????交換機和路由器是互聯網的基石，作為這類設備的供應商，思科系統公司（Cisco Systems）在搭建互聯網方面發揮了至關重要的作用。隨著互聯網的發展，思科已步入中年，而其標志性產品也已日趨同質化。為了抵御競爭對手，思科正努力尋找新的增長點。

????如今，互聯網的網絡結構在很大程度上復雜了很多。交換機和路由器這類核心網絡設備曾是思科公司的主業，而如今它們大都已淪為大路貨，而一些更復雜的任務——控制動態數據流量則由運行在硬件之上的軟件管理著。因此，隨著瞻博（Juniper）等公司加入競爭，思科在網絡設備市場的份額不斷下降。2011年4月，思科首席執行官約翰·錢伯斯在致全球員工的備忘錄中承認思科缺乏重點。錢伯斯坦承：“人們都說面對擴張，思科需要更加自律。我贊同這種說法。”

????雖然思科已經成功進入高端網絡設備市場，但它在這個領域的表現日漸低迷：路由器和交換機業務貢獻了思科62%的營收，但最近的一個季度，這項業務的營收同比下滑了2%。不過，在其它領域，思科的表現仍然可圈可點：視頻服務營收上漲了30%，無線及數據中心的營收則分別上漲了38%和61%。但這三大業務合計只貢獻了思科22%的營收。

????思科最初的舉動是曲線救國，分頭挺進多個以個人用戶為導向的網絡技術領域。早在幾年前，思科就開始銷售機頂盒、Linksys系列家用WiFi路由器和Flip攝像機。然而，事實證明，這項舉措并不明智，而思科也隨后出售了機頂盒業務。隨著智能手機攝像頭的日益普及，Flip業務也被迫關門大吉。

????最近，思科展示了更具野心的目標——從世界一流的互聯網通信公司轉型為一流的IT公司。首席執行官約翰·錢伯斯在本月的營收電話會議上表示：“最重要的是，我們在向IT領域進軍。成為IT霸主是我們最為重要和夢寐以求的目標。時間會證明我們能否實現這個目標，但我們對目前總體市場狀況感到滿意。”

????As a purveyor of switches and routers that form the Web's backbone, Cisco Systems?is responsible for building the Internet. Perhaps more so than any other company. But as the Internet evolves, Cisco has entered a kind of middle age, struggling to find new areas of growth as it fends off competitors in a market where its signature products have become commoditized.

????The Internet's networking structure has largely become much more sophisticated. The core networking gear of switches and routers that was Cisco's (CSCO)?bread and butter for years has largely become a commodity, while some of the more complex tasks of controlling the dynamic flow of data is managed by?software running on top of the hardware.?As a result, Cisco has lost some of its share of the networking-gear market as companies like Juniper have offered more competition. In an April 2011?memo to Cisco staff, Chambers acknowledged the lack of focus. Chambers said candidly, "Many say that in the face of this expansion, Cisco needs more discipline. I agree."

????Cisco has pushed into higher-end networking equipment, but its overall business in these areas is declining: Both switches and routers, which make up 62% of the company's total revenue, declined 2% in the most recent quarter from the year-ago period.?Other areas Cisco has moved into, in contrast, are doing much better: Service video is up 30%, wireless revenue is up 38% and data center revenue is up 61%. Together, these three segments account for only 22% of Cisco's total revenue.

????Cisco's initial response was to make a detour into more consumer-oriented networking technologies. Several years ago, began selling set-top boxes, Linksys home WiFi routers and theFlip video camera. That detour proved largely ill-advised, and Cisco sold off its set-top boxes and folded up its Flip business as smartphone cameras proved increasingly popular.

????More recently, Cisco has embarked on an even more aggressive goal -- transitioning from the top Internet communications company in the world to becoming the top IT company in the world.?"Bottomline, we're starting to?become an IT player," CEO John Chambers said in Cisco's earnings conference call this month. "It's an important aspirational goal for us to become the number one IT player. Time will tell if we can do that or not, but we like what we're seeing in the market overall."