ITPRO

Printed from www.itpro.co.uk

Register to receive our regular email newsletter at http://www.itpro.co.uk/registration.

The newsletter contains links to our latest IT news, product reviews, features and how-to guides, plus special offers and competitions.

Skip to navigation

    Cisco and Microsoft detail interoperability pact

The two competitors vow to compete and co-operate where necessary.

By Maggie Holland, 20 Aug 2007 at 17:38

The chief executives of industry giants Cisco and Microsoft shared centre stage in New York this afternoon to reassure customers that while they intend to continue to compete in certain areas, they will work together to ensure interoperability in others.

Recently, both companies have been focusing their efforts around the vision of unified communications and today they outlined, or at least tried to, their joint plans for what they see as the next wave of the internet.

"Our customers love the fact we compete. I'm not shy about it. We have more guys to innovate and come in to bid on price and that's all fantastic. But [customers are] saying 'If I choose to use some of Microsoft's stuff and some of Cisco's, I don't want to be penalised by that'," Microsoft's chief executive Steve Ballmer said during a live web cast hosted at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. "[They're saying] 'Give me the choice and... not the all or nothing choice'."

Despite a lengthy discusson, the specific details of what the two companies will work together on and which areas they'll remain rivals in still seemed a little sketchy to those watching the web cast. But both chief executives were happy to admit that they recognise that no one company can do everything, particularly when it comes to security.

"The days of being friend or foe are over... If you look at one of the things that slows down an industry quicker than anything else, it's probably security," said Cisco's chief executive and chairman John Chambers. "We have worked together very closely with the federal government on how to solve this problem and work together to alleviate the majority of the threat of the problem. One company cannot solve it by itself. Together [Cisco and Microsoft] touch a large part of their exposure. Companies don't want issues of competition to cause them not to be interoperable in their own environment."

The next big web wave will be all about making technology much easier to use and, according to Ballmer, chief executive officers are already starting to see their IT people as more of a help than a hindrance and realise that technology can help them strategically.

Chambers echoed Ballmer's thoughts in this area: "We think the second phase of the internet is in front of us. It's easy to use technology. If we're right, in next three to five years, I think we'll see a gradual increase in productivity occur from this."

As a last reassurance that it has co-operation at the forefront of its mind, Microsoft's Ballmer said: "Engineers' egos can be confused for competition. We get a little bit of that. But we don't want to let engineers' egos get in the way of important interoperability."

Email to a friend

Print this page

Social Bookmark this article: What is this?

Be the first to comment on this article

You need to Login or Register to comment.

advertisement

    Latest Internet Reviews

HTC Touch HD

Rating: 4

Has HTC finally created a viable competitor to the iPhone, or is the Touch HD just another good-looking phone that struggles to cope with Windows Mobile?

Read more

 
advertisement

    Latest News Videos in Internet

Video: Q&A with Easynet Connect's Chris Stening

Play Video: Q&A with Easynet Connect's Chris Stening   Play

IT PRO spoke to Chris Stening, managing director of Easynet’s SME division, about whether ISPs are giving businesses the service they deserve.

 

    White papers

Want more background on today's hottest IT trends?

Visit IT PRO's white paper library for more on virtualisation, encryption and other topics.

    Register for IT PRO

You'll get exclusive member benefits including free white papers, downloads, Webinars and weekly newsletters full of the latest IT PRO news, reviews, insight and expertise.

Advertisement