????思科在互聯(lián)網(wǎng)安全、無(wú)線技術(shù)和數(shù)據(jù)中心等領(lǐng)域的擴(kuò)張正是其轉(zhuǎn)型戰(zhàn)略的一部分,，該公司希望從通信設(shè)備擴(kuò)展至更廣大的IT硬件及服務(wù)領(lǐng)域,。至于思科上月以12億美元收購(gòu)Meraki，則是錢伯斯轉(zhuǎn)型愿景的另一重要舉措,。Meraki的云網(wǎng)絡(luò)平臺(tái)將大大增強(qiáng)思科在WiFi及移動(dòng)管理領(lǐng)域的實(shí)力,。而且，Meraki的絕大部分客戶都是中等規(guī)模的企業(yè)和機(jī)構(gòu),，例如諾德斯特姆百貨（Nordstrom）,、蘋果蜂（Applebee's）、星巴克（Starbucks）,、地方政府及斯坦福（Stanford）,、麻省理工（MIT）等大學(xué)，它們將填補(bǔ)思科在這方面的客戶空白,。

????思科企業(yè)網(wǎng)絡(luò)部高級(jí)副總裁羅伯特·索德貝里在電話會(huì)議上向投資者表示：“我相信思科和Meraki將改變中端市場(chǎng)機(jī)構(gòu)……構(gòu)建和消費(fèi)網(wǎng)絡(luò)技術(shù)的方式,。所以這筆交易并不僅僅只是產(chǎn)品技術(shù)或人才方面的收購(gòu)，Meraki將成為思科進(jìn)軍云網(wǎng)絡(luò)的新平臺(tái),?！?/p>

????公布Meraki交易之后，思科的股價(jià)上漲了5％,。分析人士指出,，這筆交易可以鞏固思科在WiFi市場(chǎng)的半壁江山：思科的無(wú)線客戶大都是大客戶，而Meraki可以為思科帶來(lái)規(guī)模較小的客戶,。更重要的是,，Meraki基于云端的平臺(tái)可在不增加IT人手的情況下進(jìn)行IT維護(hù)。William Blair投資銀行分析師賈森·艾德上周在研究報(bào)告中寫道：“從思科的角度而言,，Meraki基于云端的管理軟件是這筆交易中最具價(jià)值的資產(chǎn),，它在未來(lái)可將思科企業(yè)級(jí)方案中的多款產(chǎn)品‘云端化’。

????截至2012年10月,，思科擁有450億美元現(xiàn)金儲(chǔ)備,，足夠該公司進(jìn)行更多類似Meraki這樣有針對(duì)性的收購(gòu)。構(gòu)建互聯(lián)網(wǎng)基石這項(xiàng)業(yè)務(wù)可能不如10年前有利可圖,，但思科似乎已學(xué)會(huì)了如何謹(jǐn)慎地進(jìn)入與其核心業(yè)務(wù)相關(guān),、同時(shí)又具有增長(zhǎng)潛力的領(lǐng)域。

????譯者：項(xiàng)航

????Cisco's expansion into areas like Internet security, wireless technology and data centers are a part of this strategy from communications equipment to a broader portfolio of IT hardware and services. The announcement last week of Cisco's?$1.2 billion purchase of Meraki?is another big step toward the vision Chambers outlined.?Meraki's cloud-networking platform offers Cisco a stronger presence in WiFi and mobile management. Most of Meraki's customers -- including Nordstrom (JWN), Applebee's, Starbucks (SBUX), local governments and universities like Stanford and MIT –-- are mid-sized institutions, an area of the market Cisco has not focused on so far.

????Rob Soderbery, Cisco's senior vice president of enterprise networking said in a call to investors, "I believe that Cisco and Meraki will transform how midmarket organizations...build and consume network technology. So this is not just a product technology or talent acquisition, we're bringing Meraki in as the new platform within Cisco for cloud advantage networks."

????Cisco's stock is up 5% since announcing the Meraki deal. Analysts noted that the deal could strengthen Cisco's 50% share of the WiFi market: Most of Cisco's WiFi customers are larger customers, and Meraki could bring smaller customers into its fold. What's more, Meraki's cloud-based platform can handle IT maintenance without taking on more IT staff.?Jason Ader, an analyst at William Blair, said in a note last week that "Meraki's cloud based management software is the crown jewel of the deal from Cisco's perspective, and could be used to 'cloudify' multiple products within Cisco's enterprise portfolio in the future."

????Cisco ended October with a $45 billion cash stockpile, enough to allow it to make more targeted acquisitions like Meraki. The business of building the Internet's backbone may not be as lucrative as it was a decade ago, but Cisco seems to have learned to expand prudently into new areas of growth related to that core business.