Cisco Systems Inc. today launched a new set of artificial intelligence-powered predictive services aimed at helping customers anticipate failures in their information technology systems.

The new tools include something called Business Critical Services, which can forecast system failures by leveraging an assortment of data analytics, automation, compliance and security tools. Cisco also announced a High-value Services product that provides support for software and networks to help with analytics, onboarding, scale and efficiency.

Cisco said its new services are needed because many companies are faced with the prospect of a growing skills gap in IT operations. The company even rolled out its chief executive officer, who said AI tools such as its new offerings can augment human abilities in order to minimize the effects of this gap, while at the same time fostering greater innovation.

“Today’s world is moving faster than ever, and to be successful, businesses must have the right blend of IT talent and services,” Cisco’s CEO Chuck Robbins said in a press release. “By leveraging AI and machine learning to address critical IT issues, Cisco’s new services offerings will truly help our customers free up time to focus on the growing IT talent gap, and remain competitive into the future.”

The new services suggest Cisco is making fast progress towards integrating the services it acquired when it bought out application monitoring provider AppDynamics Inc. for $3.7 billion in January. Announcing that deal, Cisco said the plan was to use AppDynamics’ technology to create a portfolio of monitoring tools for everything from applications to the “internet of things.”

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