CEO Choi Ji-hee speaks at the press conference celebrating the 30th anniversary of Cisco Korea held on the 18th at the Cisco Korea office in ASEM Tower, Seoul. /Courtesy of Shim Min-gwan

Cisco's subscription business accounts for 51% of the company's total revenue (global standard). Cisco Korea will apply artificial intelligence (AI) to its network, security, and data businesses to increase sustainable subscription revenue.

Choi Ji-hee, CEO of Cisco Korea, noted on the 18th at a press conference marking the 30th anniversary of Cisco Korea, held at the ASEM Tower office in Seoul, that "Cisco is an AI company."

Choi prioritized the use of AI in the network business. He said, "When a network issue arises, an enormous amount of history must be reviewed to fix it, but collecting and analyzing that data with AI can reduce time and expense. Connecting the network failure cases and solutions accumulated over decades at Cisco to AI allows for immediate responses."

Choi also revealed plans to focus on enhancing energy efficiency in AI data centers. He stated, "Cisco has networking silicon architecture called Cisco Silicon One that can process high-speed data with low power, enabling efficient energy use in AI data centers," adding, "We are paying attention to the market for AI data centers, which have high power demands."

On that day, Choi introduced case studies of major clients of Cisco Korea, including Naver Cloud, SK Hynix, and Amorepacific Corporation. He mentioned, "In 2018, we were selected as the infrastructure construction partner for Naver Cloud to build a new network," and added, "SK Hynix chose Cisco for the implementation of a software-defined network, and Amorepacific Corporation partnered with Cisco for the adoption of a digital Software Defined Access network architecture while preparing for the construction of a new headquarters."

Regarding the application of AI in the security business, the head of the Korean branch of Splunk, a cybersecurity company recently acquired by Cisco, explained. Splunk is focusing on next-generation Security Operations Centers (SOCs), full-stack observability, artificial intelligence operations (AIOps), and domain-specific AI solutions in Korea. Choi Won-sik, CEO of Splunk Korea, stated, "By combining Cisco’s ID intelligence and user protection with Splunk’s analytics, corporations can be better protected and supported in their use of AI."

Founded in 1994, Cisco Korea celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Having started as a hardware company dealing with networking equipment, it has now evolved into a security, data, and AI corporation. In the early 1990s, Cisco Korea supplied network equipment such as routers and switches for high-speed internet services. In the 2000s, it expanded broadband network infrastructure, increasing the internet speed in the country, and in the 2010s, with the full-scale adoption of smartphones and mobile devices, it accelerated the transition into an AI, security, and software corporation. Recently, it has become a full-fledged AI company by providing AI-based solutions across all business areas.

Choi emphasized, "The history of Cisco Korea is intertwined with the history of information technology (IT) in South Korea," adding, "Just as 80% of global internet traffic moves through Cisco infrastructure, Cisco Korea takes pride in contributing to the advancement of Korea's IT and digital transformation."