Now that Splunk has become part of Cisco, there are new challenges and huge potential opportunities … [+] for the company. (Photo via Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images).
Getty ImagesThe acquisition of Splunk by Cisco sent ripples through the tech industry, symbolizing a merger of capabilities and visions that promise to shape the future of observability and cybersecurity. Splunk and Cisco are both established brands with loyal customers, but Splunk customers tend to be more fanatic—and the recent Splunk .conf24 conference was an opportunity to assuage any concerns and instill the Splunk faithful with a sense of what is possible with the combined resources and capabilities of the two companies.
Gary Steele’s Leadership and Vision
At the helm of this transformation is Gary Steele, whose leadership has been pivotal during the acquisition and continues to drive Splunk’s innovation journey. His role as a steadfast leader has been instrumental in navigating Splunk through its acquisition by Cisco.
Steele’s approach has ensured minimal disruption, maintaining the integrity and culture of both companies. His emphasis on collaboration and customer-centric integration has created a seamless transition that prioritizes delivering enhanced value to customers. The sense at .conf24—both from the conference attendees and from Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins—is that his leadership has facilitated the alignment of Splunk’s innovative capabilities with Cisco’s robust infrastructure, setting a foundation for a unified strategy that leverages the strengths of both entities.
Enhancing Security
Splunk has a reputation for being at the forefront of innovation, and Steele and Robbins emphasized in a Q&A with the media that this trajectory will continue with a strong focus on artificial intelligence (AI).
At the .conf24 conference, several groundbreaking advancements were announced, underscoring Splunk’s commitment to leveraging AI to enhance its offerings. These innovations include AI-driven analytics that provide deeper insights and more proactive security measures. The integration of AI into Splunk’s core products aims to streamline operations, enhance threat detection, and improve response times, ultimately driving better outcomes for customers.
Another key announcement was the integration of Cisco’s Talos Intelligence into Splunk’s Enterprise Security suite, providing richer threat detection capabilities. This integration allows for more comprehensive monitoring and quicker response to emerging threats, leveraging Cisco’s extensive security expertise to bolster Splunk’s already robust security framework.
Merging Observability Capabilities
One of the most exciting aspects of the Cisco-Splunk merger is the enhanced observability capabilities. By combining Cisco’s network insights with Splunk’s data analytics, the merged entity can offer a more comprehensive observability solution.
This integration allows for better visibility across complex environments, bridging traditional on-premise and modern cloud-native applications. The full-stack observability now delivered includes AppDynamics for digital observability and Cloud for infrastructure monitoring, providing a unified view that enables quicker and more informed decision-making.
Customer Experience and Community Integration
A critical component of the merger is the focus on maintaining and enhancing the customer experience. Steele has emphasized that despite the acquisition, customers will continue to interact with their familiar Splunk contacts, ensuring continuity and stability.
This approach mitigates the typical disruptions seen in acquisitions and underscores a commitment to customer satisfaction. Furthermore, the vibrant and passionate Splunk community remains a priority, with efforts to preserve its unique culture and collaborative spirit under the Cisco umbrella.
Revenue Synergies and Market Expansion
Steele and Robbins shared their insights on the strategic vision for the future of Splunk and Cisco and stressed that it is not just about cost synergies but significantly about revenue synergies. In fact, Robbins noted that Wall Street typically looks for a company to make cuts following an acquisition like this to recover the investment as quickly as possible, but emphasized that their focus is on the long game and that expanding capabilities and driving customer experience will pay dividends.
The combined entity is focused on delivering integration and innovation that enhance customer value. By leveraging Cisco’s extensive market reach, Splunk can penetrate new markets and expand its global footprint. This expansion is particularly crucial in strategic markets where Splunk had a smaller presence. The broad channel and boots-on-the-ground approach from Cisco facilitate this market penetration, opening doors to new opportunities and driving growth.
Looking Forward
Under Gary Steele’s leadership, Splunk is poised to continue its legacy of innovation while integrating seamlessly with Cisco’s robust infrastructure.
Based on the announcements at .conf24 and the general mood of attendees, the future of Splunk, now part of Cisco, seems bright with enhanced AI capabilities, advanced security measures, and comprehensive observability solutions. This merger represents a significant step forward, and has the potetntial to deliver unparalleled value to customers and set new standards in the tech industry.
{Categories} _Category: Takes{/Categories}
{URL}https://www.forbes.com/sites/tonybradley/2024/07/12/a-future-of-innovation-and-integration-for-splunk-and-cisco/{/URL}
{Author}Tony Bradley, Senior Contributor{/Author}
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{Keywords}Cybersecurity,/cybersecurity,Innovation,/innovation,Cybersecurity,/cybersecurity,Big Data,/big-data,technology,standard{/Keywords}
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