Mike Volpi, 12/27/99

The 25 most powerful people in networking

Mike Volpi, senior vice president of business development and global alliances,
Cisco

M. Volpi

On Wall Street a man like Mike Volpi is known as a "deal maker." While Chambers' charisma gains the CEO most of the company's fanfare, it is Volpi's behind-the-scenes work that has significantly shaped Cisco's clout, particularly in the past two years. He's the one who shops for young budding companies to acquire. His finds have allowed Cisco to bolster its home-grown technology with a string of savvy technology purchases. In fact, he has lead Cisco in more than 40 acquisitions and 70 equity investments.

So far, his aim has been right on target. His coup de grāce was the consumption of IBM's Networking Hardware Division in October. That $2 billion deal severed one of Cisco's longest-standing rivals and handed it a virtual monopoly in SNA/IP routing. Even with that deal, Volpi hasn't rested on his laurels. This year alone Cisco has purchased a dozen companies, and in the process, obtained a range of technologies: Internet customer management software, digital video broadcasting, SONET transport, digital subscriber line voice, voice application software and more.

Likewise, its purchase of wireless LAN equipment vendor Aironet Wireless is helping move the router maker into wireless. A growing arsenal of transport methods is necessary if Cisco expects to compete with the deep pockets and telecom know-how of Nortel Networks and Lucent.

This year, Volpi also controls strategic partnerships and alliances. Cisco counts seven fellow vendors as strategic allies (EDS, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, KPMG, Microsoft, Motorola and PeopleSoft). With these seven companies, Cisco spawns the bulk of its hard-core development work in Internet standards, applications and transport technologies from wireless to frame relay.

The upshot is, if you want to play with Cisco, you've got to get through Volpi. Volpi's power will only be enhanced if he learns to partner as well as he's learned to purchase. Yet don't look for him to stop making deals anytime soon. With its SNA-routing rival now vanquished, expect Cisco to try to take on the telecom vendor giants on their own turf - telephony. This deal maker will be looking to add more sweet telephony companies to Cisco's arsenal.

Related links

Read Cisco's 1999 Annual Report

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