When Cisco Systems Inc. acquired the software-defined networking company Viptela Inc. earlier this year, some saw a legacy of flat feet trying to buy relevance. The 33-year-old multinational giant, however, is infusing Viptela with more than the $ 610 million check he injected, according to Manan Shah (photo), director of product management at Cisco Systems.
Companies are filling in blanks in each of their portfolios and rounding up their business models. "Cisco as a company is moving towards a business model based on subscriptions," said Shah. "And Viptela had to do with the subscription business model, so that was very attractive to Cisco."
What is bequeathed is new again
While Cisco has green Viptela to continue innovating to the rhythm of a startup, the latter is attracting new customers thanks to the corporate influence of Cisco. As an independent startup, Viptela sometimes encountered doubts from companies that were not sure about their representative. The trusted brand of Cisco has significantly increased its sales portfolio.
Viptela is also joining capabilities of Cisco's portfolio in its software-defined wide-area network structure. "If you look at Viptela, they were all Ethernet-based products," Shah said.
It could not offer customers digital subscriber line technologies or T1 / E1 interfaces, for example. These and other offers in the Cisco portfolio are now open for Viptela, just as Viptela's SD-WAN network solutions are available for Cisco to mix products.
"Naturally, it made sense to take advantage of the full breadth of Cisco's portfolio and incorporate it into the structure," Shah said. "In the coming months, we will have new software that will take advantage of all those capabilities and have a complete portfolio connected to that SD-WAN fabric."
Watch the full video interview below, and be sure to check out more about AWS re: Invent's SiliconANGLE and theCUBE coverage. (* Disclosure: Cisco Systems Inc. sponsored this Cube segment, neither Cisco Systems nor other sponsors have editorial control over content in the Cube or Silicongle).
