Disruptive Forces: Cisco Systems

Cisco Systems

Location: San Jose, Calif.

CEO: John Chambers

Revenues: $34.9 billion

What they do: Maker of all things networking

Disruptive qualities: It’s a serious belief that unified communications and telepresence will change the way business is done.

The tech that makes them tick: Cisco has a sexy IP combo of 720p and 1080p high-definition cameras using H.264 video codecs; delay-free wideband audio coding; multichannel spatial audio with echo cancellation and interference filters; and specially designed office furniture to hide all the broadband networking gear. The system plays well with IP telephony and syncs with Office, Notes and other groupware apps.

Who they are disrupting: Cisco impacts telecoms, airlines, hotels, business event organizers and, especially, Hewlett-Packard’s Halo.

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