Juniper Networks Inc. has snatched away a seasoned dealmaker from rival Cisco Systems Inc. The network equipment maker, which goes head-to-head with Cisco in the high-end router market, has hired
Luis Avila-Marcos as senior vice president of corporate development. Avila-Marcos previously held the same position at Cisco-owned Scientific Atlanta, where he led all activities related to corporate strategy. That means he was probably instrumental in developing the integration strategy following Cisco's $6.9 billion acquisition of Scientific Atlanta in 2006. Because of its size, that deal presented some significant integration challenges for Cisco, which, as Corporate Dealmaker's Andrea Orr
previously reported, is best known as a buyer of smaller companies.
Juniper hasn't been particularly acquisitive of late. Other than its 2004, $4 billion acquisition of network security maker NetScreen Technologies, a quick scan of Juniper's Web site uncovers just a handful of small acquisitions over the past few years. We'll have to wait and see if that changes with Avila-Marcos at the helm. -
Suzanne Stevens
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