Cisco Announces MCP Servers and Native ThousandEyes Integration for Network Platforms at Partner Summit
Cisco has released standardized Model Context Protocol (MCP) interfaces for its Meraki and Catalyst network management platforms and integrated ThousandEyes testing directly into Wi-Fi access points to support AI-driven automation.
U.S. networking giant Cisco announced at its 2026 Partner Summit in Vancouver that it is expanding its network platforms to support AI-assisted operations. Key updates include the release of standardized Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers for platforms such as Meraki, Catalyst Center, and the ISE network access control solution, as well as the native integration of ThousandEyes network testing features into supported Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 access points.
The new MCP servers allow external AI tools and agents to securely access configuration and telemetry data from Cisco's network platforms. This move aims to simplify automated error analysis, troubleshooting, and reporting for customers and partners, making it easier to embed network data into enterprise-owned AI agents and workflows. The servers are documented on Cisco's DevNet developer portal and available for download on GitHub.
Additionally, Cisco announced the direct integration of ThousandEyes functionality into supported wireless access points. This enables key network services and applications to be tested automatically and continuously in the background, even when no clients are connected to the Wi-Fi. Previously, ThousandEyes agents typically required separate hardware or ran as containers on switches. The feature requires specific Cisco Networking Essentials or Advantage licenses.
To address potential security risks associated with AI agents, Cisco also introduced 'Privileged Infrastructure Access' in collaboration with Teleport. This feature allows administrators and AI agents to obtain time-bound and task-specific access rights, using short-lived certificates instead of permanent privileged access, and records all sessions to ensure control over critical infrastructure is not compromised.