Insight announcements Insight Named First Partner in the Americas to Achieve Cisco Secure Networking Specialization

The network is no longer just a utility; it's the secure foundation for the AI-driven enterprise. As organizations navigate the complexities of a "work-from-anywhere" world, the convergence of high-performance networking and advanced security has become the ultimate priority. It’s with great pride that I can share that Insight has become the first partner in the Americas to achieve the Cisco Secure Networking Specialization under the newly launched Cisco 360 Partner Program. 

This "first-in-theater" milestone distinguishes Insight, a 30+ year Cisco partner, as the premier authority for converging complex infrastructure with AI-driven security. The specialization reinforces our commitment to helping clients move from legacy systems to resilient, modern architecture. 

What does it take to be a Cisco Secure Networking leader? 

Achieving this status wasn't a matter of simple paperwork. Insight underwent a rigorous three-day audit process that validated every facet of our delivery model — from our business operations and managed services maturity to hands-on technical mastery. 

According to Cisco, this specialization is reserved for partners who can design, deploy, and support end-to-end Secure Networking across five real-world use cases — Secure Campus and Branch, Secure WAN Edge, Secure Data Center Networking and Segmentation, End-to-End Visibility and Assurance, and Secure Remote Access. It validates a partner’s ability to fuse identity, AI-driven security, and deep observability into a single fabric that stretches from the user and device, through the campus and WAN, into the data center, and out to every workload.  

At Insight, we’ve taken this a step further by integrating these solutions into our own global operations first. By serving as "client zero," we’ve refined the deployment of Zero Trust architectures within our own walls, ensuring that when we bring these solutions to our clients, they are operationally proven and ready to scale.

Technical leadership powered by the Insight 

The heart of this achievement lies within Insight’s Infrastructure Solution’s team. This team is committed to helping customers simplify operations, strengthen security with zero-trust models, and activate AI-driven threat detection that enables seamless, secure hybrid connectivity.  

During the Technical Proficiency Validation phase of the audit, our architects demonstrated the ability to lead organizations with:  

• Zero-trust campus and branch: Unifying Catalyst, Meraki, and SD-Access with ISE, Duo, and Identity Intelligence to deliver identity-aware segmentation and continuous device trust from the first switchport to the cloud. 
• Secure WAN edge: Architecting Catalyst SD-WAN, Meraki MX, and Secure Routing with Multicloud Defense and Hybrid Mesh Firewall to extend consistent policy and threat prevention across every branch, cloud, and SaaS path. 
• Data center segmentation for the AI era: Pairing Nexus 9000, ACI, and Nexus Hyperfabric with Hypershield, Secure Workload, and AI Defense to deliver micro-segmentation, east-west protection, and AI-ready fabrics that scale with modern workloads. 

Insight was also recognized for AI-Enhanced visibility (leveraging telemetry to monitor the digital experience, automated assurance (use of the Cisco AI Assistant to respond to threats in real time) and precision ZTNA (replacing vulnerable VPN tunnels with application-level access).

Modernizing the network from campus to cloud 

As the IT landscape evolves, the definition of a "secure perimeter" has vanished. Insight is leading the charge in helping clients realize tangible ROI by modernizing their entire network—from the campus and branch, across the WAN edge, into the data center, and out to every remote user. By moving away from legacy perimeter-based security and stitching identity, segmentation, AI-driven security, and observability into a single fabric, we help organizations achieve a level of resilience that was previously not possible. 

This specialization is more than a badge; it reflects our AI-first, security-minded commitment to continually elevate our capabilities. Our teammates use these very tools to remain productive and secure across the globe, allowing us to draw on our own experiences and lessons learned to accelerate our clients' digital transformation goals.

Cisco Live 

We are celebrating this accomplishment, and so much more, at Cisco Live 2026. Insight will be at booth 2714 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas from June 1-4. Our AI experts are offering complimentary one on one strategy sessions, AI demos, and so much more. Learn more here. 

For more on how you can transform your business by leveraging AI, call 1.800.INSIGHT or visit insight.com.