Network Automation Nerds NAN111: Automation, AI, and the Future of Branch Networking: Inside Cisco Unified Branch (Sponsored)
Jan 21, 2026
Lee Peterson, VP of Product Management for Secure WAN at Cisco, leads product strategy for Cisco Unified Branch and secure WAN. He defines the modern branch, explores scaling with automation and security, outlines closed-loop AI for remediation, describes Branch as Code and validated designs, and highlights vertical needs and new skills like network prompt engineering.
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Branch Network Characteristics
- Branches are distributed sites with little on-site IT and predominantly north-south traffic to cloud services.
- Their design must prioritize remote manageability and cloud-first traffic patterns.
Automate To Scale Operations
- Use automation to avoid linear scaling of operational effort as branch count grows.
- Invest in tools that let you manage many sites without proportionally growing staff.
Telemetry, AI, And Closed-Loop Fixes
- Telemetry and AI are required to process millions of data points across distributed branches.
- Closed-loop automation plus rollback capabilities reduce risk when pushing live changes.