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Cisco Systems, Inc. designs and sells a broad range of technologies that power the Internet, integrating product portfolios across networking, security, collaboration, applications, and the cloud to create secure, intelligent platforms for digital businesses . The company operates globally, primarily managed through three geographic segments: the Americas, EMEA, and APJC . Cisco's business activities focus on providing comprehensive solutions that integrate networking and security with advanced technologies like AI to support digital transformation for their customers .
- Networking - Offers routers, switches, and other infrastructure essential for building and managing networks.
- Security - Provides cybersecurity solutions, enhanced by the acquisition of Splunk, to protect digital environments.
- Observability - Delivers tools and services for monitoring and analyzing IT infrastructure and applications, bolstered by Splunk's capabilities.
- Collaboration - Develops communication and collaboration tools to enhance productivity and connectivity.
- Services - Offers a range of support and consulting services to optimize the use of Cisco's products and solutions.
| Name | Position | External Roles | Short Bio | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Charles H. Robbins ExecutiveBoard | Chair and Chief Executive Officer | Board Member at BlackRock, Inc. | CEO since July 2015, Chair since December 2017. Over 25 years at Cisco, previously led global sales and partner teams. | View Report → |
Deborah L. Stahlkopf Executive | EVP and Chief Legal Officer | Board Member at NextEra Energy, Inc. | Joined Cisco in August 2021. Previously held leadership roles at Microsoft, including Corporate VP and General Counsel. | |
R. Scott Herren Executive | Executive Vice President and CFO | Board Member at Rubrik, Inc. | Joined Cisco in December 2020. Previously CFO at Autodesk and held leadership roles at Citrix, FedEx, and IBM. | |
Thimaya Subaiya Executive | EVP of Operations | None | Joined Cisco in July 2018. Previously held leadership roles at Salesforce and Oracle. | |
Daniel H. Schulman Board | Independent Director | Board Member at Verizon, Lazard | Director since October 2023. Former CEO of PayPal. Extensive expertise in technology and business transformation. | |
Dr. Kristina M. Johnson Board | Independent Director | Board Member at DuPont, Minerals Technologies | Director since 2012. Former President of The Ohio State University and Chancellor of SUNY. Renowned engineer and entrepreneur. | |
John D. Harris II Board | Independent Director | Board Member at Exxon Mobil, Flex Ltd., Kyndryl Holdings | Director since 2021. Former VP of Business Development at Raytheon. Extensive experience in government relations and supply chain management. | |
Marianna Tessel Board | Independent Director | EVP and GM at Intuit Inc. | Director since 2021. EVP and GM at Intuit. Former engineering leader at Docker and VMware. | |
Mark Garrett Board | Independent Director | Board Member at GoDaddy Inc., Snowflake Inc. | Director since 2018. Former CFO of Adobe and EMC. Senior Advisor at Permira. | |
Michael D. Capellas Board | Lead Independent Director | Board Member at The Beauty Health Company | Director since 2006. Former CEO of MCI, Compaq, and First Data. Extensive experience in technology and governance. | |
Sarah Rae Murphy Board | Independent Director | None | Director since 2022. Former Chief Procurement Officer at United Airlines. Extensive experience in finance and operations. | |
Wesley G. Bush Board | Independent Director | Board Member at Dow Inc., GM Corporation | Director since 2019. Former CEO and Chair of Northrop Grumman. Extensive experience in aerospace and defense. |
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Given that networking revenue declined by 23% this quarter compared to the same period last year, and acknowledging the previous backlog shipments' impact, what specific strategies are you implementing to drive sequential growth in your networking segment for the rest of fiscal 2025?
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With customers preparing for AI but only 13% of organizations reporting that their infrastructure is ready, how confident are you that the expected increase in front-end capacity demand will occur in the near term, and what factors could potentially delay this anticipated growth?
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Security orders, excluding the U.S. Federal impact, grew in the mid- to high teens driven by new products like XDR and Secure Access, but given that Hypershield is not yet a major contributor to orders, how sustainable is this growth rate without significant adoption of your newer offerings?
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As you continue integrating Splunk, can you elaborate on the challenges you may face in realizing the expected synergies, and how this integration will drive sustained growth in your security business amidst fierce competition?
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Considering the recent fluctuations in product orders due to inventory digestion and normalizing demand, what specific factors give you confidence in achieving your long-term target of 4% to 6% growth, and are there any near-term headwinds that could jeopardize this goal?
