In an era where data is king, small businesses are increasingly required to harness insights from disjointed information across various platforms. Cisco is responding to this need with the launch of Splunk Federated Search for Snowflake—a new integration that aims to streamline data accessibility and analytics for businesses.
This innovation enables organizations to combine operational and business data within the familiar Splunk interface while leveraging the capabilities of Snowflake’s AI Data Cloud. The integration aims to break down silos holding back data-driven decision-making, providing small businesses with the tools to accelerate innovation and improve customer experiences.
Kamal Hathi, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Splunk, stated, “Splunk Federated Search for Snowflake makes it simple for customers to access and act on their data, uniting business and operational insights in one view.” This promise of simplicity is crucial for small business owners who often juggle multiple responsibilities and need efficient solutions.
One significant opportunity that arises from this integration is its ability to unify visibility across diverse data sources, aiding in security, observability, and operational objectives. By enabling teams to quickly query Snowflake data from within Splunk, organizations can gain deeper insights faster, which is critical in today’s fast-paced business environment.
The integration offers several key capabilities aimed at easing data management woes:
- Easy Onboarding: Small businesses can seamlessly add Snowflake as a source in Splunk, reducing the initial friction of incorporating new technology.
- Federated Query Experience: Users can write queries similar to those in Splunk directly on Snowflake data, enhancing user familiarity.
- Powerful Data Joins: Businesses can combine datasets from both platforms, providing richer context and insights.
- Efficient Querying: The integration allows for partial queries in Snowflake, streamlining final data joins in Splunk.
These functionalities can empower small businesses to enhance their operational efficiencies, enabling faster issue detection and resolution—critical factors in maintaining service levels and customer satisfaction.
Real-world applications of Splunk Federated Search for Snowflake extend across various operational use cases, particularly in IT operations (ITOps) and security operations (SecOps). For instance, small tech firms can utilize this integration to monitor system performance while simultaneously managing customer data, resulting in actionable insights that bolster their service offerings. The combined data analysis can also enhance marketing strategies by merging operational metrics with customer behavior data, driving more effective campaigns.
However, small business owners should also be aware of potential challenges when integrating new technology. Transitioning to this new system involves not just a financial investment but also time and training to ensure staff are comfortable using the new tools. Furthermore, while this integration simplifies data access, a certain level of data literacy remains essential to avoid the pitfalls of misinterpreting combined insights.
This innovative solution reflects Cisco’s commitment to fostering an open data ecosystem, and it will be highlighted in a live demo at the upcoming Splunk .conf25 event. As Carl Perry, Snowflake’s Head of Analytics, elaborated, “Through the integration, Snowflake and Splunk will be able to more effectively connect data and break down silos for our joint customers.” This collaboration could provide small businesses with the confidence to pursue more substantial data-driven strategies, enhancing their competitive edge.
Splunk Federated Search for Snowflake is set to be generally available globally for Splunk Cloud AWS commercial customers by July 2026. For more details on this announcement and others from Splunk, you can visit the original news release here.
As small businesses navigate the complexities of data management, Cisco’s new integration stands to be a game-changer in simplifying and enriching the data insights landscape, making it a significant consideration for any firm aiming to thrive in the data-driven economy.
Image via Envato
