Cisco Unveils Motific: A SaaS Solution to Speed Up Generative AI Implementations

Today, Cisco unveiled Motific, its new software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution designed to streamline and accelerate the deployment of generative AI in enterprises.

Developed through Outshift, Cisco’s incubation engine for emerging technologies, Motific offers a comprehensive view of the entire generative AI lifecycle, from initial assessment to production. This enables IT and security teams to implement trustworthy generative AI capabilities with control over data usage, security, responsible AI practices, and costs.

The launch of Motific comes at a pivotal time as enterprises across various sectors are eager to harness generative AI for both internal and customer-facing applications. Recent data from Workato indicates that the adoption of generative AI across business processes surged by 400% in 2023, led by revenue operations and IT teams.

How Can Cisco Motific Assist Enterprises?

While generative AI delivers numerous business advantages, including enhanced productivity and profitability, it can also introduce trust issues due to biases and inaccuracies. To mitigate these risks, companies traditionally invest considerable time and resources in selecting the right model, building assistants with accurate data, and monitoring performance.

Motific simplifies this complex process with an all-in-one, model- and vendor-agnostic solution that guides users through the generative AI journey—from experimentation to production. With just a few clicks, users can set up the product, which automatically configures assistants, abstracted APIs, and Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) using relevant data sources and models. Cisco claims this accelerates deployment from months to just days.

Key features include essential compliance controls to manage over-usage, spending limits, and integration with organization-specific data. Built-in policies address sensitive data handling, security threats like prompt injections, and reliability issues, enabling teams to customize their detection and mitigation strategies.

Once models are in production, Motific provides insights into business processes, prompt usage, ROI, and cost analysis, along with consolidated monitoring and metrics for user requests. This helps teams establish budgets and prevent unauthorized AI usage.

“Motific accelerates the time to value for enterprises using generative AI by reducing upfront risks and enabling faster innovation,” stated Vijoy Pandey, Senior Vice President for Outshift.

Expected Availability

Motific is set to be previewed at Cisco Live EMEAR, with general availability anticipated by June 2024. While the offering appears promising for organizations looking to leverage generative AI without dedicating extensive resources, its real-world performance remains to be fully assessed. Interested IT teams can explore Motific further on Outshift’s website, with details on pricing to be announced in conjunction with the full launch.

Pandey noted that early adopters have provided positive feedback, particularly praising Motific’s solution-oriented approach and model-agnostic benefits.

It’s important to recognize that Motific isn't alone in the generative AI landscape. The sector, projected to generate $4.4 trillion in global corporate profits annually, has seen a rise in companies developing tools to ensure accurate AI application deployment. Competitors like Arize, Datadog, and Google-backed Context are also vying for market share.

However, according to Pandey, what sets Motific apart is its access to Cisco's extensive data resources and robust end-to-end security infrastructure.

“Cisco provides the necessary foundation for AI development, including unmatched network speed, capacity, and security. As generative AI continues to evolve, customers will benefit from a comprehensive solution that addresses compliance and competitive demands,” he explained.