Network is the most scalable performance platform: Cisco

If Intel sees microprocessors as the most scalable platform, Cisco sees its growth more dependent on the network infrastructure. "Network is the most scalable performance platform since the microprocessor," says John Chambers, president and CEO, Cisco Systems.

With greater integration taking place between various platforms and with greater seamless access, the network seems to be growing as the backbone of every technology. With the growth of network infrastructure, security takes the front seat and Cisco has at present 25 per cent market share in this segment.

At the Nasscom CEO forum on "Network IT: Driving global innovation and integration", Chambers said that the greatest question that nags every chief executive officer or CIO is how to grow faster and increase revenues.

Enunciating his decade long experience as head of Cisco, in which Cisco grew from $1.2 billion in 1995 to $25 billion in 2005, he said that the key growth drivers of his company are increased network productivity and proximity to consumers.

"The key to growth in any country is its infrastructure, education, environment for innovation and government support," he said.

The network infrastructure has evolved to become faster from transaction infrastructure to interactive real time processes which requires resilient network infrastructure.

Stressing the need for closer watch on the market transitions, he said that change in business processes are key to growth.

"It is like three axes - infrastructure, application and process change. An intelligent information network works on both business architecture and technical architecture," said Chambers.

He said that his company has been able to catch up with market trends consistently and that is the reason why it is a leader in all the segments.

At present, Cisco has 25 per cent stake in security, 35 per cent in network home, 47 per cent in IP telephony, 74 per cent in routing, 25 per cent in wireless Local Area Network and 43 per cent in storage.