US - United States
AU - Australia
CA-Canada
CH-China
FR-France
DE-Germany
IT-Italy
JP-Japan
KR-Korea
LATAM
EN-Middle East
NL_Netherlands
PL-Poland
ES-Spain
Human-Centric Technology Takes Center Stage at Extreme Connect 2025
Published: May 23, 2025
What a week it has been! Extreme Connect 2025 lit up Paris from May 19-21 with three unforgettable days of innovation, inspiration, and connection. In one of the world’s most iconic cities, this year’s event brought together a global community of IT leaders, partners, and visionaries to explore the future of networking—and that future is bold, intelligent, and human-centric.
While this year’s event is a wrap, you can relive it all by watching replays and highlights from the mainstage livestream, or catch up on what you missed right here!
Where it all comes together
Monica Kumar, Chief Marketing Officer of Extreme Networks, took the stage to open Extreme Connect 2025, welcoming a standing-room-only audience and setting the stage for what would become three days of bold ideas and boundary-pushing innovation. With the energy in the room buzzing, Monica spoke about how “Extreme is not just our name. It is who we are,” painting a picture of how Extreme technology powers everything from self-pouring beer at Gillette Stadium, to smart retail systems that prevent food spoilage. She reminded us that the network is the invisible foundation for modern life—essential, often unnoticed, but absolutely vital.
“Extreme is not just our name. It is who we are. We produce ground-breaking and innovative technologies and products so you, our customers and partners, can delight your customers. It is how we do it. We go above and beyond for our customers and partners.”
Monica’s message was clear: Extreme is not just building networks—we are building purpose. She emphasized how we are using AI to amplify your potential and to fuel innovation to enhance human experiences with cutting-edge connectivity.
Keynote: Why we need human-centric AI
Next to take the stage was Dr. Rana el Kaiouby, delivering a thought-provoking keynote on human-centric AI. As a pioneer in Emotion AI and a passionate advocate for ethical innovation, she challenged the audience to think beyond the buzzwords and focus on building AI that is not only intelligent, but also emotionally aware and deeply human. From AI twins and agentic networks, to AI-powered health diagnostics and relationship tools, Dr. el Kaliouby dove into how AI can help amplify humanity rather than replace it.
“AI is the single most transformative innovation of our lifetime… but we must build it with empathy, ethics, and trust.”
Future of IT: Simpler, smarter, available now
If there was one message Nabil Bukhari, Chief Technology Officer and Chief Product Officer of Extreme Networks, wanted to drive home during his mainstage session it was this: The future of IT is simpler, smarter, and here now. He announced that Extreme Platform ONE™ is in Limited Availability, with General Availability coming in Q3 of this calendar year, and you can sign up now if you are interested in being among the first to experience its transformative power.
Extreme Platform ONE is designed to cut through the noise and complexity of modern IT environments with a unified, AI-powered approach that delivers real outcomes, not just promises. “What used to take days will take minutes. What used to take minutes will be instant. That is the power of Extreme Platform ONE,” Nabil declared. He demonstrated the platform’s 24/7 AI service agents that can diagnose, strategize, and even resolve network issues autonomously, with human-in-the-loop control when needed. From seamless case creation to real-time dashboards tailored by role, Extreme Platform ONE is built to empower everyone in your organization, not just IT. And with innovations such as Extreme AI Canvas and our newly expanded hardware portfolio, it is clear that Extreme is not just keeping up with the future, we are building it.
But don’t just take our word for it. To bring the real-world impact of Extreme Platform ONE to life, Nabil invited Andrew Smith, Head of Digital Service Delivery for West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, to share his experience. Andrew spoke candidly about how the platform has transformed his team’s ability to manage complex networks with clarity and speed, describing how the AI-powered tools have become like an extra set of hands, especially valuable when resources are stretched.
“Extreme Platform ONE gives me a helicopter view of what is going on in my complicated network and it makes it simple for my team.”
Agentic networks: Smarter ecosystems through AI collaboration
Day two featured Nabil leading a panel discussion with some of the brightest minds in AI and networking to explore how collaboration across platforms is shaping the future of IT. Panelists included Eduardo Kassner, Chief Data & AI Officer, High-Tech Sector, Microsoft; Ilan Bressler, Vice President, Client Computing Group (CCG), Intel; and Markus Nispel, Vice President of Engineering & CTO EMEA, Extreme Networks.
Together, they unpacked how Extreme Platform ONE is not just unifying networking and security, it is redefining what is possible when AI is embedded at the core.
“What Extreme did [with Extreme Platform ONE] was find a way for you to diagnose problems, automate resolutions, maintain compliance, secure your network, and integrate with third party technologies. By building this platform underneath that gives you a compliance layer on top, it is truly way more comprehensive than what I have seen in others.”
The panelists emphasized that trust, governance, and data quality are essential to building AI systems that are powerful, responsible, and scalable. Their advice: start small, experiment, and build confidence in AI’s capabilities over time.
“The question shouldn’t be can I trust AI, the question should be how quickly, how soon, and what is the right process for me to implement it.”
Powering Liverpool FC and some of the biggest names in sports
Next, Norman Rice, Chief Commercial Officer of Extreme took the stage, joined by Drew Crisp, SVP of Digital at Liverpool FC to talk about how technology and tradition are coming together to elevate the fan experience at Anfield Stadium. Drew shared how Extreme solutions have helped modernize the experience at the iconic venue, without compromising its historic charm. From real-time analytics that inform fan engagement strategies to rapid issue resolution that will come from Extreme Platform ONE, the partnership is redefining what is possible in not just sports tech, but enterprise networking.
It’s a wrap!
To close out an unforgettable event, Ed Meyercord, CEO of Extreme Networks, took the mainstage with a message of gratitude, momentum, and vision. He reflected on how far the industry and Extreme Networks have come over the past decades, from the early days of cloud networking to today’s AI-powered platforms that are transforming how we connect, collaborate, and innovate. Ed emphasized that while the pace of change is accelerating, Extreme’s commitment to our customers remains constant: to simplify complexity, deliver outcomes, and walk alongside them every step of the way.
If you missed any of the action or want to relive the magic, by watch replays and highlights from the mainstage livestream, and see how the future of networking is being brought to the present.
