Feb 21 (Reuters) – Storage gear maker Brocade
Communications Systems Inc reported
better-than-expected quarterly results, helped by a rise in
sales of its storage equipment products, but concerns loomed
over its ethernet business.

Shares of the San Jose, California-based company, which have
rebounded more than 80 percent since their August 2011 lows,
jumped 7 percent to $5.85 in after-hours trading on Tuesday.

By Liana B. Baker and Nicola Leske

(Reuters) – Satellite TV provider DirecTV said it was on track to meet its growth targets for 2012 and 2013 even as programming costs continued to rise and U.S. consumers are keeping a tight grip on their wallets.

“Macroeconomic weakness continues to pressure the U.S. consumer, driving them to be decidedly more cautious and focused on getting good value for every dollar they spend, even as the economy has marginally improved,” Chief Executive Mike White said on Thursday on a conference call with analysts.

By Nicola Leske and Foo Yun Chee

(Reuters) – Cisco Systems Inc (CSCO.O: Quote, Profile, Research) has challenged EU clearance of Microsoft Corp’s (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) acquisition of Internet voice and video service Skype at Europe’s second highest court, saying the commission should have put tougher conditions on the deal.

“Cisco does not oppose the merger, but believes the European Commission should have placed conditions that would ensure greater standards-based interoperability, to avoid any one company from being able to seek to control the future of video communications,” Cisco said on Wednesday.

By Nicola Leske and Foo Yun Chee

(Reuters) – Network equipment maker Cisco Systems Inc has challenged the European Commission’s approval of Microsoft Corp’s acquisition of Internet voice and video service Skype, saying the commission should have put tougher conditions on the deal.

“Cisco does not oppose the merger, but believes the European Commission should have placed conditions that would ensure greater standards-based interoperability, to avoid any one company from being able to seek to control the future of video communications,” Cisco said on Wednesday.

By Nicola Leske

(Reuters) – Internet and network security provider Check Point Software Technology warned there was no permanent fix to ward off the increasing threat from hackers and malware – a situation that will help the company thrive.

“There’s a revolution in the threat landscape,” Check Point president Amnon Bar-Lev told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday.

By Nicola Leske

(Reuters) – Professional networking service LinkedIn’s outlook for the current quarter and the full year surpassed expectations as the company banks on continued strong product and subscription growth after its fourth-quarter revenue beat estimates.

The company’s performance and outlook is keenly watched by investors as an indication of whether the business model of Internet companies is solid — especially in light of Facebook’s filing for an IPO last week.

Feb 8 (Reuters) – Network equipment maker Cisco
Systems Inc promised further revenue growth after its
second quarter results beat estimates, thanks to a
restructuring, leading to a dividend increase.

The company, a sector bellwether because of its global scale
and diverse client base, forecast 5 to 7 percent growth in
fiscal third-quarter revenue.

Feb 6 (Reuters) – A year after network equipment maker
Cisco Systems Inc (CSCO.O: Quote, Profile, Research) unnerved investors with yet another
weak quarterly outlook the company looks set to report a stable
quarter buoyed in part by improving enterprise demand in the
United States.

Analysts on average expect Cisco to post earnings of 43
cents a share excluding items, up 16.2 percent, in the quarter
that runs until end-January, on a revenue increase of almost 8
percent to $11.23 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Research in Motion’s Thorsten Heins plans to waste no time in his new job. The BlackBerry maker’s chief executive said he will present the board with his plan for company’s future in just a matter of weeks.

The German-born executive, who took over from two longstanding co-CEOs on Saturday, said his plans for RIM would be “significant” though he did not divulge details in an interview with Reuters.