Don't Bet Against Cisco

Cisco's(CSCO Quote) days as the server industry's collaborator-in-chief may be over, much to the annoyance of Hewlett-Packard(HPQ Quote), but the networking giant has good reasons for going its own way.

After months of rumor and speculation, Cisco entered the server market earlier this year, a move that placed it in direct competition with long-term partners H-P and IBM(IBM Quote).

The tremors from the launch of Cisco's UCS technology are still being felt, and have prompted a frenzy of activity from the likes of H-P. This week, for example, the server giant teamed up with Alcatel-Lucent(ALU Quote) to target the telecom sector, effectively attacking Cisco in its own back yard. ...