From a rumored record-breaking ServiceNow acquisition to fresh security enhancements from Cisco, here are extracts from some of this week’s most popular news stories.
ServiceNow in Talks to Buy Armis for $7BN, in Next Phase of CX-Driven Cybersecurity Consolidation
ServiceNow is reportedly in talks to acquire cybersecurity startup Armis in a deal that could be valued at as much as $7BN, a transaction that would be ServiceNow’s largest acquisition to date and underscore how cybersecurity is becoming a core pillar of enterprise customer experience strategies.
The takeover could be announced in the coming days, according to Bloomberg, although the deal is not a foregone conclusion and Armis could attract a competing bidder.
If completed, the acquisition would bring the firm’s exposure management platforms into ServiceNow’s expanding portfolio of AI-enabled workflow, security, and risk management products.
The firm’s Centrix platform automatically discovers and tracks devices ranging from laptops and smartphones to medical equipment and industrial control systems, as well as building infrastructure, to identify cyber threats and quarantine suspicious devices before they connect to corporate networks.
Centrix’s agentless design monitors an organization’s full digital attack surface without requiring software installation on the devices.
That capability is increasingly critical. Customer journeys now depend on complex, always-on digital environments (Read more…).
Zoom Launches AI Companion 3.0, Expands its AI Strategy
Zoom has today announced the general release of its new product, AI Companion 3.0.
The product, initially announced earlier this year at Zoomtopia 2025, will allow users to utilize workflow assistance in meetings and chats for real-time support.
Speaking on the Fox Business program, Mornings with Maria, Zoom CEO Eric Yuan explained that Zoom Companion 3.0 is part of the continuation of the company’s AI transformation strategy.
“In the AI era, we are leveraging AI to build an AI-first work platform – to have people connect to work smarter, better, and faster,” he said.
“We are doubling down on AI to further innovate our platform – and truly have people stay connected.”
This strategy will also benefit Zoom’s enterprise customers and its customer-facing teams as it moves toward monetizing AI agents.
“We are looking at AI from a customer perspective – take Zoom Contact Center, we leverage AI to build a Zoom virtual agent we can monetize.”
Furthermore, agent customization couldn’t be simpler, with Zoom offers customers the capabilities for agent creation (Read more…).
Cisco Reveals Security and Safety Framework for Enterprise AI Readiness
Cisco has revealed its AI Security and Safety Framework to support and manage risks in modern systems.
This unified structure combines both security and safety into a single model to reduce gaps and misalignment in activities.
This will enforce protection on AI tools utilized in customer interactions, reducing the risk of unsafe customer outputs.
The threat of AI is still recognized as a real risk, despite the pace of adoption being at its highest level.
This has likely been a result of knowledge gaps in AI security, with the technology evolving at a rapid pace, many organizations have not yet understood how to control its behavior within an unpredictable ecosystem.
According to Cisco’s 2025 AI Readiness Index, many companies are still unprepared to face this danger, with only 29% of those surveyed believing they’re adequately prepared to defend themselves against these threats.
In attempting to keep up with the rising demand for AI products, these results suggest that CX leaders are willing to encounter this risk rather than fall behind in AI deployment.
This could result in unwanted exposure and failure of customer and brand data without a management plan in place, elevating risk likelihood due to low responsible adoption and a reactive-first solution (Read more…).
IKEA New Zealand Pauses Customer Support as It Struggles With Launch Demand
IKEA launched in its first store in New Zealand to much fanfare earlier this month but it has become a victim of its own success, forcing the Swedish furniture retailer to shut down its customer support center temporarily to focus on dealing with the backlog.
The retailer’s long-awaited arrival in Auckland on December 4 was met with overwhelming online demand from across the country, resulting in growing frustration for customers who have found their orders have been delayed or cancelled.
IKEA acknowledged that it has fallen behind on its orders and fulfilment services. It stated on its website:
“We have been bowled over by the response from New Zealanders all over the country since we opened our doors on 4 December. The sales and orders secured over the first few days have surpassed our expectations and as a result some of our fulfilment services are currently unavailable.”
Complaints about delayed deliveries, cancelled orders and stock shortages have spread across social media, with some customers saying they have struggled to get any response from the retailer by phone or email.
And there have been lengthy delays for customers trying to reach support staff through the website’s live chat function (Read more…).
