Archive · 28 Sep 2026
Cisco India Says AI Foundations Will Shape Enterprise Growth
Daisy Chittilapilly says companies are moving from testing AI to using it in everyday business.
To do that safely, they need strong computers, networks, reliable data and cybersecurity.
AI agents can perform tasks on their own, so they create much more network traffic than people do.
This can make older networks too slow or difficult to manage.
The interview says security must be included from the beginning, not added later.
Indian banking, financial services and government organisations are among the fastest AI adopters.
Manufacturing may be next because connected factories can use AI for maintenance and quality checks.
Cisco says India has talent, startups and digital infrastructure that could help it become an important AI hub.
Daisy Chittilapilly says enterprises must combine infrastructure, data, networking and security to move AI from pilots into production.
India may need 8GW of data-centre capacity by 2030, with about $70 billion in infrastructure investment expected by 2026.
Agentic AI can generate 450% more traffic than equivalent human work, making networks a potential bottleneck.
Cisco’s AI Readiness Index reports that only 32% of Indian organisations integrate AI into security frameworks, while another measure in the interview puts the figure at 38% for security and identity systems.
BFSI and government are leading AI deployment in India, while manufacturing is identified as the next major sector to watch.
- Who
- Daisy Chittilapilly, president of Cisco India & South Asia, discussing enterprise AI adoption in India.
- What
- The interview examines the infrastructure, networking, data and security requirements for scaling AI from pilots to production.
- When
- The discussion took place in an interview; no publication or interview date is specified.
- Where
- India and the wider Cisco India & South Asia market.
- Why
- Enterprises need an integrated and secure foundation to deploy AI agents and other AI workloads at scale.
- Interview subject
- Daisy Chittilapilly, president, Cisco India & South Asia
- Projected data-centre capacity
- India is expected to need 8GW by 2030.
- Expected infrastructure investment
- About $70 billion by 2026.
- Agentic AI traffic
- A single agentic task generates about 450% more traffic than equivalent human work, according to a Cisco report cited in the interview.
- Security integration measure
- The interview cites 32% of Indian organisations as integrating AI into security frameworks and separately cites 38% as integrating AI into security and identity systems.
- Cisco Networking Academy
- It has trained more than 3 million students.
- Leading adoption sectors
- BFSI and government are described as being ahead, with manufacturing identified as the next sector to watch.