Upwind connects its cloud security platform directly into Cisco’s AI operations environment

Cloud security firm Upwind has connected its runtime security platform to Cisco Cloud Control, the unified operations environment Cisco introduced at its Live 2026 conference. Through the integration, security teams working inside Cisco AI Canvas can now pull live cloud and AI runtime data from Upwind without leaving the platform they already use daily.

The problem this integration solves is one most cloud security teams recognize immediately. Alerts arrive constantly, but the context needed to judge whether a threat is real and actively exploitable often lives somewhere else entirely. Investigators end up jumping between tools, manually correlating signals from different systems before they can act. By the time the full picture comes together, the window for a fast response has often already closed.

The connection runs through the open Model Context Protocol, which lets AI agents operating inside Cisco AI Canvas sessions reach Upwind’s live cloud inventory, workload behavior, identity activity, and validated risk signals directly. When an alert surfaces, teams get everything in one place, including what is actually running, which services connect to each other, and where genuine exposure exists across cloud and AI workloads.

Amiram Shachar, co-founder and CEO of Upwind, described the value in operational terms. “When security teams can act on real runtime context, what is actually running, exposed and at risk, they can move faster, close gaps sooner and better protect the business without slowing innovation,” he said.

For organizations already running Cisco Cloud Control, the practical effect is straightforward. Investigations that previously required teams to move between separate environments now happen inside a single session. That compression matters in security work, where response time directly affects how much damage a threat causes before anyone contains it.

Upwind was among the first security platforms Cisco selected to integrate with Cloud Control at launch. The company, which the founding team behind Spot.io started in 2022, has raised $430 million to date. A $250 million round in January, led by Bessemer Venture Partners, valued the company at $1.5 billion. Salesforce Ventures, Greylock, and Cyberstarts also back the firm.

The integration reflects a broader shift in how security tooling is evolving, moving away from standalone platforms and toward deeper connections with the operational environments where teams already make decisions.