Cisco CEO John Chambers added that the company has "the potential to be the No. 1 or 2 player" in the storage networking market. But analysts said that could take some work--especially on the compatibility front. Cisco said it plans on industry standards, but analysts said main rivals might resent the company's encroachment. "Cisco is not used to being the eager up-and-comer, and the longer it takes them to realize they are a follower and not a driver in storage, the longer it will take" the company to become a leader, Ashok Kumar, analyst at US Bancorp Piper Jaffray, said in a research note.

"Even though Cisco has a large and effective sales force, they are entering this business from a back-row position, starting from scratch," Kumar added, "Compatibility within the storage industry always seems to be more difficult than expected and is usually only solved after paying serious time dues.", The company sets a course for the network storage market, announcing plans to acquire Andiamo Systems in a deal worth as much alien iphone case as $2.5 billion, Cisco already owns a stake in Andiamo and disclosed its right to acquire the company in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing earlier this year, At the time, it had already paid $53 million of an earlier $84 million commitment to Andiamo, according to the filing..

According to Russell, WorldCom has 22,000 clients in the region. They include banker ABN AMRO and analytical instruments maker Perkin Elmer in Singapore; shipper Wan Hai Line and computer maker Benq in Taiwan; and Korea Electric Power and systems integrator Hyundai Information Technology in Korea. When contacted, ABN AMRO spokesman Jochem van de Laarschot confirmed that the bank had no immediate intention of switching service providers. "Under the current circumstances, we will keep a close eye on the developments at WorldCom until the contract expires at the end of the year," Amsterdam-based van de Laarschot said. "We will evaluate the contract and the services and decide about the future of our relationship then and reevaluate our position before that if circumstances change.".

In Singapore, for example, WorldCom exceeded its revenue and order entry targets in June and July, said David Rich, WorldCom's general manager for Singapore, "These are targets set during the fourth quarter of last year, and we haven't adjusted them following the bankruptcy filings," said Rich, who declined to reveal actual sales, WorldCom has 2,000 employees in the Asia-Pacific region, The Clinton, Miss.-based carrier work in numerous areas in the region, including Hong alien iphone case Kong, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, Taiwan and India, where it provides high-speed data, Internet Protocal and voice services, It has also established data networks in cities in Australia, Japan and Singapore..

Despite its financial woes, the long-distance carrier expects more than 10 percent revenue growth in the Asia-Pacific region this year, Russell said. Despite its massive financial troubles, the telecommunications giant says retaining customers isn't an issue with its corporate clients in Asia. In late July, the telecommunications giant filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after allegations that the company had improperly accounted for almost $4 billion on its corporate balance sheets during the past five quarters. Early this month, the company revealed an additional $3.3 billion in earnings that were improperly recorded on its books.