Routing the Path to End-To-End Communication

An Analysis of Cisco Systems and how the use of Information Technology gave them a Competitive Advantage

Mira Vissell

ISM 158 Business Analysis Paper

March 4th, 2004
Table of Contents

Objective

Section I: Industry Summary: An Analysis of Network Equipment Industry A. Industry Profile B. Competitive Strategies within the Industry C. Porter Model Evaluation of Industry Forces D. Globalization of the Industry E. Importance of Information Technology in the Industry

Section II: Company Perspective: An Analysis of Cisco Systems A. Cisco Systems profile B. Market and Financial Performance C. Competitive Strategy Statement D. Significance of Information and Information Systems E. Strengths and Weaknesses of Cisco

Section III: Structured Analysis of Information System Use A. Strategic Option Generator B. Roles, Roles and Relationships C. Redefine/define D. Significance of Telecommunications E. Success Factor Profile

Section IV: A Final Analysis of the Success of Cisco Systems A. The Success of Business Strategy and IT used to Date B. The Effective Position of the Company for Future Performance

Bibliography

Objective
The objective of this paper is to analyze how Cisco Systems gained competitive advantage in the networking industry through the use of information systems and key business strategies.
This paper has four sections that help in this analysis. The first section looks at the network equipment industry profile and examines the different competitive strategies within this industry. The porter model can be a way of examining the industry forces. It also looks at how companies in the industry are often forced to go global and how information systems have a huge impact of the