Latest news with #CiscoSystems
Hans India
2 days ago
- Business
- Hans India
Driving Digital Transformation: The Exceptional Journey of Upender Reddy Chityala, Senior Software Developer at Equinox IT Solutions LLC
In the ever-evolving landscape of technology, some individuals stand out not merely for their technical acumen but for the depth and impact of their contributions. One such figure is Upender Reddy Chityala, a seasoned Senior Software Developer at Equinox IT Solutions LLC, Dallas, Texas. With nearly a decade of experience in delivering high-impact software solutions, Upender's work has touched multiple industries, empowered organizations, and pushed the boundaries of what technology can achieve. From Hyderabad to the Heart of Tech Innovation Upender began his academic journey at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU), Hyderabad, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science Engineering. Eager to refine his expertise, he pursued a Master of Science in Software Engineering at Fairfield University, USA—equipping him with both a global perspective and a deep understanding of emerging technologies. Building Tomorrow's Solutions, Today Since 2015, Upender has consistently delivered excellence across a variety of high-stakes projects. Whether working with Cisco Systems, the US Department of Labor, Worley Limited, or Intercontinental Hotel Groups (IHG), his influence has been profound. At Cisco Systems , Upender was part of mission-critical initiatives, driving complex DevOps integrations and earning the coveted title of DevOps Developer Extraordinaire —a testament to his ability to blend innovation with execution. For the U.S. Department of Labor , his work fortified government software infrastructure, ensuring regulatory compliance and optimizing service delivery. While collaborating with Worley Limited , a global engineering leader, Upender built scalable tools that directly supported large-scale project management and engineering services. At IHG, his contributions led to customer-facing software innovations, enhancing both guest experiences and backend efficiency. Mastering the ServiceNow Ecosystem One of Upender's defining strengths is his mastery of the ServiceNow platform—a backbone for IT operations in many Fortune 500 companies. From Service Portal and Discovery to ITOM, ITSM, SAM, and Integration Hub, his expertise has allowed clients to automate workflows, strengthen data integrity, and unlock real-time insights through Performance Analytics. He holds a suite of ServiceNow certifications, including: Certified System Administrator Certified Application Developer Micro-Certifications in areas such as CMDB Health, Flow Designer, Automated Test Framework, and more. Additionally, Upender's ITIL V3 Foundation and Cisco Security Ninja White Belt certifications further bolster his holistic view of software development, service management, and cybersecurity. Excellence Recognized and Delivered What sets Upender apart isn't just his technical skill—it's his problem-solving mindset and unwavering commitment to quality. With a proven track record of managing and executing multi-million-dollar software projects, he brings a rare combination of precision, vision, and leadership to every engagement. He is known not only for writing robust code but for architecting scalable systems that serve strategic business goals. His ability to collaborate across cross-functional teams, communicate complex ideas with clarity, and deliver under pressure has made him an indispensable part of the Equinox team and a trusted partner for clients. Shaping the Future of Software As businesses increasingly rely on digital transformation to remain competitive, professionals like Upender Reddy Chityala are the catalysts making it possible. His career is a shining example of how thoughtful engineering, continuous learning, and a drive for innovation can collectively deliver extraordinary value. Whether optimising IT infrastructure or driving next-gen user experiences, Upender continues to shape the future of enterprise software—one solution at a time.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
3 Key Reasons to Buy Fortinet Stock Beyond its 11% Year-to-Date Rise
Fortinet FTNT shares have gained 10.6% in the year-to-date (YTD) period, outperforming the Zacks Computer and Technology sector and the S&P 500 index's decline of 1.7% and 0.4%, outperformance can be attributed to strong execution across key growth areas like SASE, AI-driven security operations and OT security. Record margins, robust free cash flow and rising enterprise adoption have reinforced investor confidence, positioning Fortinet as a resilient, high-growth player in an otherwise cautious tech rally does not tell the whole story. Let's break down three key strengths that reveal why the stock is a compelling investment in 2025. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research The U.S. tariff landscape continues to evolve, but based on current conditions, there's no material impact expected on FTNT in the near term. Despite broader geopolitical uncertainties, Fortinet is still seeing strong demand for its cybersecurity offerings. The company's pipeline remains healthy, with stable close rates and sales cycles that are well within historical revenues in the first quarter of 2025 rose 14% year over year to $1.54 billion. Product revenues reached $459 million, up 12% year over year, supported by double-digit growth in both hardware and software solutions. FortiGate hardware performed particularly well across low-end and high-end models, while time-based software licenses grew more than 30%.Total billings grew 14% year over year to $1.6 billion, with unified SASE and AI-driven SecOps contributing 18% and 29% growth, respectively. Gross margin expanded 380 basis points to 81.9%, and operating margin reached a record 34.2% in the first quarter. Fortinet also added more than 6,300 new customers during the quarter, up 14% from the prior year, signaling