思科：步入中年，怡然自得

    思科在互联网安全、无线技术和数据中心等领域的扩张正是其转型战略的一部分，该公司希望从通信设备扩展至更广大的IT硬件及服务领域。至于思科上月以12亿美元收购Meraki，则是钱伯斯转型愿景的另一重要举措。Meraki的云网络平台将大大增强思科在WiFi及移动管理领域的实力。而且，Meraki的绝大部分客户都是中等规模的企业和机构，例如诺德斯特姆百货（Nordstrom）、苹果蜂（Applebee's）、星巴克（Starbucks）、地方政府及斯坦福（Stanford）、麻省理工（MIT）等大学，它们将填补思科在这方面的客户空白。

    思科企业网络部高级副总裁罗伯特·索德贝里在电话会议上向投资者表示：“我相信思科和Meraki将改变中端市场机构……构建和消费网络技术的方式。所以这笔交易并不仅仅只是产品技术或人才方面的收购，Meraki将成为思科进军云网络的新平台。”

    公布Meraki交易之后，思科的股价上涨了5％。分析人士指出，这笔交易可以巩固思科在WiFi市场的半壁江山：思科的无线客户大都是大客户，而Meraki可以为思科带来规模较小的客户。更重要的是，Meraki基于云端的平台可在不增加IT人手的情况下进行IT维护。William Blair投资银行分析师贾森·艾德上周在研究报告中写道：“从思科的角度而言，Meraki基于云端的管理软件是这笔交易中最具价值的资产，它在未来可将思科企业级方案中的多款产品‘云端化’。

    截至2012年10月，思科拥有450亿美元现金储备，足够该公司进行更多类似Meraki这样有针对性的收购。构建互联网基石这项业务可能不如10年前有利可图，但思科似乎已学会了如何谨慎地进入与其核心业务相关、同时又具有增长潜力的领域。

    译者：项航

    Cisco's expansion into areas like Internet security, wireless technology and data centers are a part of this strategy from communications equipment to a broader portfolio of IT hardware and services. The announcement last week of Cisco's $1.2 billion purchase of Meraki is another big step toward the vision Chambers outlined. Meraki's cloud-networking platform offers Cisco a stronger presence in WiFi and mobile management. Most of Meraki's customers -- including Nordstrom (JWN), Applebee's, Starbucks (SBUX), local governments and universities like Stanford and MIT –-- are mid-sized institutions, an area of the market Cisco has not focused on so far.

    Rob Soderbery, Cisco's senior vice president of enterprise networking said in a call to investors, "I believe that Cisco and Meraki will transform how midmarket organizations...build and consume network technology. So this is not just a product technology or talent acquisition, we're bringing Meraki in as the new platform within Cisco for cloud advantage networks."

    Cisco's stock is up 5% since announcing the Meraki deal. Analysts noted that the deal could strengthen Cisco's 50% share of the WiFi market: Most of Cisco's WiFi customers are larger customers, and Meraki could bring smaller customers into its fold. What's more, Meraki's cloud-based platform can handle IT maintenance without taking on more IT staff. Jason Ader, an analyst at William Blair, said in a note last week that "Meraki's cloud based management software is the crown jewel of the deal from Cisco's perspective, and could be used to 'cloudify' multiple products within Cisco's enterprise portfolio in the future."

    Cisco ended October with a $45 billion cash stockpile, enough to allow it to make more targeted acquisitions like Meraki. The business of building the Internet's backbone may not be as lucrative as it was a decade ago, but Cisco seems to have learned to expand prudently into new areas of growth related to that core business.