--- title: "Cisco IQ: Engineering Sovereignty in the AI Era" url: https://daily.dev/posts/cisco-iq-engineering-sovereignty-in-the-ai-era-pwqmiesqa source_url: https://blogs.cisco.com/customerexperience/cisco-iq-engineering-sovereignty-in-the-ai-era type: article source: "Cisco" published: 2026-08-26T15:03:01.945Z updated: 2026-08-26T15:51:03.649Z tags: ["security", "cisco"] reading_time: 6 upvotes: 0 comments: 0 language: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Cisco IQ: Engineering Sovereignty in the AI Era **[Cisco](https://daily.dev/sources/cisco)** · 6 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Cisco announced general availability of the Cisco IQ Air-gapped Virtual Appliance, letting organizations run Cisco IQ's AI-powered infrastructure lifecycle intelligence, security assessments, and analytics entirely inside their own network with no data leaving the environment. It uses a local Small Language Model for AI features, supports CPU-only or optional GPU-based inference, and includes SAML, PKI/CBA authentication, FIPS 140-3 and DISA STIG compliance. Updates like security advisories and assessment rules can be manually transferred without full platform upgrades or internet connectivity. A future 'Tethered Virtual Appliance' will add an outbound-only connection for automated updates while keeping data on-premises. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### Is there a way to run Cisco IQ's AI features without sending data to the cloud? Yes, the Cisco IQ Air-gapped Virtual Appliance is generally available for on-premises deployment, keeping all network telemetry, device configurations, and assessment data inside the customer's environment. It uses a local Small Language Model for features like 'Ask AI' and risk analysis, so no external LLM APIs or internet connectivity are required at runtime. _daily.dev surfaces releases like this for engineers evaluating on-prem AI options under strict sovereignty rules._ ### Do I need a GPU to deploy Cisco IQ's air-gapped appliance? No, the core virtual appliance can run on CPU-only infrastructure and still deliver lifecycle intelligence, predictive asset insights, and infrastructure assessments. A modular AI Inference Infrastructure add-on can be layered in later for localized AI inference once GPU resources become available, so AI readiness does not have to be an all-or-nothing decision. _Teams planning phased AI infrastructure rollouts can track these tradeoffs via daily.dev._ ### How does an air-gapped Cisco IQ appliance stay updated with new security advisories without internet access? Administrators can securely transfer updated assessment artifacts, such as Cisco Security Advisories, hardening guidance, and Field Notices, directly into the appliance without reconnecting it to the internet or upgrading the entire platform. Application capabilities, assessment rules, and feature entitlements follow independent release cycles for this purpose. _Security teams managing isolated networks can follow update workflows like this through daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [From Vision to Reality: Intelligence in Action with Cisco IQ](https://daily.dev/posts/from-vision-to-reality-intelligence-in-action-with-cisco-iq-5bccxfyqz) · Cisco · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Cisco IQ is generally available. Here’s what that actually means.](https://daily.dev/posts/cisco-iq-is-generally-available-here-s-what-that-actually-means--pcjhh7fqv) · Cisco · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Cisco IQ: Redefining customer experience while driving partner value](https://daily.dev/posts/cisco-iq-redefining-customer-experience-while-driving-partner-value-s4c9rikmn) · Cisco · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [From Tools to Intelligence: The Engineering Philosophy of Cisco IQ](https://daily.dev/posts/from-tools-to-intelligence-the-engineering-philosophy-of-cisco-iq-ldmkaypr1) · Cisco · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [What We’re Announcing at Cisco Live. And Why It Couldn’t Wait.](https://daily.dev/posts/what-we-re-announcing-at-cisco-live-and-why-it-couldn-t-wait--yk62fnyua) · Cisco · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#security](https://daily.dev/tags/security), [#cisco](https://daily.dev/tags/cisco) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/cisco-iq-engineering-sovereignty-in-the-ai-era-pwqmiesqa)