Cisco Embraces Machine Learning to Maintain Its Dominance -- The Motley Fool

Networking hardware giant Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) has managed to maintain its dominance in the switching and routing markets despite significant shifts in the networking landscape. Software-defined networking and cloud computing have both threatened Cisco's business model of selling expensive, proprietary boxes in recent years. Even with these challenges, Cisco controlled 55.6% of the Ethernet switching market and 45% of the combined service provider and enterprise router market during the fourth quarter of 2016. This dominance doesn't mean that Cisco can sit on its hands. The company has been growing its software and services businesses, aiming to become a seller of solutions, not just hardware.