for AI at scale.

Three-quarters (75%) of respondents say AI integrations have changed their organization’s data storage and architecture practices, while 84% report increased infrastructure costs driven by AI workloads. Together, these findings suggest organizations are rethinking not only where data lives, but how it is managed, governed, and delivered to AI systems.

Governance Is Critical Infrastructure

As organizations scale AI, governance is becoming foundational to enterprise AI success. Earlier this year, Cloudera’s Data Readiness Index found that 75% of organizations said AI is exposing the limitations of their legacy governance processes. This latest research suggests those challenges are only intensifying as AI adoption grows.

Nearly three-quarters (73%) of respondents say AI has made data governance more complex, and more than half (55%) report delaying or canceling more than six AI projects over the past 12 months due to governance, compliance, or regulatory challenges.

The challenge is compounded by increasingly distributed data. Nearly every respondent (97%) reports moving data between environments at least monthly, making consistent governance across cloud, private cloud, on-premises, and edge environments essential for scaling AI securely.

Hybrid Architectures Become the New Enterprise Standard

Organizations are increasingly adopting hybrid architectures to balance performance, governance, cost, and flexibility, all of which are critical to modern AI success.

Two-thirds (66%) of respondents say they have moved AI workloads from public cloud environments back to private cloud or on-premises infrastructure during the past year, signaling a broader shift toward hybrid architectures that allow organizations to run AI workloads where they perform best.

Looking ahead, organizations are investing across cloud, on-premises, edge, and hybrid environments rather than relying on a single deployment model. One-quarter (25%) say they plan to prioritize a hybrid-first architecture over the next two years, reinforcing that the future of enterprise AI will be defined, in part, by flexibility rather than a single infrastructure strategy.

The Future of Enterprise AI Depends on Hybrid Data Architectures

AI adoption is no longer the differentiator; AI optimization is. Organizations that modernize their data architectures to govern data consistently and run AI wherever it makes the most sense will be well positioned to deliver scalable, secure AI and lasting business value.

As these themes take center stage at Cloudera EVOLVE Singapore next week, read the full report to learn how organizations are preparing their data foundations for enterprise AI.

Methodology

The survey, commissioned by Cloudera and fielded by Wakefield Research (www.wakefieldresearch.com) among 1,500 Enterprise Architects, Cloud Infrastructure Leads, and Data Architects at companies with a minimum size requirement of 1,000 employees in all markets except Spain, Singapore, and South Africa, for which the company size minimum is 250 employees. The research was conducted in 3 Regions and 9 markets: Americas (U.S. (n600), Canada (n100), Brazil (n100)), EMEA (South Africa (n100), Spain (n100), U.K. (n200)), and APAC (Singapore (n100), India (n100), Japan (n100)) between June 5th and June 22nd, 2026, using an email invitation and an online survey.      

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