Cisco to Drop Linksys Brand

[FN-GM]

Cisco Systems plans to phase out its Linksys consumer brand and instead bring all its networking and routing products under the Cisco umbrella, according to chief executive John Chambers. Speaking to European reporters, Chambers said its Linksys brand, which it uses for its consumer networking gear, had reached its end of life. In terms of the evolution of the branding it will all come, over time, into a Cisco brand. A company spokesperson in the US said the Linksys brand would continue for the near term. We will continue to examine our branding strategy going forward (as we have to date) and make changes if and when these changes add value to our customers' decision making processes and our channel partners, is what the company said, in an emailed statement to ComputerWire. Chambers revealed that the San Jose, California-based company had kept the Linksys name alive only because it had strong brand equity in the US. As you go global there is very little advantage in that," he said. Cisco bought Linksys for $500m in 2003 in order to get a foothold in the consumer market.

[tom_newton]

Personally I think Linksys has strong brand equity in the UK too - and to me this devalues cisco kit as "another manufacturer who makes shit placcy boxes"

[localzuk]

I dunno, both brands are seen as good - so bringing Linksys under the Cisco brand shouldn't do any devaluing of that brand.

 

I always think of Linksys stuff as being 'cisco with a different badge' anyway!

[Geoff]

Changed their minds.

[strawberry]

hopefully this wont mean a price increase as the linksys stuff is pretty good value

[FN-GM]

fiar point there, it probably will go up

[Joedetic]

I'd be glad to NOT see the linksys brand dropped.

 

It makes me and my mates look that little bit geekier if we've got Cisco kit running our networks. lol

 

If they dropped the linksys branding and you say to someone "oh yh i've got cisco routers" meaning 2600 series and then they go "so have i!" but what they mean is some WRT54G box then it makes you look less cool!!

 

LOL