continued momentum despite broader market headwinds. The cybersecurity market is extremely competitive and characterized by rapid technological change. Among others, Fortinet's competitors include Palo Alto Networks PANW, Cisco Systems CSCO and CrowdStrike CRWD. Shares of Palo Alto Networks, Cisco Systems and CrowdStrike have returned 3.2%, 7% and 37%, respectively, Alto Networks has partnered with NVIDIA to build AI-driven private 5G security solutions, reflecting its commitment to next-generation technologies. Cisco Systems has also deepened its collaboration with NVIDIA, aiming to deliver AI-ready data center networking solutions, which has been a game changer for the company. Meanwhile, CrowdStrike is seeing strong momentum with its Falcon platform, promoted as an 'AI-native SOC,' with growing adoption of its Charlotte AI for detection, triage, workflows, and differentiates itself from these competitors with its single, organically developed FortiOS, including its firewall, SD-WAN, secure web gateway, CASB and DLP. This unified design drove 18% growth in SASE billings and 26% in SASE ARR in the first quarter of 2025, with enterprise penetration reaching 11%, up nearly 10% sequentially. FTNT's approach reduces complexity and cost, enabling faster adoption and stronger performance. As demand shifts toward integrated, scalable platforms, Fortinet is gaining ground across secure networking, SASE and AI-driven SecOps. Fortinet continues to strengthen its long-term position in AI and firewall solutions. The company now holds over 500 issued and pending AI patents, more than any peer, and has integrated AI into a dozen products, including FortiAI Assist and FortiAI Protect. Recently, Fortinet introduced the FortiGate 700G, a high-performance firewall for mid-size enterprises, delivering up to 10x performance gains over competitors via proprietary ASIC technology, while supporting a hybrid mesh firewall architecture through its unified FortiOS platform. This launch enhances Fortinet's competitive positioning in secure networking and is expected to drive further adoption among performance-focused enterprise customers. Fortinet expects revenues for the second quarter of 2025 in the range of $1.59 billion to $1.65 billion, which represents growth of 13% at the midpoint. It anticipates non-GAAP earnings per share in the band of 58-60 Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter 2025 revenues is pegged at $1.62 billion, suggesting 12.96% year-over-year consensus mark for second-quarter 2025 earnings is pegged at 59 cents per share, which has been revised upward by a penny over the past 30 days, indicating 3.51% year-over-year growth. Fortinet's earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average surprise being 23.83%. Fortinet, Inc. price-consensus-chart | Fortinet, Inc. QuoteAlthough the company's Price/Book ratio of 40.72X is ahead of the Zacks Security industry average of 23.64X, the premium valuation is justified by Fortinet's strong market position, its fully integrated platform strategy and customer expansion across all its segments, all of which signal long-term growth and sustained competitive advantage. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Fortinet's YTD gains reflect strong execution and a clear focus on long-term growth. The company is steadily expanding its customer base and delivering consistent results, even in an uncertain macro environment. New product introductions, like the FortiGate 700G, highlight its commitment to performance and innovation. Operating margins remain strong, and free cash flow continues to support its financial stability. While the stock trades at a premium, that pricing aligns with Fortinet's leadership in the cybersecurity space and its growth currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and has a Growth Score of A, a favorable combination that offers a strong investment opportunity, per the Zacks proprietary methodology. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fortinet, Inc. (FTNT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (PANW) : Free Stock Analysis Report CrowdStrike (CRWD) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO) Can Benefit From The European Market, Says Jim Cramer
We recently published a list of . In this article, we are going to take a look at where Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) stands against other stocks that Jim Cramer discusses. Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) is one of the biggest networking equipment providers in the world. The firm's shares have gained 6.8% year-to-date after successfully navigating through a steep 14% drop in April after President Trump's tariff announcements. Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO)'s shares have gained 18.7% since the bottom as they have benefited from several catalysts. These include the firm's fiscal third-quarter earnings report which sent the stock 4.9% higher as Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) raised its full-year revenue guidance to $56.5 billion – $56.7 billion from the earlier $56 billion – $56.5 billion and hiked profit-per-share estimates to $3.77 and $3.79 from an earlier $3.68 to $3.74. The firm's revenue guidance also beat analyst estimates. Here's what Cramer said about the firm: 'Cisco has some good things in Europe.' Engineers using the latest Cisco TelePresence technology to collaborate with colleagues around the world. Cramer previously commented about Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) in February. Back then, markets were still reeling from the shock of the DeepSeek selloff in January and investors were wondering whether AI stocks still held promise. Cramer commented on Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO)'s deal with NVIDIA: 'People are talking about NVIDIA. And there is a nice deal this morning with Cisco. I think it's actually much more important than people realize. Cisco's the first to qualify. It's going to be a real partnership. And that uh Chuck Robbins working closely with Jensen. But there is an overwhelming sense that this market keys on NVIDIA at a moment when we have no idea what the federal government's gonna do to NVIDIA.' Overall, CSCO ranks 12th on our list of stocks that Jim Cramer discusses. While we acknowledge the potential of CSCO, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than CSCO and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock. READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Telegraph
