NTT DATA and Cisco partner to modernise networks for the AI era

NTT DATA and Cisco have released a new IDC InfoBrief, Wired for Intelligence: A CIO Guide to Enterprise Networking for AI, offering guidance to organisations seeking to modernise their networks for the demands of artificial intelligence.

As enterprises embed AI into more applications across industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, and financial services, the need for secure, high-speed, low-latency networks is growing. Legacy systems are no longer sufficient to support complex AI training, inference, and storage clusters. The collaboration between NTT DATA and Cisco aims to help clients transition to an intelligent, adaptive infrastructure capable of powering AI-driven transformation.

Networking as a catalyst for AI

The study underscores that network modernisation is fundamental to AI success. More than 78% of companies surveyed said networking capabilities are important or very important when choosing providers for GenAI infrastructure.

Dilip Kumar, global head of technology solutions at NTT DATA, Inc., said:
“As two market leaders, NTT DATA and Cisco are well-positioned to help clients modernise their digital infrastructure foundations for the AI era. The network exists as a catalyst for growth, and organisations can unlock powerful new capabilities and achieve AI-driven business transformation at scale.”

Brink Sanders, senior vice president of global networking sales, Cisco, added:
“Network modernisation is about more than replacing old hardware. It’s about allowing enterprises to lead in an AI-driven world. Our partnership with NTT DATA equips clients with the technology and expertise needed to build secure and connected networks.”

Chris Barnard, vice president, European telecoms and infrastructure, IDC, noted the urgency of change:
“Your network will make or break your AI transformation. Overcoming the challenges of legacy networking technologies is essential. This IDC InfoBrief gives organisations the steps to transform enterprise networking from a bottleneck into a business advantage.”

Intelligent services to drive transformation

NTT DATA is backing this effort with a comprehensive suite of intelligent services covering advisory, sourcing, deployment, and management. These include:

• Advisory services to align network modernisation with AI objectives.

• Strategic sourcing to recommend and procure AI-ready networking technology.

• Professional services for designing and deploying scalable, secure infrastructure.

• Software-defined infrastructure services integrating automation, AI agents, and licence optimisation.

• Adoption services to maximise software value through continuous improvement.

• Managed network services for end-to-end management, ensuring seamless data flow from edge to cloud.

NTT DATA has also introduced AI-powered Software Defined Infrastructure (SDI) services for Cisco products. These bring intelligent automation and real-time insights into infrastructure operations, helping clients reduce costs and improve performance while driving business outcomes.

By combining Cisco’s networking expertise with NTT DATA’s intelligent services, the partnership positions enterprises to modernise their digital foundations and harness AI as a driver of growth.

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