Comments on: Is Cisco vulnerable? http://strom.wordpress.com/2006/05/11/is-cisco-vulnerable/ New and improved with just a hint of lemon Mon, 28 Dec 2009 20:05:05 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: robert gordon http://strom.wordpress.com/2006/05/11/is-cisco-vulnerable/#comment-869 robert gordon Thu, 03 Aug 2006 22:44:31 +0000 https://strom.wordpress.com/2006/05/11/is-cisco-vulnerable/#comment-869 can you tell me what valuation cisco put on a company that was involved with echo feedback on termination. It was a small company out of California that had an augerrythem. The company was purchased by Cicso last year. Unfortunately, I do not know the name of the company but I was wondering what they paid for the company can you tell me what valuation cisco put on a company that was involved with echo feedback on termination. It was a small company out of California that had an augerrythem. The company was purchased by Cicso last year. Unfortunately, I do not know the name of the company but I was wondering what they paid for the company

]]> By: Digital Common Sense » Cisco Vulnerable to Competition? Oh yeah. http://strom.wordpress.com/2006/05/11/is-cisco-vulnerable/#comment-95 Digital Common Sense » Cisco Vulnerable to Competition? Oh yeah. Tue, 16 May 2006 01:28:16 +0000 https://strom.wordpress.com/2006/05/11/is-cisco-vulnerable/#comment-95 [...] Thanks to Dave Piscatello for a point toward a reall insightful post that catches the crux of Cisco’s weak spot. Is Cisco vulnerable? [...] [...] Thanks to Dave Piscatello for a point toward a reall insightful post that catches the crux of Cisco’s weak spot. Is Cisco vulnerable? [...]

]]> By: strom http://strom.wordpress.com/2006/05/11/is-cisco-vulnerable/#comment-92 strom Sat, 13 May 2006 23:46:13 +0000 https://strom.wordpress.com/2006/05/11/is-cisco-vulnerable/#comment-92 Let's not forget Cisco's continual effort to join the call center software club with a number of acquisitions post-Geotel. They have yet to really demonstrate a media-independent suite of applications that service the call center. Call Manager may be an adequate office phone system at best, but their Geotel purchase has not brought them any traction in the call center space. As you know, carriers do not like Cisco due to reliability and performance issues. Perfect example of no synergy. Is John buying companies in an effort to preven the technology from going to others? He may not have a real plan for these companies but is Cisco protecting its future by buying "insurance" against its competition? Mark Ryan Let’s not forget Cisco’s continual effort to join the call center software club with a number of acquisitions post-Geotel. They have yet to really demonstrate a media-independent suite of applications that service the call center. Call Manager may be an adequate office phone system at best, but their Geotel purchase has not brought them any traction in the call center space. As you know, carriers do not like Cisco due to reliability and performance issues. Perfect example of no synergy.

Is John buying companies in an effort to preven the technology from going to others? He may not have a real plan for these companies but is Cisco protecting its future by buying “insurance” against its competition?

Mark Ryan

]]> By: strom http://strom.wordpress.com/2006/05/11/is-cisco-vulnerable/#comment-90 strom Fri, 12 May 2006 18:47:49 +0000 https://strom.wordpress.com/2006/05/11/is-cisco-vulnerable/#comment-90 You probably wrote this before you knew about the announcement that I read in today's Wall Street Journal - that the <a href="http://www.networkingpipeline.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleId=187202578" rel="nofollow">founders of Linksys are "moving on"</a> If the Cisco environment does not support innovators in top management positions, then what hope is there? I'll offer two more thoughts. 1. The acquisition model can be very profitable, but is ultimately unsustainable. (But ultimately can be a long time). As a company grows by acquisition it needs to find bigger and bigger targets, or more and more targets. This cannot happen indefinitely. 2. The Cisco model is the Novell model. Don't make your products very accessible, but have a set of dealers who will require considerable training and who will make very good margins. They will be totally loyal, and will not sell anything else. Robert Wilkinson, software developer You probably wrote this before you knew about the announcement that I read in today’s Wall Street Journal – that the founders of Linksys are “moving on”

If the Cisco environment does not support innovators in top management positions, then what hope is there?

I’ll offer two more thoughts.

1. The acquisition model can be very profitable, but is ultimately unsustainable. (But ultimately can be a long time). As a company grows by acquisition it needs to find bigger and bigger targets, or more and more targets. This cannot happen indefinitely.

2. The Cisco model is the Novell model. Don’t make your products very accessible, but have a set of dealers who will require considerable training and who will make very good margins. They will be totally loyal, and will not sell anything else.

Robert Wilkinson, software developer

]]> By: strom http://strom.wordpress.com/2006/05/11/is-cisco-vulnerable/#comment-89 strom Fri, 12 May 2006 17:43:25 +0000 https://strom.wordpress.com/2006/05/11/is-cisco-vulnerable/#comment-89 A reader says: Cisco used to buy strategically/proactively. They now buy defensively/reactively. This says, "we used to know what we needed to round out our portfolio, now we're letting others dictate..." A reader says: Cisco used to buy strategically/proactively. They now buy defensively/reactively. This says, “we used to know what we needed to round out our portfolio, now we’re letting others dictate…”

]]> By: strom http://strom.wordpress.com/2006/05/11/is-cisco-vulnerable/#comment-88 strom Fri, 12 May 2006 12:51:41 +0000 https://strom.wordpress.com/2006/05/11/is-cisco-vulnerable/#comment-88 Interesting take. I think you are correct that Cisco is losing market and mindshare, especially in commoditized technology areas. But our most recent cover story on enterprise WLANs takes a different view. When Cisco acquired Airespace last year, they purchased the leading start-up, the company with the best combination of technology and product. Afte the acquisition, they had 3 choices: 1. Kill the Airespace stuff and integrate staff and customers into the Cisco wireless fold. 2. Offer two different platforms, an autonomous AP system based on Cisco's internally developed Wi-Fi offerings and a thin-AP/controller system based on Airespace. 3. Kill ongoing development of their autonomous AP system and designate Airespace as the flagship enterprise Wi-Fi offering. My sources indicate that the first option was not really considered, that they tried to go with the second option but customer focus groups convinced them that they needed to decide on a single-product strategy, so they went with Airespace. Food for thought. Dave Molta, Syracuse University/Network Computing Interesting take. I think you are correct that Cisco is losing market and mindshare, especially in commoditized technology areas. But our most recent cover story on enterprise WLANs takes a different view. When Cisco acquired Airespace last year, they purchased the leading start-up, the company with the best combination of technology and product. Afte the acquisition, they had 3 choices:

1. Kill the Airespace stuff and integrate staff and customers into the Cisco wireless fold.

2. Offer two different platforms, an autonomous AP system based on Cisco’s internally developed Wi-Fi offerings and a thin-AP/controller system based on Airespace.

3. Kill ongoing development of their autonomous AP system and designate Airespace as the flagship enterprise Wi-Fi offering.

My sources indicate that the first option was not really considered, that they tried to go with the second option but customer focus groups convinced them that they needed to decide on a single-product strategy, so they went with Airespace.

Food for thought.
Dave Molta, Syracuse University/Network Computing

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