Original article: Tech Week PH Cebu explores AI and autonomous networks for smarter connectivity
CEBU—As the digital economy grows more complex, the future of enterprise connectivity is becoming increasingly autonomous. During PLDT Enterprise’s first Tech Week PH 2025 in Cebu, industry experts came together to share actionable strategies for building future-ready networks—highlighting innovations in Software-Defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN) and AIOps (Artificial Intelligence for IT Operations).
With the theme “Connectivity of the Future: SD-WAN & AIOps in Building Autonomous Networks,” the session featured talks from thought leaders and industry experts on insights into how AI and automation are redefining network design, resiliency, and operations.
Driving toward autonomy: A telco perspective
Eric Santiago, First Vice President and Head of Network Strategy and Engineering at PLDT and Smart, emphasized that the push for autonomous networks is a necessary evolution—not just for telcos, but for all large enterprises.
“We are witnessing an exponential increase in network demands—from new devices and services to evolving customer expectations,” Santiago shared. “Autonomous networks powered by AI allow us to reduce operational complexity, improve service rollout time, and enable smarter infrastructure decisions.”
Drawing from real-world case studies, Santiago highlighted how automation has helped global operators reduce alarm volumes from 50,000 daily alerts to just under 50 prioritized anomaly triggers—demonstrating the potential of AI for both efficiency and responsiveness. He also pointed to top global use cases including digital twins, advanced anomaly detection, and deep customer profiling as drivers of competitive advantage.
The role of AI in network management
David Medallo, Director for the Philippines at Human Managed, provided a deep dive into how AI models—both supervised and unsupervised—are transforming network security and user access operations.
He explained that one of the biggest challenges for IT teams is prioritizing what matters most among thousands of data points. Using real-world implementations of tree-based machine learning algorithms for supervised learning, and clustering models for unsupervised learning, AIOps tools can now:
• Automatically label and rank critical security violations
• Detect user behavior anomalies
• Support investigation workflows based on data-driven prioritization
Industry leaders gather for a panel discussion during Tech Week PH Cebu to explore how SD-WAN and AIOps are transforming enterprise networks into intelligent, autonomous systems.
“AI is only as powerful as the data it’s built on,” Medallo emphasized. “With the right inputs, we can turn complexity into clarity—and transform raw data into Intelligence, Decision, and Action, or what we call I.DE.A.”
SD-WAN: The foundation of future-ready connectivity
While automation and AI drive insights, SD-WAN plays the critical role of enabling flexibility and resilience across modern enterprise networks.
Cisco explored how SD-WAN allows organizations to dynamically route traffic, enforce intelligent policies, and integrate cloud environments with greater control and performance. During his talk, James Manalo, SD-WAN Specialist at Cisco, highlighted how automation and analytics improve real-time responsiveness.
Collaborating for smarter infrastructure
The forum concluded with a panel discussion featuring experts from PLDT, Cisco, Ericsson, Fortinet, Huawei, and Human Managed who discussed the policy, security, and implementation challenges around autonomous network adoption in the Philippines.
“We’re not just talking about faster networks—we’re talking about networks that learn, respond, and scale with the business,” Santiago noted during the panel. “That’s the future we’re building for.”
By supporting Tech Week PH 2025, Cisco stood at the forefront of discussions throughout the event, underscoring a shared commitment with PLDT Enterprise to accelerating digital transformation across industries. Their joint initiatives aim to empower businesses with enhanced connectivity, security, and operational efficiency.
Their participation during Tech Week PH in Cebu further highlights Cisco's expertise in networking technologies and in delivering innovative solutions that drive business success in the digital age.
PLDT Enterprise’s commitment to innovation
PLDT Enterprise and its network partners continue to champion infrastructure strategies that enable secure, intelligent, and future-ready digital ecosystems. With Tech Week PH Cebu as a launchpad for these conversations, the company reaffirms its role in powering the next wave of enterprise transformation—one that is autonomous, AI-enabled, and built for real-world resilience.
Tech Week PH 2025 is powered by Cisco, Alibaba Cloud, CSG, Ericsson, Fortinet, Huawei, Avolution, Fibercom Telecom, Canon, Delinea, Dream, Hikvision, Kital Connect, Pronet, Quanta Dance, Soprano, and Trend Micro.
