Cisco Systems, Inc. - Special Call - NasdaqGS:CSCO

NasdaqGS:CSCO

The "Unknown Executive" made opening remarks and closing remarks during the Cisco Systems, Inc. Special Call transcript. Here is a detailed summary of what the "Unknown Executive" stated:

Opening Remarks

• Welcomed everyone to the webinar.
• Mentioned that the webinar was pre-recorded and that this was the Asia Pacific broadcast of the same session that started globally.
• Quickly introduced the speakers:
  • Guest Speaker: Heath Mullins, Senior Analyst at Forrester.
  • Crystal Storar, Product Director from Cisco Security.
  • Sana Yousuf, XDR Product Marketing Leader at Cisco Security.
  • Matt Robertson, Distinguished Engineer at Cisco Security.
• Invited attendees to ask questions via the Q&A chat.
• Mentioned that the recording of the webinar would be shared post-event.

Closing Remarks

• Announced the end of the webinar.

• Acknowledged that some questions were not answered during the session.

• Mentioned that an FAQ document would be provided.

• Reiterated that the recording of the webinar and the report would be sent post-event.

• Encouraged attendees to reach out to the experts if they have further questions.

• Thanked everyone for their time and invited them to attend the next webinar.

Sana Yousuf, the product marketing leader at Cisco for email analytics and XDR, made several comments during the special call. Here is a detailed summary of her remarks:

Introduction

• Greeted attendees: "Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, depending on where you are."
• Introduced herself as the host of the webinar.
• Mentioned the excitement of the webinar, focusing on Forrester's evaluation of network analysis and visibility (NAV) solutions.

Overview of the Webinar Topic

• Highlighted Forrester's Q2 2023 report on NAV, describing it as a trusted source for data-driven insights and guidance.
• Noted the webinar's relevance for businesses aiming to modernize through NAV solutions and security practitioners looking to combat emerging threats using machine learning and behavioral modeling.

NAV Report

• Described the NAV report as an in-depth assessment conducted by Forrester, evaluating vendors in the space and offering valuable insights for organizations choosing a network analysis solution.

Resources

• Encouraged attendees to visit cisco.com/go/navbase for more information.
• Invited attendees to submit questions via the Q&A panel.

Panel Introduction

• Provided a brief introduction of the guest speaker, Heath Mullins, a senior analyst at Forrester, with expertise in cybersecurity strategy, network analysis and visibility, secure web gateway, and deception technologies.
• Introduced Crystal Storar, the Director for Network Analytics and Visibility Portfolio at Cisco, with extensive experience in the SecOps space.
• Introduced Matthew Robertson, a distinguished engineer in the security business group at Cisco, with expertise in threat detection and security analytics.

Closing Remarks

• Thanked the speakers for their insights and expertise shared during the webinar.

• Reiterated the importance of analytics in simplifying security operations and encouraged attendees to explore the resources mentioned for further learning.

• Invited attendees to ask any remaining questions via the chat.

• Expressed gratitude to the audience for attending the event and wished them a great day ahead.

Crystal Storar, the Director of Product Management at Cisco, discussed several key points during the special call. Below is a detailed summary of her contributions:

Crystal Storar’s Contributions:

1. Introduction:

   • Crystal thanked Heath Mullins for his presentation and insights.
   • She mentioned that Cisco submitted its Secure Network Analytics Solution for the Forrester Wave evaluation and landed as a strong performer.
   • Crystal expressed pride in Cisco’s position and highlighted the uniqueness of their approach in the market.

2. Cisco Strategy Overview:

   • She outlined Cisco’s strategy of integrating various acquired security products to deliver end-to-end platforms and outcomes for customers.
   • Crystal emphasized that Cisco is focusing on delivering solutions tailored to specific use cases and workflows for security practitioners.

3. Network Analytics and Visibility (NAV) Solution:

   • Crystal noted that Cisco’s NAV solution is strong but acknowledged that it doesn’t solve all customer problems related to detection and response.
   • She mentioned that Cisco’s XDR (Extended Detection and Response) solution was not yet Generally Available (GA) at the time of the Forrester Wave evaluation but is now in the market.
   • Crystal expressed excitement about showcasing Cisco XDR in future evaluations due to its focus on the analyst experience and automation.

4. Cisco XDR Focus:

   • Crystal described Cisco XDR as a single, fully automated solution for Security Operations Centers (SOCs) that is cloud-first, open, and extensible.
   • She highlighted Cisco’s collaboration with competitors to integrate third-party products, allowing customers to leverage their existing investments while benefiting from Cisco XDR.

5. XDR Strategy Highlights:

   • Crystal explained that Cisco believes both the endpoint and the network are foundational components of an XDR solution.
   • She mentioned the importance of cross-correlating data from various sources, including email solutions, EDRs, and other DR solutions, within a single experience for the SOC.
   • Crystal discussed the risk-based analysis that Cisco performs to prioritize security incidents based on potential financial loss.

6. Guided Workflows and Automated Response:

   • She emphasized the importance of guided workflows to help Tier 1 security analysts efficiently respond to incidents.
   • Crystal discussed how Cisco XDR enables automated response, allowing security analysts to take immediate action without needing to navigate multiple consoles.

7. Cisco Secure Network Analytics:

   • Crystal handed over to Matt Robertson to discuss Cisco’s Secure Network Analytics solution in more detail.
   • She briefly mentioned the capabilities of Secure Network Analytics, including its comprehensive visibility and detection features.

8. Customer Success:

   • Crystal concluded her remarks by emphasizing the importance of customer success.
   • She highlighted Cisco’s robust customer experience organization, comprehensive support, and extensive learning resources, including over 150 use cases documented in videos and PDFs.

Closing Remarks:

• Crystal thanked the attendees and handed the presentation back to Sana Yousuf for closing comments.

Matt Robertson discussed several key points related to Cisco's Secure Network Analytics and its strategy for achieving specific outcomes. Below is a detailed summary of his contributions:

Comprehensive Network-Wide Visibility

• Multi-Telemetry Ingest: Modern networks encompass various environments, including remote workers, edge devices, and cloud workloads.
• Data Collection: Data is collected from these different environments, including native telemetry from endpoints and networks, specialized devices (e.g., firewalls, IDS), and cloud environments (e.g., VPC, NSG Flow logs).
• End-to-End View: Creates a comprehensive view of conversations between entities, including who is communicating with whom, how, and when.

Threat Detection Through Analytics

• Behavioral Analytics Engine:
  • Core Engine: Identifies entities and runs approximately 98 behavioral algorithms to establish baselines and detect deviations.
  • Custom Security Events: Fires alarms for specific conditions or attributes.
  • Relationship Events: Analyzes relationships between entities to detect anomalies.
• Converged Analytics:
  • New set of behavioral algorithms and data science models.
  • Runs on additional data sets beyond network flow data.
  • Includes MITRE ATT&CK mappings for detections.
• Cloud-Assisted Model:
  • Enables running complex computations not feasible on-premises.
  • Leverages global intelligence and profiles to influence organizational behavior models.
  • Detects unique families of malware and attacks.

Accelerated Response

• Database Utility:
  • Supports threat hunting and investigations.
  • Allows customers to search for specific scenarios or investigate detections.
  • Enables looking back in time to analyze past communications.

Key Takeaways

• Visibility: Comprehensive visibility across different network environments.
• Detection: Advanced behavioral and converged analytics, including cloud assistance.
• Response: Database facilitates threat hunting and investigation, supporting faster response times.

These points highlight the capabilities of Cisco's Secure Network Analytics in providing visibility, detecting threats, and enabling accelerated responses.