http://gigaom.com/2004/11/30/falling-over-the-reefedge/ Tracking the Internet Evolution Sun, 12 Oct 2008 12:27:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=MU hourly 1 http://gigaom.com/2004/11/30/falling-over-the-reefedge/#comment-4839 Jesse Kopelman Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2004/11/30/falling-over-the-reefedge/#comment-4839 As long as Cisco is relatively quick to copy any good features offered by the upstarts, they will stay on top. Right now, there is a strong "nobody ever got fired for buying Cisco" attitude going on. If I were a VC I would only invest in a potential Cisco competitor if they were more than a year ahead of what anybody else is offering. Getting big sales wins against a well known and liked incumbant is hard and its even harder when there are 3 other guys with the exact same product as you (in the managed WiFi segment the non-Cisco vote is well split). As long as Cisco is relatively quick to copy any good features offered by the upstarts, they will stay on top. Right now, there is a strong “nobody ever got fired for buying Cisco” attitude going on. If I were a VC I would only invest in a potential Cisco competitor if they were more than a year ahead of what anybody else is offering. Getting big sales wins against a well known and liked incumbant is hard and its even harder when there are 3 other guys with the exact same product as you (in the managed WiFi segment the non-Cisco vote is well split).

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