CISCO has made recent acquisitions of Astrix Security and WideField Security to enhance its security platform, particularly focusing on the management of non-human identities (NHIs) such as API keys and AI agents that possess human-level privileges. As enterprises increasingly deploy AI agents, Cisco's strategy aims to integrate NHIs into the primary security control framework. Astrix provides tools to discover and govern NHIs, while WideField adds capabilities for identity lifecycle management.
This shift emphasizes the importance of knowing 'who or what' is making requests, rather than just where they are coming from. Analysts suggest these acquisitions are timely and essential as the use of agentic AI solutions proliferates, highlighting potential security risks associated with AI-driven operations.