A potential Cisco alliance with a big-name company fell apart when the two sides couldn't agree on final details, Daichendt says. Lucent Technologies Inc. Chambers acknowledged last year that Cisco's attempts to partner with Lucent or Nortel had failed. Now it competes with the two telecom gear makers. Partnerships can be tougher than acquisitions, Giancarlo says. Since Cisco has no ownership, it has less control with a partner.
Some big partnerships can work without any of the above-mentioned criteria.
Then there's the matter of stepping on toes. Daichendt recalls when a partner made an announcement that seemed to violate their pact. But suddenly the shoe was on the other foot. Cisco made an announcement that affected this partner. He saw the same disbelief on his counterpart's face.