John Chambers, Cisco's evangelical CEO, likes to compare his company to Microsoft and Intel. Just as those powerhouses dominate software and hardware, Cisco rules networking.
But Microsoft isn't about to let anyone into its clubhouse. A growing number of signals suggest the Redmond giant is about to go head-to-head with Cisco.
Microsoft's plans to beef up the routing features in Windows NT - allowing a Wintel box to pass for a Cisco router - is visible evidence. And both companies are eyeing enterprise solutions: note Cisco's purchase of Software .com (security) and Microsoft's snatching up Interse Corp. (Web traffic analysis).
Cisco is clearly the weaker opponent: smaller, and on less familiar turf. But the company still stands a chance. "Microsoft faces a competitor with a huge installed base," points out Randy Yuen, technology analyst with Oppenheimer. Besides, another analyst daydreams anonymously, "Cisco could always buy Netscape."
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