Competitors mentioned in the company's latest 10K filing.
| Company | Description |
|---|---|
Amazon Web Services LLC | Competes with the company in certain product or service areas, particularly in networking and communications equipment markets. |
Competes with the company in specific product categories within networking and communications. | |
Competes with the company in certain product or service areas, particularly in networking and communications equipment markets. | |
Competes with the company in specific product categories within networking and communications. | |
Competes with the company in certain product or service areas, particularly in cybersecurity. | |
Competes with the company in specific product categories, particularly in observability technologies. | |
Competes with the company in certain product or service areas, particularly in networking and communications equipment markets. | |
Competes with the company in specific product categories, particularly in observability technologies. | |
Competes with the company in certain product or service areas, particularly in cybersecurity. | |
Competes with the company in certain product or service areas, particularly in networking and communications equipment markets. | |
Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. | Competes with the company in specific product categories within networking and communications, with a focus on price competition, especially in Asia. |
Competes with the company in certain product or service areas, particularly in networking and communications equipment markets. | |
Competes with the company in specific product categories, particularly in cloud and networking technologies. | |
New Relic, Inc. | Competes with the company in specific product categories, particularly in observability technologies. |
Competes with the company in certain product or service areas, particularly in networking and communications equipment markets. | |
Competes with the company in specific product categories, particularly in areas involving advanced computing technologies. | |
Competes with the company in certain product or service areas, particularly in cybersecurity. | |
Competes with the company in specific product categories, particularly in collaboration technologies. | |
Competes with the company in specific product categories, particularly in collaboration technologies. | |
Competes with the company in certain product or service areas, particularly in cybersecurity. |
Notable M&A activity and strategic investments in the past 3 years.
| Company | Year | Details |
|---|---|---|
Threatology, Inc. | 2025 | Cisco completed the acquisition on January 31, 2025, having signed the Agreement and Plan of Merger on December 15, 2024. The deal involved the assumption of 214,644 RSUs (registered at a proposed maximum price of $60.41 per unit, for a total of $12,966,645) and contributed $168 million in increased goodwill, supporting its long‐term equity incentive strategy. |
Splunk Inc. | 2024 | Completed on March 18, 2024, Cisco paid $157 per share in cash, with a total consideration of approximately $27.09 billion. The deal generated significant intangible assets and goodwill (amounting to $19.3 billion and $10.6 billion respectively), involved the assumption of convertible notes, and incurred transaction costs of $85 million to bolster its cybersecurity and observability capabilities. |
Robust Intelligence, Inc. | 2024 | Acquired on September 23, 2024, this acquisition was executed through a merger agreement on August 26, 2024, and involved converting 687,617 RSUs at a proposed price of $52.17 per share (totaling $35,872,979). It strategically enhanced Cisco’s AI security offerings and was part of a broader initiative alongside the DeepFactor, Inc. acquisition. |
DeepFactor, Inc. | 2024 | Acquired on September 19, 2024, DeepFactor, Inc. is a cloud-native application security company brought in to strengthen Cisco’s security portfolio as part of its first quarter fiscal 2025 strategic initiatives. |
Isovalent, Inc. | 2024 | Completed on April 12, 2024, Cisco acquired Isovalent, Inc.—a leader in open-source cloud-native networking and security—to integrate its eBPF, Cilium, and Tetragon technologies into Cisco’s AI-driven Security Cloud platform and enhance its multicloud security capabilities. |
Recent press releases and 8-K filings for CSCO.
- Cisco is emphasizing the integration of co-packaged and pluggable optics, including 400-/800-gig solutions, to support AI applications in data centers and metro networks.
- The company reported exceptionally strong yet lumpy AI-related demand from hyperscalers, leading to cautious inventory management.
- Cisco highlighted its strategic partnership with NVIDIA, integrating Cisco silicon and optics into NVIDIA’s reference architecture and promoting its AI Hyperfabric for enterprise on-prem solutions.
- Discussion included significant manufacturing challenges for co-packaged optics, such as fiber attachment and connector reliability, underscoring a multiyear effort to refine these processes.
- Cisco has announced the Secure AI Factory with NVIDIA, an integrated solution designed to simplify the deployment and security of AI infrastructures for enterprises.
- The offering embeds security across all layers—from AI applications and workloads to the underlying network and infrastructure—using technologies like Cisco AI Defense and Hybrid Mesh Firewall.
- Deployment options include both a ready-to-deploy turnkey model using Cisco Nexus Hyperfabric AI and a customizable, build-your-own approach, with availability expected before the end of calendar 2025.
- This strategic collaboration aims to accelerate enterprise digital transformation by combining Cisco's robust networking and security portfolio with NVIDIA’s advanced AI infrastructure capabilities.