Global CIO: An Open Letter To Cisco CEO John ChambersGlobal CIO: An Open Letter To Cisco CEO John Chambers

But what is unique to Cisco is your network-centric approach: Nobody else comes at the market that way. Not IBM, not Oracle, not HP, not Microsoft, not Dell, not EMC –- nobody. That's great in that it gives you a unique perspective and entree in many sectors, but it's also a challenge because your philosophy is not what CIOs have been trained upon: They know that the network sits at the center of their infrastructure and applications, but do they in turn believe that the network is therefore the core strategic driver of their business? Or do they still consider it to be plumbing?

The answer will depend to a great extent on how you frame some of the CIO-centric issues noted above, such as the trifecta of globalization, virtualization, and collaboration that your own CIO discusses. Do you think it's clear in the minds of the top CIOs in the world how Cisco will help them harness the power of virtualization and collaboration on a global scale? Will you be a core player in virtualization and collaboration, or a facilitator?

And again in the areas of "saving to invest" (or as we call it, Lower The Cost Of Infrastructure, or the 80/20 Ratio), customer intimacy, and global growth -– phenomenal, front-of-mind topics for CIOs these days, but are these areas where you intend for Cisco to be A Major Player or perhaps just a supporting player?

So forgive me for being repetitive, but for all of the questions I've asked in this letter, I think this one is the most important by a long shot: What business is Cisco in today?

If you attack that answer with the energy and passion that you have brought to all of your many successes at Cisco, you'll help clarify much of the CIO-level uncertainty that's swirling around this business and that I mentioned at the beginning of this letter. Tell the CIO world, John, what kind of player you intend for Cisco to be in the enterprise. Tell them what role Cisco will play in virtualization and collaboration, in customer intimacy and global growth, in data centers and in lowering the cost of infrastructure, and in pushing the CIO profession and position deeply into the realm of customer engagement. Tell the CIO world what business Cisco is in today. It's a story they want to hear.

Thanks for your time.

Bob Evans

Global CIO Senior VP and Director

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