Cisco's new CTO talks first impressions

Coming from Motorola, how do you size up Cisco's mobility portfolio?

The focus is very different. Motorola was very much a mobile device company also focused on some of the infrastructure and applications. Cisco is coming from the network, really using the network as a platform to deploy some of these solutions onto any device. The strength that Cisco has is that we can deploy services and applications across any device because we have the network we can use as a platform. And then going forward, if you think about the software-as-a-service model, we can provide even mobility services. Cisco is probably better positioned to provide any device/any service across any network. The value is going to be in the service delivery. Remaining agnostic to any particular device is actually a strength for Cisco.

Are there any technology areas where you think Cisco should decelerate or exit?

I can't tell yet that I have come to that conclusion. We are looking at it, especially with the Development Council, in terms of if you want to invest more aggressively in virtualization, collaboration are there things we need to invest less in. I don't have the answer yet but I hope to get there. We, as a team, hope to get there in the next six months or so.

How do work you with the Chief Development Office (CDO) and the CDO Council?

There's a very tight linkage. I work with three major constituencies: the field organization, the Development Council... we have a very good connection because the development council is more focused on execution. They're executing on products more near term making sure that things are delivered on time. There's a strong connection in the sense of if I think this is a particular area I think we should go after we work together. I would go to the council, I would share my vision, they would give me feedback. So, it's a dialogue going back and forth.

The third organization I work closely with is the IT organization. Because a lot of the things that we want to do in terms of future implementation we want to test out. And (Cisco CIO Rebecca Jacoby) has an organization that thinks about how to deploy some of the technology.

Another big part of my role is going to be to drive innovation, both at Cisco or incorporating it from the outside. So I also work closely with the M&A organization that Ned Hooper leads. I truly believe that innovation comes from having an inside engine but also tapping into what's happening outside.