Li Rejoins Cisco in Data Center Unit

Router guru Tony Li has returned to the roost at Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO), it seems. And he's popped up in the company's Data Center Business Unit, home of Cisco's storage and server switching, virtualization, wide-area application services, and applications networking products.

The unit is headed by Cisco SVP Jayshree Ullal. (See Cisco Names Data Chief.)

Cisco has confirmed Li has rejoined the company and is working in the company's Data Center Business Unit as a Cisco Fellow (Distinguished Scientist).

There are actually two Tony Lis in the Cisco directory. (Yes, there's a Cisco employee who happens to share a name with the Tony Li and no doubt suffers all kinds of misdirected calls as a result.) Voicemail to the "correct" Tony Li has gone unreturned so far, as has an email to his personal account.

For the uninitiated, Li is considered one of the top IP routing experts in the world, making him a bit of a celebrity in tech circles. He's had a colorful career that's intersected with key times at Cisco and Juniper Networks Inc. (Nasdaq: JNPR). (See Tony Li.)Table 1: Tony Li Timeline

Considering Li keeps coming back to Cisco, it's tempting to draw parallels to former baseball manager Billy Martin. Except Martin was repeatedly fired by the New York Yankees, whereas Li seems to shift in and out of projects at his own behest. And, as far as we know, Li hasn't kicked dirt on anyone.

It's still unclear what prompted this latest homecoming. Li, who seems to relish the startup life, had ended his most recent Cisco tour in 2005, first joining Portola Networks, then Tropos Networks Inc. (See Tony Li Leaves Cisco Again and Li Takes Tropos Route.)

News of Li's return to Cisco comes as another of its well known faces, Mike Volpi, settles into life outside the vendor. (See Volpi Sizes Up Life After Cisco and Volpi Out at Cisco.)

Craig Matsumoto, West Coast Editor, Light Reading0