Planning His Legacy, Cisco Chief Maps an Expansion - NYTimes.com

Those "boxes" being central to Cisco's last big and bold redefinition, which apparently didn't work out well

"Cisco, the chairman and chief executive says, will shift toward customers in government and large businesses, handling projects like designing and managing systems for efficient traffic and clean water across entire cities. Cisco’s plan is to create networks of sensors and data analysis systems, working closely with government officials and civil engineering companies. And it will work with companies to set up efficient mining, manufacturing and distribution systems.
“It’s a $4 trillion market,” he said. “The days of boxes are over.”"

Planning His Legacy, Cisco Chief Maps an Expansion - NYTimes.com