I have never met a CFO who cared about the technology. They all ask the same questions. Does it work? How much does it cost? What is the long term cost of ownership? Will it positively affect my business? A switch is an expense; a VOIP network or Unified Communications or Telepresence solution is a productivity tool. The switching and routing are parts of it.

Cisco is stronger as a whole entity than in any one market. So when they talk about IP Telephony and show how it saves the customer money in the long run, the switching and routing business follows. When they talk to the executives, they talk about support, financing terms and improvements to productivity not wiz bang feature X. It's not spin, it's business!