網(wǎng)絡(luò)硬件巨頭思科愛上軟件
????思科系統(tǒng)公司(Cisco Systems)正在“轉(zhuǎn)化”為一家更多以軟件和服務(wù)為重心的公司,然而這一進程還遠未完成。未來五年中,這家位于加州圣何塞的網(wǎng)絡(luò)設(shè)備巨頭計劃使軟件收入翻倍,從60億美元增至120億美元。為了實現(xiàn)這一目標,它宣布已并購一批軟件企業(yè),包括網(wǎng)絡(luò)服務(wù)管理工具開發(fā)公司SolveDirect,以及為移動運營商開發(fā)軟件的以色列公司Intucell等。 ????2011至2012年間,思科的合作業(yè)務(wù)僅增長了3%。為此,思科也將推動這一領(lǐng)域加速發(fā)展?,F(xiàn)在,它正致力于通過云為各類屏幕提供視頻會議服務(wù)——而不再局限于昂貴的網(wǎng)真系統(tǒng)(TelePresence)——同時還允許與WebEx這類協(xié)作辦公工具實現(xiàn)更好地兼容。上周,思科宣布,客戶將可以通過網(wǎng)絡(luò)瀏覽器的WebEx服務(wù)邀請公司外部的用戶參加網(wǎng)真會議。而《財富》雜志(Fortune)近期正好采訪了思科開發(fā)與銷售總裁羅伯特?勞埃德(他同時也是現(xiàn)任首席執(zhí)行官約翰?錢伯斯的候選繼任者),進一步了解了該公司改革合作業(yè)務(wù)的計劃,也獲知他也準備接受加入近期由雅虎公司(Yahoo)首席執(zhí)行官瑪麗莎?梅耶爾發(fā)起的“在家辦公”的辯論。 ????《財富》雜志:思科的協(xié)作業(yè)務(wù)目前的情況如何,它似乎增長乏力? ????勞埃德:我認為現(xiàn)在協(xié)作業(yè)務(wù)正處在一個轉(zhuǎn)折點上,正處于過渡時期。我是在思科剛啟動IP電話業(yè)務(wù)時加入公司的。一路走來,我們已成為市場領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者。然后我們繼續(xù)引領(lǐng)變革,開創(chuàng)了仿真視頻市場,也就是我們稱之為網(wǎng)真的產(chǎn)品。我們向市場展示這項技術(shù)在公司業(yè)務(wù)中的應(yīng)用前景,從而開辟了這個市場。之后發(fā)生了經(jīng)濟衰退,用戶需要省錢,所以紛紛開始采用這項技術(shù)。而現(xiàn)在的情況是,市場不再僅僅把這類技術(shù)作為終端利用。我們發(fā)現(xiàn),現(xiàn)在更多軟件開始進入這個領(lǐng)域,市場開始把各類設(shè)備都作為終端,比如iPad、三星(Samsung)Galaxy 3手機,以及電視屏幕。所以,在增加終端及基于云的企業(yè)級通訊應(yīng)用數(shù)量的同時,我們的發(fā)展模式開始更多地轉(zhuǎn)向軟件。另一個轉(zhuǎn)變就是云,以及人們開始以購買服務(wù)的形式購買產(chǎn)品。這樣一來,我們的總收入下降了,但在多數(shù)這類領(lǐng)域,我們的市場份額卻在上升,這恰恰意味著市場正在發(fā)生轉(zhuǎn)變。憑借我們的市場份額地位和豐富的產(chǎn)品組合,我們將有力地推動這個變革,同時開發(fā)出整合度更高的應(yīng)用方案。 ????您預(yù)計這種情況何時會出現(xiàn)? ????我想這需要幾個季度的時間?,F(xiàn)在我們發(fā)現(xiàn),用戶對我們基于云的整合通訊方案需求不斷增加。這會為思科帶來更多的經(jīng)常性收入——它跟賣設(shè)備和電話不同,這種收入會隨著時間而遞增。這也正是我們的戰(zhàn)略規(guī)劃的一部分,即獲得更多經(jīng)常性的收入。 |
????Cisco Systems' "transformation" into a more software- and services-centric company is far from complete. Over the next five years, the San Jose-based networking equipment giant plans to double the amount of revenues that come from software from $6 billion to $12 billion. To that end, it's announced a string of software-related acquisitions, including SolveDirect, a maker of network services management tools, and Israel-based Intucell, which sells software for mobile operators, among others. ????It's also shifted gears in its collaboration business, which grew just 3% from 2011 to 2012. Cisco (CSCO) is now focusing on delivering videoconferencing services over the cloud to any screen -- not just pricey TelePresence rooms -- and allowing more interoperability with other collaboration tools like WebEx. Last week, the company announced that customers will be able to invite users outside of their company to participate in TelePresence meetings via the WebEx service on their web browser. Fortune recently caught up with Robert Lloyd, president of Cisco development and sales (and possible successor to CEO John Chambers) to hear more about the company's plans to revamp its collaboration business, and to get his take on the recent "working from home" debate sparked by Yahoo (YHOO) CEO Marissa Mayer. ????Fortune: What's the status of Cisco's collaboration business, which seems to have dipped in growth? ????Lloyd: I think that the collaboration business is at a turning point, it's in transition. I was with Cisco when we started the world of IP telephony. Along that journey we became market leader. Then we led the transition and created a market for immersive video, which we call TelePresence. We made that market occur by demonstrating how the technology could apply to company processes. Then we hit a recession, and people deployed the technology because they needed to save money. What's happening now is I think the market's moving away from taking advantage of those technologies only as endpoints. We're seeing a lot more software coming into that environment, and the market is turning towards endpoints being any devices -- my iPad, my Samsung Galaxy S3, my TV screen. So our model will turn more to software as well as increasing the number of endpoints and the cloud-based delivery of enterprise communications. The other transition is the cloud and people buying things as a service. As a result our gross numbers are down, but in most of these categories our market share is up, which means the market's kind of shifting. And with our market share position and the breadth of our portfolio we will power through that transition and I think come up with a much more integrated approach. ????When do you expect that to happen? ????I think it will take a couple of quarters. We are seeing increased demand for our cloud-based unified communications portfolio. And naturally this then leads to more recurring revenue for Cisco -- unlike selling equipment and phones, it's spread over time. This is actually part of our strategic plan, to build more recurring revenue. |