Wednesday, 22 August 2007

Cisco, Microsoft Kiss and Make Up

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Cisco CEO John Chambers said that the two companies would work together to provide choices for customers who want to pick and choose from both...

Two long time rivals Microsoft and Cisco have decided to put their rivalries on the back burner and move on. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Cisco CEO John Chambers said that the two companies would work together to provide choices for customers who want to pick and choose from both.

"They're saying, 'Give me the choice. Don't give me the all or nothing choice,'" said Ballmer, adding that he is seeking "respectful competition" with Cisco.

Cisco has built its reputation on network equipment used to carry Internet traffic, while Microsoft has provided the fundamental software required for computing.

The two companies started their competition in recent years, aiming to deliver a unified communication system that ties together email, phones and other tools over Internet networks, although the size of the overlap between them still remains relatively small.

"John's going to wake up one morning and say he wants to do something that overlaps with us, and that's his prerogative," Ballmer said. Microsoft announced to make a broad alliance with network equipment maker Nortel Networks, a Cisco competitor, in unified communications last year.