Cisco moving into CDNs?

The tech blogs were abuzz this week of Cisco possibly looking to offer content delivery network services. The tip off was Cisco acquiring colo space at data centers.

Is Cisco looking to compete with customers too? I can see the 'moving into adjacent markets to catch transitions' thing but sooner or later your going to step on the wrong toes. But maybe the temptation is just too much. Or maybe their stuff didn't sell with CDNs...

It makes sense that Cisco would want to be a service provider too. It gets to try out all of its own stuff. It gets to do what (some of) its customers won't. It helps create demand for its products -- and now, apparently, services. But it has to be in a market where the customer base is limited. I can see Cisco doing this in CDNs, where its penetration is relatively light; but for TelePresence, no.

It does, though, chart with the company's course. Cisco's working on some SaaS-based security offerings, and it did acquire a services model with the purchase of WebEx. It will be a presence in services...

It'll be good to see Cisco finally do something with ArrowPoint. I used to think they wanted to emulate IBM from the 1980s-90s; and then the connection with Microsoft was predictable.

Now they appear to have their sights set on pre-breakup AT&T.

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