What cisco needs to continue to succeed.

HP / Cisco / Juniper - don't build me the network needed 5 years ago today - build me the network for 5 years from today.

Etherealmind has a great article on how hp could approach networking and model the things that cisco provides for customers.

http://etherealmind.com/what-hp-networking-successful/

Intrinsic to the article is - Cisco is "good enough".

I'm sick of good enough.

Actually, I think that cisco needs to do something exciting and enabling at the network layer and try to drive automation and virtualization deeper into the DNA of the platform.

The networking platform, not the server platform.

Networking is reliant upon people on keyboards configuring l2 / l3 protocols - there isn't much choice in the access layer of automation tools that are extensible. Automation is an afterthought.

Let me tell you what I want.

-I want x86 based routers

-I want commodity x86 interface cards that fit into x86 based chassis

-I want APIs to configure everything - not conf t / not web interface / an API.

-I want extensions and security in the configuration so I can delegate portions of the config to customers to decide when and how to promote a network and a route. Like the old arrowpoints could do for load-balancing customers.

Mostly - access networks can be dynamic and mobile - there isnt' good automation and customer understanding of how to make it easy - and so.

--Adrian