Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO) vs Microsoft Corporation (MSFT)

Cisco Systems, Inc. is the world’s largest provider of networking equipment and ranks among the largest software companies globally. Its core businesses include networking hardware and software, where it holds leading market positions, as well as cybersecurity software such as firewalls. The company also offers collaboration solutions, including its Webex suite, and observability tools. Cisco primarily relies on third-party manufacturers and maintains a large sales and marketing organization of 25,000 employees across 90 countries. In total, the company employs about 80,000 people and markets its products worldwide.

Microsoft Corp develops and licenses software for both consumer and enterprise markets. The company is best known for its Windows operating systems and Office productivity applications. Its business is organized into three broadly equal segments: Productivity and Business Processes, which includes legacy Microsoft Office, cloud-based Office 365, Exchange, SharePoint, Skype, LinkedIn, and Dynamics; Intelligent Cloud, which includes Azure infrastructure- and platform-as-a-service offerings, Windows Server, and SQL Server; and More Personal Computing, which includes Windows Client, Xbox, Bing search, display advertising, and Surface laptops, tablets, and desktop devices.