In April 2025, Cisco and ServiceNow announced a strategic partnership aimed at enabling enterprises to adopt and scale artificial intelligence (AI) securely and efficiently. This collaboration seeks to address the unique security challenges posed by the rapid proliferation of AI applications within organizations.

Background

As businesses increasingly integrate AI into their operations, they encounter new risks that traditional cybersecurity measures may not fully address. These challenges include vulnerabilities in AI models, data privacy concerns, and the complexities of managing AI-driven workflows. Recognizing the need for a unified approach to AI security, Cisco and ServiceNow have combined their expertise to offer a comprehensive solution.

The Partnership

The collaboration focuses on integrating Cisco's AI Defense capabilities with ServiceNow's Security Operations (SecOps) platform. This integration aims to provide enterprises with:

  • Visibility: Discovering AI workloads, models, and data associated with applications and services within the ServiceNow platform.
  • Vulnerability Management: Conducting automated vulnerability assessments, with findings surfaced in ServiceNow's Vulnerability Response module for monitoring and remediation.
  • Real-Time Protection: Implementing real-time guardrails for AI applications through Cisco's AI Runtime Protection, with ServiceNow's Security Posture Control identifying coverage gaps.
  • Incident Response: Enhancing security operations center investigations by delivering telemetry from AI applications to ServiceNow's Security Incident Response.
  • Governance: Mapping Cisco's AI Defense controls to relevant standards in ServiceNow's Integrated Risk Management platform to measure and demonstrate AI organizational compliance.

This integrated approach is designed to streamline the protection and governance of AI applications, ensuring that organizations can confidently leverage AI technologies while mitigating associated risks.

Implications and Impact

The partnership between Cisco and ServiceNow represents a significant step toward addressing the security complexities of AI adoption. By combining Cisco's infrastructure and security platforms with ServiceNow's AI-driven solutions, the collaboration aims to provide a cohesive set of tools for protecting AI applications and maintaining governance across various deployment types. This unified approach is expected to empower businesses to accelerate their AI initiatives without compromising security or compliance.

Technical Details

The integration leverages Cisco's AI Defense, which offers end-to-end security capabilities for AI workloads, including automated vulnerability assessments and real-time protection. ServiceNow's SecOps platform complements this by providing modules for vulnerability response, security incident response, and integrated risk management. Together, these platforms aim to deliver a comprehensive solution for AI security and governance.

Conclusion

As AI continues to transform business operations, ensuring the security and governance of AI applications becomes paramount. The partnership between Cisco and ServiceNow offers a promising solution to these challenges, providing enterprises with the tools needed to adopt and scale AI technologies securely and efficiently.