Cisco's consumer business group chief to depart

NEW YORK, USA: The head of Cisco Systems Inc's consumer business group and the former chief of the "Flip" video camera maker is leaving the company to pursue other opportunities.

Jonathan Kaplan, the former CEO of Pure Digital, which Cisco bought for close to $600 million in May 2009, will be leaving Cisco to pursue other career opportunities, Cisco said in a blogpost.

The consumer business group will now report to Marthin De Beer, who oversees emerging technologies such as videoconferencing products. Here's-consumer-business-to-the-next-level.

On Wednesday the network gear-maker announced orders in its consumer products division had fallen 15 per cent in the quarter ended January.

Cisco has expanded beyond its traditional routing and switching business over past years. But analysts say it may have spread itself too thinly, making it more vulnerable to competition, and that its entry into consumer markets was hurting its margins.