Cisco to kill off Linksys brand

Cisco has announced that it will be getting rid of the Linksys brand after months of integrating products from both companies.

John Chambers, CEO of Cisco, told European journalists that there’s no longer a need for a separate brand. Linksys is already a household name in the consumer wired and wireless router and networking arena but both companies have been working to blend their lines.

Cisco has always wanted a way into the consumer marketplace and this was the key reason behind its purchase of Linksys in 2003, in a stock deal worth $500 million.

“In terms of the evolution of the branding it will all come, over time, into a Cisco brand,” Chambers revealed. “The reason we kept Linksys' brand because it was better known in the US than even Cisco was for the consumer. As you go globally there's very little advantage in that.”

Chambers said the move to kill off the Linksys brand is just part of an overhaul of Cisco’s own image.

He added: “We have changed everything in terms of our logo and our mark, and how we want to be viewed, from the ease of use of our products to differentiation.”

The Linksys brand will be replaced by the new Cisco branding, although no date has been given for the changeover.