Cisco: Network Empire

Author: Yi Mou
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-10-01
Features: The success of Cisco can be attributed to: a group of right people, at the right time, in the right place, establishing a right company, and another group of right people, with the right ideas and means, leading a right company. Cisco is the inventor of the most important networking equipment in the Internet—the router. The founders of Cisco, the Lennox family, are professors at Stanford University, a renowned institution for IT talent. Cisco was founded in Silicon Valley, USA. Cisco's former leaders include the legendary figure of Silicon Valley, Morgridge, and Chambers, the current CEO and one of the most famous management gurus. These individuals have made indelible contributions to Cisco's development. Today, Cisco's growth is the history of Cisco. This book, with comprehensive and vivid details, recreates the historical development process of Cisco. Cisco's unique customer philosophy, distinctive cultural traditions, pervasive promotional methods, shrewd political strategies, and invincible competitive tactics all stir the nerves of every manager. The author not only excels in "adopting" but also in digesting, and ingeniously utilizes traditional wisdom, such as the 36 Stratagems, The Art of Being Masterful, and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Guided by classic wisdom, readers gain a deeper understanding of Cisco's success. Even more commendable is that the author does not blindly worship Cisco but maintains a cool and critical perspective throughout. The chapter "Cisco's Danger" uses the wisdom of contrarian thinking to thoroughly analyze the hidden risks beneath Cisco's glorious exterior, a unique approach in books analyzing Cisco! The most prominent feature of Cisco's business philosophy is its acquisition strategy. In the past two decades, Cisco has acquired over 70 companies, and its acquisition pace has never stopped. There is a Chinese saying, "A sheepskin cannot fit on a dog," meaning different companies have different cultures and business philosophies. "It is easy to shake a mountain but hard to shake a person's beliefs!" So, how did Cisco "assimilate" these companies? To answer this question, the second part of this book—Acquisition and Development—provides a detailed analysis and explanation!