the networking/telecoms/IT sector is mature and deflationary. Rapidly declining ASPs, open source, cheap labour help accelerate this, which is good for end customers and bad for fat management in public companies. growth will be flat to decline in SP and enterprise. products have more capacity, cost less so the boom days are not coming back. you can pave a road to moon with routers and still not make as much revenue as 2 years.
Cisco, like other big tech companies, is bloated like dead hippo on river bank with bad decisions, overpaid vps, directors, sr exects, misguided strategy and no patience. Cisco is breeding ground for sr manager mba who can't think critically other than how to keep their, play politic, and keep fat salary.