24-05-2025
- Automotive
- Telegraph
Hackers taking control is biggest fear for self-driving cars
The public's primary concern over self-driving cars is that cyber hackers could commandeer the vehicles, new research suggests. Almost seven out of 10 motorists believe self-driving vehicles will be 'highly susceptible' to hackers. The survey comes after defence companies warned staff not to plug their smartphones into Chinese-made electric vehicles and the Ministry of Defence banned personnel from parking such cars within two miles of sensitive buildings. Fears are rife that hackers answering to the Chinese government could use secret flaws in electric vehicle software to gain access to secrets or to eavesdrop on conversations inside the vehicles. Yet those concerns may pale in comparison to a simpler and more direct fear: hackers taking control of cars away from motorists. In a survey of 2,000 British adults, American tech company Cisco Systems found that the public's greatest fear over future self-driving cars is that hackers could break into them. Seven in 10 motorists also believe that self-driving vehicles will be more dangerous than human-driven cars. Half think that self-driving vehicles on British roads could cause a rise in traffic accidents, even though the technology is already approved for public use in limited circumstances. Cisco also found that almost two-thirds, or 62 per cent, of drivers were worried about technology failures in self-driving cars. 'Trust and security are going to play a critical role in the future of self-driving vehicles. Automotive manufacturers must invest in appropriate network security architectures for connected vehicles to reinforce trust amongst users,' said Chintan Patel, Cisco's chief technology officer for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. 'With the rise of connected self-driving vehicles comes huge volumes of data, software and telemetry requirements,' he continued. 'Every Application Programming Interface (API) and point of connection in a vehicle can serve as an attack surface for bad actors.' APIs are ways that computer programs expose internal data for further use. Smartphones that connect to a car's dashboard systems to control things such as music or the satnav do so through an API, for example. Cyber security researchers have gone to extensive lengths to break into modern cars' onboard computers, as a way of highlighting potential safety risks. One experiment in 2015 saw a Jeep Cherokee remotely turn off the vehicle's engine at 70mph, a flaw that the company acknowledged with a software update shortly afterwards. Two years ago the Government approved Ford's BlueCruise self-driving system, which is permitted to take control of cars on English, Welsh and Scottish motorways at speeds of up to 70mph - although a human driver must always be behind the wheel and ready to step in. The Government announced earlier this week that it had pushed the date for self-driving cars to be legal on British roads back to 2027.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New Street Downgrades Cisco Systems (CSCO) to Neutral, Cuts PT
On May 16, New Street analyst Pierre Ferragu downgraded the rating on Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) from Buy to Neutral, lowering the price target from $75 to $70. Ferragu mentioned that Cisco's gross margin has taken a hit, with a slight decline in the April 2025 quarter. The analyst added that the gross margins had declined by 10 basis points quarter-over-quarter in April 2025. The analyst expects a further drop of 60 basis points in the July 2025 quarter, impacted by tariffs. The analyst believes that the margin expansion should resume eventually, however, the current valuation metrics reflect a risk with limited upside potential. Ken Wolter / On the contrary, Wells Fargo analyst Aaron Rakers upgraded the rating on CSCO from Equal Weight to Overweight on May 15, increasing the price target from $72 to $75. Rakers has made an upgrade following the strong quarterly performance driven by AI. The analyst highlighted Cisco's rising AI momentum to be a key factor for the company's growth. During the third quarter of FY2025, Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) received AI infrastructure orders worth more than $600 million, driven by web-scale customers. The total orders from AI are now over $1 billion for the nine months of FY2025. Cisco has gained momentum from a boom in data center investment as the demand for generative AI continues to soar. Cisco, along with other U.S. tech giants, will be supporting the recently announced "UAE Stargate" AI data center project. With AI-driven investments, Cisco Systems now expects to end FY2025 with total revenue between $56.5 billion and $56.7 billion, compared to its previous projection of $56 billion to $56.5 billion. Rakers sees strong AI momentum as a continuation for CSCO. Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) is one of the leading companies that designs and sells technologies that power the internet. With its industry-leading AI-powered solutions and services, the company allows its customers and partners to enhance productivity, unlock innovation, and strengthen digital resilience. While we acknowledge the potential of CSCO to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than CSCO and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock. Read Next: and . Disclosure. None. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
