It's well known that Cisco Systems Inc. prospers by building the Internet. But not everyone understands just how Cisco prospers by actually using the Internet. Sure, Cisco sells its switches, routers and other telecom gear online. At Cisco headquarters here in San Jose and at the company's branches, employees arrange benefits, file expense reports and complete training online.
Managers use the Web to review employees, glean intelligence on rivals and monitor sales.
All told, the typical Cisco employee taps its internal Web site more than 30 times a day. And Chief Executive John Chambers wants more. It's one of the key reasons why we broke away from competitors five years ago. Days after joining Cisco through its acquisition of Cerent Corp. last fall, engineer Charles Roberson marveled at his ability to file expenses and order software online, without time-consuming written purchase orders. Flextronics' computers are so closely tied to Cisco that Flextronics often can build and ship a product faster than a customer can obtain the same model off a distributor's shelf.