Arik Hesseldahl

Recent Posts by Arik Hesseldahl

Is Cisco Systems Tough Enough for You?

I’d hate to have to compete with Cisco right about now. Everyone who follows the company had worried that the situation in Europe was going to weigh down on its results, and it certainly didn’t help. Even so, Cisco got the job done and managed to beat the consensus for earnings by a penny a share, with a solid beat on sales, too.

Chambers was on CNBC just as the earnings news hit the wires to talk about it all. Europe isn’t getting better any time soon. So the key is going to be taking share away from competitors like Juniper. As Chambers put it: “Our market share gains have never been better than they have in the last 12 months.”

Also: This is the part where I pick a song to try and illustrate Cisco’s results. Every time I talk to Chambers he asks about it, and it’s become a tradition that I happen to enjoy. This quarter I picked “Tuff Enough” by The Fabulous Thunderbirds. Listen to the lyrics and the song totally fits the situation. I embedded a live performance of that song below the CNBC clip. Enjoy them both. Cisco’s currently fighting its way through a difficult marketplace and doing what needs to be done. It’s tough enough for sure.

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