What Readers are Saying About the Book!
“I very much enjoyed reading Rob’s carefully researched and well-written book about not just the history of telecom but also how Cerent played such a major role in enabling Cisco Systems to enter and alter the telecommunications space.”
- Ajaib Bhadare, Cerent co-founder
“Rob brilliantly captures the drama of the Fiberlane experience.”
- Raj Singh, co-founder and former president of Fiberlane
“Your book was an excellent story of a major part of our lives and covers a slice of history that we both experienced.”
- Don Green, "Father of Telecom Valley" and former AFC Chairman
"My experiences during the early days at Cyan parallel those of Mike Hatfield and Ajaib Bhadare’s contentious discussions with Vinod Khosla over the bold vision for Cerent's product line. Rob's insightful book brought these memories to life and reminded me of the power of listening to customers in shaping the product."
- Eric Clelland, former Cerent sales director and CYAN co-founder
"I enjoyed the back story leading up to the Fiberlane breakup, as I hadn't heard most of what had happened . . . it is amazing Cerent ever came to fruition! It was enjoyable to read about some of the names we worked with and be reminded of the happenings of the market. My time at Cerent was definitely the best of my career. I never considered it work, but a journey to see what was around the next corner. The people and atmosphere are something that I hadn't seen before or since. Great memories and thank you for capturing them!"
- Tom Randstrom, former Cerent and Cisco employee
"Thanks so much for devoting two years of your life to document the historic events at Cerent."
- Hui Liu, former Cerent director of hardware engineering
"I thoroughly enjoyed Rob’s book. It was very well written and features an intriguing narrative about our experiences at Cerent. I read it from cover to cover in two days."
- Raghu Belur, former Cerent hardware engineer and co-founder of Enphase Energy
“I read the book! Wonderful. It was an easy read and provided details that I wasn't even aware of since we were working so hard and fast. I'm even more proud of our efforts and our team.”
- Leslie Renshaw, former Cerent Human Resources Director
“I learned much about the sales and marketing. At the time I had a general idea about all that – Terry, Mike, and Carl were pretty good about keeping us all informed – but your explanations and insight make a big difference. Thanks for doing this!”
- Paul Elliott, former Cerent architecture director
Scroll down to end to view Rob's presentation on Cerent's history delivered to SSU Students
- