AI Now Infused In Network and Wi-Fi Management

The days of manually troubleshooting networking problems may soon be over if the announcements today from Cisco and Mist are any indication. The two vendors today each debuted new offerings that employ artificial intelligence technologies to simplify the management of Wi-Fi and wired networks. Cisco Systems used an event in Barcelona, Spain to introduce what it dubs its "second wave of intent-based networking innovation, that includes new "assurance technologies." Specifically, the company is rolling out the Cisco Network Assurance Engine, which uses mathematical modeling and predictive analytics to accomplish a range of tasks, including predicting the impact of changes; continuously verifying network behavior; and checking for security and compliance risks. "Today, IT teams spend 43 percent of their time troubleshooting network issues," Cisco's Scott Harrell says in a blog post. "They are challenged with finding the proverbial needle in a haystack.