Online ticket retailer StubHub needed new data center gear not too long ago, but when one of the company's executives decided to forgo Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) in favor of a rival, the networking giant called up the boss and questioned his competence, Bloomberg's Joseph Galante and Aaron Ricadela report.

As Cisco attempts to turn itself around in the face of growing competition, it reportedly isn't letting customers go quietly. Like StubHub, Interstate Battery System International got a call from Cisco after its IT director, Ken Widner, opted to go with Juniper (NYSE: JNPR) for new equipment. Interstate Battery's networking equipment at one time was 100 percent Cisco, but now about two thirds of it comes from other vendors. Cisco called Widner's boss and complained that the IT director was putting the company's infrastructure in jeopardy.

There was a time when Cisco's products looked like the safest bet around, but researchers have found that multi-vendor networks can be cheaper and less complex. Rivals such as Juniper and Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) are undercutting Cisco on price and offering simpler-sounding solutions.

HP is providing special incentives to Cisco customers who jump ship. Not only does it sell switching equipment for 35 to 40 percent less, but it is offering a 20 percent discount for companies who toss out their Cisco gear and replace it with HP's. The company touts these deals as helping it lure away big accounts like DreamWorks Animation and G&J Pepsi-Cola Bottlers.

For more:
- see Joseph Galante and Aaron Ricadela's article at Bloomberg

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