back to article Cisco sets ex-CIA spook to hunt down leaking staffer

Cisco appears to be rather annoyed that one of its staff has been leaking memos to the press, and its vice president of global labs (and former CIA operative) Michael Quinn has sent a chilling email to staff warning he will hunt down the culprit. "The person or persons whom felt it was cool or correct to share this internal …

COMMENTS

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  1. Rodrigo Valenzuela

    This email warning will surely make a great job of lifting staff moral.

    R

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Nothing like having a borderline sociopath as a boss : /

      1. kain preacher

        I thought that was a prerequisite for corporate America ?

    2. dssf

      Recall "The beatings shall..."

      "Continue until morale improves".....

      IIR, that was one of many wall-posted jokes shared with me when i used to service and repair photo copiers at a senior citizens home client.

      (I wish i could find the list of extension numbers to press when calling the government or the spychologist... Umm psychologist, and psychiatrist for help.)

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    IMDB to the rescue....

    I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you stand up, admit what you did, and resign, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.

    1. dssf

      Re: IMDB to the rescue....

      That dialogue sounds kewl. I wish Captain Janeway had such words uttered into the UT (Uniwersal Twanswator)... But, then, Gene Roddenberry would spin faster than a pulcyon or tachysar in anger, i suppose.

      Still, i will have to use such dialog in my characters in homage to the kewlness factor.

    2. dssf

      Re: IMDB to the rescue....

      Add to that, "And then, I WILL harvest YOUR organs, OR those of three of your family members, friends, and ex lovers IF YOU KEEP HIDING. And, a special memo will explain their subtractions."

  3. Ian 5
    Trollface

    I am Spartacus

    ..Brian?

  4. JaitcH
    FAIL

    Guess it's harder to accuse Alcatel-Lucent of ...

    having 'backdoors' in it's equipment (as they all do) when it's a US-company.

    Perhaps CISCO could complain that Alcatel is French? We all know how the US loves France.

    CISCO - overpriced stuff MADE IN CHINA!

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Coffee/keyboard

    Perhaps you should ask M. Quinn

    If the salesmen responsible for the C.S.U RFP were trained the same way as the ones on the east coast (either North or South Carolina.) If the answer is 'yes,' then you should ask them 'Why?'

    There's no ESCape unless you ordered the right SKU.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I will find you?

    Maybe someone hacked in using the backdoor Cisco has to include in all it's hardware. Or else it's some disaffected exec who got passed over for promotion, or an IT techie who got pissed off with the long hours and abuse ..

    ref

  7. Martin 47

    Lol That's the sort of email that guarantees more leeks. Top man management skills

    1. MrT

      Internal Cisco newsletter: Ex-CIA man...

      ...imposes new staff canteen menu. Boiled, in cheese sauce, or finely sliced and fried in butter. ;-)

      1. cortland

        Re: Internal Cisco newsletter: Ex-CIA man...

        re that new menu... Finely sliced leeks?

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    They're chummy with the government alright, cisco is.

    Not the first time cisco made a hobby out of someone:

    "A Canadian judge has lambasted Cisco for its "unmitigated gall" and "duplicity" in goading US prosecutors to push for the public arrest of a former executive who was suing the US networking giant."

    But apparently the US gov't doesn't need much goading these days. Of course, having ex-CIA on the payroll helps. And it shows.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: They're chummy with the government alright, cisco is.

      I hear that David Petraeus is looking for a new hobby / job.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "The person or persons whom felt it was cool or correct to share this internal memo should now have the intestinal fortitude to stand up and admit that they did this, then resign," he said. "Now I know you do not have it in you to stand up and admit what you did, so I will now make you my 'hobby.' Ask around you will find out that I like to work on my hobbies."

    Ah yes, the mark of a true professional who can always keep professional and personal sentiment apart. Knob.

  10. dharmaseal
    Pirate

    cisco hired blackwater

    ooooo ... scary tough guy ... ooooo

  11. Tom 35

    no consideration of the value inherent in real world TCO

    I don't think that's the problem. I'm sure the CSU's IT department, having used Cisco took the RFC response and multiplied it by 5 or 6 to get an estimate of the "real world TCO".

  12. Charles Osborne
    Flame

    Mr. Quinn has been brainwashed -- he needed to be "re-tasked" to perform his chores skillfully and unquestioningly by his former employer. Cisco was kind enough to higher a disabled veteran. I have no qualms with Mr. Quinn or his distorted version of the PTSD that hobbles so many soldiers who served their nation. I have a big problem with the senior leadership at Cisco who know not how to support nor to control their managers.

    And Cisco does not "put food" on anyone's tables -- the employees earn every penny they get.

  13. wabbit02

    cisco vs ALU

    having been involved in a RFQ process with Cisco (the incumbent) about 2 years ago. To replace a 7200 based core they proposed a 3 tier solution which blew the power and space budget at you sites. ALU was invited in for a "chat" as we use them in other parts of the business. They could complete the config with one box, and the kicker was, the solution was 1/3 the cost.

    I'm not surprised at this - Cisco don't have a joined up product strategy due too many purchases and competing business units - its easy for ALU to charge less money, they have to deploy less kit to achieve the same result, due to a more competent product.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Quinn is right about one thing

    Cisco is putting the groceries on someone's table and, if caught, that someone will never work in the network equipment business again. Internal memos were fun back in the day. They gave an insight into the idiocy going at the likes of AOL (remember them?) but in the current environment, making one public is usually most unwise.

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Some leak...

    Cisco is massively ripping off their customers. Is there anyone out there who doesn't know Cisco charges 2-10x the price of their competitors for the functional equivalent?

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    wow

    That kind of response to a leaked memo most always is the beginning of the end for the sender. I don't know of a single exec that sends a threatening email to the entire crew that is in their same position, or company for that matter, a year later. None and I've seen a bunch of those memos. After sending a memo like that they have problems. Under it all, he has now announced that a back channel witch hunt is going to happen. That means things like searching everyone's email because now no one is trusted. How far will he go to support his threats? Bugging bathrooms? Lunch rooms? Private Investigators? What? Oh yeah, he's a goner because nobody wants that kind of shit around and HE is now the problem. It ultimately hurts the business more than the leaked memo and savvy execs know it.

    As an aside, Cisco is done anyway. They can't afford to lose business and they keep overcharging to keep margins up so they are less competitive. Plus, software networking will eat them up and they can't acquire their way out of that one. Mr "you better watch your back" is merely a symptom of a dying business.

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