By Alex Pujols, Ph.D.,
Publication Date: 2026-09-21 16:23:00
For the third year in a row, we conducted a survey of partners around the world to uncover the challenges and opportunities they face in supporting their customers’ AI ambitions. Cisco’s 2026 Global AI Partner Study, “From Adoption to Accountability: How Partners Can Close AI’s Value Gap,” highlights both the value gaps and the new growth opportunities emerging.
Our 2026 Global AI Partner Study just published, sharing insights from 1,702 partners across 30 countries.
Every year this study tells me something I didn’t expect. This year it was a number that went down: only 29% of partners report high awareness of AI-specific security threats, down from 35% last year.
At first glance, that may sound like partners are falling behind. But I see it as a reflection of a more realistic understanding of security in the AI era.
A year ago, many of these risks were still abstract. Now, nearly half of customers are already piloting or scaling agentic AI, and partners are…