The technological roadmap of Cisco's business ecosystem

A business ecosystem provides a new perspective for repositioning a company's strategy in order to aggressively further its own interests and to promote its overall ecosystem health. Analyzing a business ecosystem is not an easy task, and therefore only a few studies have been made, even though some scholars and managers accept this concept from ecology since value creation is achieved by establishing a platform that other members of the ecosystem can use to enhance their performance. This paper presents a case study based on both qualitative and quantitative data, by explaining how Cisco Systems has been so successful in utilizing its strategy of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) for corporate growth based on a business ecosystem, especially from a technological perspective. We use US patent data from 1993 to 2005 to illustrate Cisco's technological roadmap. Finally, implications of symbiosis, platform, and co-evolution are provided for managers to challenge the contemporary business environment.