Cisco Chairman and CEO John Chambers has thrown down the gauntlet to rival vendors by shaking up the company and aiming to become, in his words, the world’s leading IT and communications provider.

The US-based business has made two senior management changes as it looks to “sharpen focus” on customer-centricity and operational excellence.

Gary B Moore becomes president and COO while Rob Lloyd moves to become president of development and sales.

The move is being widely seen as pitching the two promoted executives into a battle to succeed Chambers.

However, the chairman seems keen to make a new mark on the company he joined over 20 years ago.

"Cloud computing, mobility and the internet of everything are the most network-centric computing transitions that have ever been,” said the chairman.

“[They] present Cisco with an opportunity to lead the communications and IT industry for the next decade … we're evolving our organisation and developing our leadership team to grasp this opportunity.”

Cisco’s latest full year financial figures, announced in August, show the company grew revenues by seven percent to €35 billion.