As 2025 draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on the extraordinary pace and complexity that defines the Asia-Pacific, Japan and China (APJC) region. APJC is a market like no other: diverse, distributed, digitally ambitious and now a global leader in AI adoption. This year, this unique combination has created both unprecedented opportunities and new forms of cyber risk.
Early reports from Cisco Talos made it clear that our region faced a particularly challenging 12 months. Unknown attackers have targeted organizations based in Japan, with ransomware incidents increasing 1.4 times over the previous year. At the same time, APJC organizations have accelerated their transition to AI, with 23% of employees using public GenAI tools to work on personal devices. AI went from experimentation to critical infrastructure almost overnight.
This dual reality defined 2025: extraordinary innovation combined with extraordinary risk.
At Cisco, our approach remains grounded in the principles that guide everything we do:
- Network-integrated security. Protection must be intrinsic and not secondary.
- Simplicity on a grand scale. Reducing complexity creates resilience.
- AI-powered security. Using AI not only to detect threats, but to get ahead of them.
These themes were brought to life throughout the year, fueled by groundbreaking innovations and strategic collaborations.
People, partnerships and proactive posture
Cybersecurity would not be possible without the people who implement it. OUR Networking Academy expanded to APJC, equipping people with the skills needed to defend an AI-powered world. The CISA Emergency Directive provided a powerful reminder that in APJC, where critical infrastructure supports national growth, rapid fixes and proactive vigilance are not optional, but are fundamental to regional resilience.
Our partnerships have deepened, demonstrating the power of collective innovation. From the University of Queensland, driving regional innovation and talent development in Australia, to our work with Splunk to create Cisco Data Fabric, unifying security for Singapore businesses. This year also saw the creation of a major joint venture with AMD and Human to provide cutting-edge AI infrastructure, a crucial step in creating a secure and scalable foundation for AI adoption within APJC.
Innovate to stay ahead in the AI era
We continued to innovate at a steady pace. At RSAC 2025, global innovations like Cisco XDR with agentic AI capabilities and the Foundation AI team reinforced how integrated ecosystems help APJC organizations defend against increasingly automated threats. These advances
are essential as we supercharge our secure enterprise network architecture for the AI era, leveraging AgenticOps to integrate security and automation directly into campus, branch, and industrial networks.
HAS Cisco Live APJC in Melbournewe set a clear direction: focus on AI-ready infrastructure, digital resilience, and secure workplaces by design. It’s clear that when technology and trust come together, innovation thrives. We celebrated partners like Data#3, whose achievements reflect the strength of our regional community, and we introduced features like secure on-demand AI data center access through Cisco SD-WAN. Additionally, the launch of Cisco IQ this year underscores our commitment to AI-driven simplicity, helping customers more easily manage and secure their technology investments.
Looking to the future: a safe and innovative 2026
Today, as December ends, one thing is certain: APJC is building a secure future defined by AI readiness, resilience, community, and trust. The progress we made in 2025 would not be possible without people: our teams, our partners and our customers are the reason progress happens.
In 2026, we will continue to build this secure future, placing ourselves at the forefront of cybersecurity and strengthening regional resilience. The threat landscape never stops, but neither do we. Together, we are united to ensure the future of APJC and beyond.
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