Cisco and Quali's AI Infrastructure Automation Platform Gains Momentum
Cisco has released its Stack Automation platform, which automates the deployment of GPUs, AI models, applications, and other infrastructure across hybrid environments. This new tool is designed to simplify the complex process of setting up modern infrastructure for enterprises.
The development of Stack Automation was a collaborative effort between Cisco and Quali, with the exclusive right to offer it through Cisco’s channels. The primary goal is straightforward: make setting up and managing AI infrastructure less manual and time-consuming, especially when multiple technologies are involved and different teams need to be coordinated.
Stack Automation combines Quali’s automation technology with Cisco Validated Designs and security best practices. It also integrates seamlessly with other Cisco products like Intersight and Nexus Dashboard, which will eventually become part of the Cloud Control platform for AgenticOps.
The Solutions Hub in Stack Automation is a comprehensive resource featuring technologies from both Cisco and third-party vendors. This catalog spans networking, security, observability, virtualization, AI frameworks, enterprise applications, including popular tools like Splunk, Red Hat OpenShift, NVIDIA NIMs, VMware, Qumulo, and Veeam.
For channel partners, Stack Automation presents a significant opportunity to standardize and automate their deployment processes. The validated blueprints are designed to simplify infrastructure planning and deployment, allowing them to integrate existing investments in Terraform, Ansible, Python, Shell, and Helm into governed workflows without having to start from scratch.
Customers increasingly ask solution providers to set up complex environments that span multiple areas such as networking, compute, storage, security, virtualization, and applications. By automating the deployment of these full-stack environments, Stack Automation can save businesses weeks or even months spent on infrastructure setup before they can begin using AI.
The platform’s ability to automate complex deployments while incorporating the collective expertise and validated designs of Cisco and its partner ecosystem into every workflow is a key benefit, according to Jeremy Foster, senior vice president and general manager of Cisco Compute. Customers should not have to spend weeks assembling infrastructure before putting AI to work.
Stack Automation offers different tiers for users: Essentials supports standard software deployments on a subscription basis, while the Advantage subscription adds features like Blueprint Designer, GitOps integration, advanced customization, and agentic design capabilities. Full-stack solutions, including Cisco AI PODs, are scheduled for availability in October.
The automation of complex deployments through Stack Automation has the potential to save businesses weeks or even months spent on infrastructure setup before they can use their AI tools effectively.