In today’s rapidly evolving AI era, organizations face not only new opportunities but also unique challenges in managing their IT infrastructure. The shift towards AI-driven business models demands not only robust infrastructure, but also intelligent, proactive management to ensure resilience, security, and operational excellence. This is where Cisco Support powered by Cisco IQ, our modern AI-powered digital interface, comes into play—transforming how enterprises operate and thrive in an increasingly complex IT landscape.
The IDC Analyst Brief, Implementing AI and Intelligent Technical Support to Drive Business Success, which was sponsored by Cisco, highlights critical findings that underscore the importance of intelligent support in the AI era. IDC’s research reveals that while upgrading infrastructure components such as servers, networks, and storage is essential, the true differentiator lies in how effectively organizations operate and manage these environments— with agility, foresight, and intelligence.
Key insights from the IDC study include:
1. Proactive and Predictive Management
IDC Insight: IT Operations must shift from reactive troubleshooting to proactive prevention.
Market Data: According to McKinsey, companies can reduce maintenance costs by 40% and cut downtime by up to 50%.
Cisco Support: IT operations must evolve from reactive troubleshooting to proactive prevention. Cisco Support leverages AI to anticipate and resolve issues before they impact business outcomes, ensuring continuous uptime and performance. It’s about keeping your business ahead of the curve, every single day.
2. Operational Simplicity through Automation
IDC Insight: Enterprises seek automation to reduce manual efforts and address skills gaps.
Market Data:
Organizations implementing AI-enabled IT operations see a reduction in time to resolution of 60 to 90%.
Cisco Support: By automating routine workflows and integrating intelligent tools, Cisco IQ not only saves valuable time for IT teams but also addresses skills gaps and empowers staff to focus on innovation rather than maintenance. Imagine your teams spending less time on repetitive tasks and more on what truly drives your business forward!
3. Unified Portal Experience
IDC Insight: A unified portal for system health and proactive suggestions are the top attributes enterprises seek in vendor services.
Market Data: 59% of security teams say adopting a unified platform has sped up incident response.
Cisco Support: Cisco IQ delivers this through a seamless, unified interface that provides personalized insights and streamlines deployment, monitoring, and optimization. The result? A smoother, more cohesive experience for your entire IT organization.
Cisco IQ also leverages an API-first design to integrate its intelligence into existing tools and workflows. It supports the Model Context Protocol (MCP), a lightweight client/server protocol that standardizes how AI agents discover and invoke capabilities on tools and APIs, simplifying integration. Additionally, Agent-to-Agent (A2A) communication enables AI agents to coordinate and automate workflows autonomously. Together, these protocols help Cisco IQ deliver more efficient and unified IT operations.
4. Skills Enhancement
IDC Insight: The AI era demands continuous learning to close the skills gap.
Cisco Support: Provides AI-driven training and adaptive learning paths, helping IT teams keep their skills sharp and stay ahead of the technology curve. We’re committed to empowering your teams to succeed: today and tomorrow.
5. Security, Resilience, and Agility
IDC Insight: Organizations need to reduce downtime, mitigate risks, and adapt quickly to change.
Market Data: Companies using AI-powered support report that 50% of B2B support tickets are resolved automatically by AI systems.
Cisco Support: Combining automation, predictive analytics, and expert support, Cisco Support powered by Cisco IQ helps organizations reduce downtime, mitigate risks, and adapt swiftly to new demands. It’s all about building a foundation you can count on, no matter what the future brings.
The IDC study also emphasizes the growing importance of vendor services over product features, with organizations prioritizing quality of service, proactive support, and vendor relationships. Cisco’s investment in AI-powered support, exemplified by Cisco IQ, aligns perfectly with these evolving customer expectations.
As enterprises navigate the complexities of AI adoption, Cisco Support with Cisco IQ stands out as a critical enabler of operational excellence, helping organizations unlock the full potential of their AI-driven transformation.
As buyers look for potential vendors in the market, it is essential that they find vendors who provide support leveraging:
- Proactive Management: AI-driven support that prevents issues before they occur.
- Automation: Streamlines workflows to reduce manual tasks and skill gaps.
- Unified Portal & APIs: Single interface with API-first design and AI agent communication.
- Skills Development: AI-powered training to keep IT teams current.
- Security & Resilience: Automated risk mitigation and rapid adaptation to change.
Cisco Support with Cisco IQ uniquely blends Cisco’s deep networking expertise, massive data from over 50 million networks, and proprietary AI with human insight to deliver exclusive, unmatched support. Its AI engine provides predictive asset insights and tailored troubleshooting, powered by Cisco’s vast knowledge and Responsible AI principles, ensuring reliable outcomes enterprises simply won’t find elsewhere.
“Cisco is that trusted partner and advisor who, through leveraging Cisco IQ, can help us open new possibilities and reveal opportunities for insight-driven services for our customers”. — Cisco Partner
Market data reveals that organizations using AI in IT operations see up to 54% faster incident closures. At Cisco, cases resolved by end-to-end AI automation are up to four times (4X) faster. For our customers, this means less downtime, faster problem-solving, and more time for innovation.
The platform’s unified interface turns complex data into clear, actionable insights, speeding up issue resolution and proactive risk management. Exclusive Cisco partnerships and device-level integrations offer end-to-end visibility and AI-driven actions that boost uptime, security, and resilience. This fusion of AI and human expertise, built on Cisco’s unique data and ecosystem, powers the ability to turn decades of institutional knowledge into a living, adaptive system that makes enterprises’ infrastructure smarter, more resilient, and more secure. It creates a support experience that drives faster value and stronger customer trust.
“Cisco has a great asset that others don’t, which is the knowledge from working with thousands of customers”. — Field Feedback
Don’t just take my word for it, dive into the full study to see how intelligent support is shaping the future of IT operations. Download the IDC Analyst Brief.
IDC Analyst Brief, sponsored by Cisco, Implementing AI and Intelligent Technical Support to Drive Business Success, # US53935825, November 2025
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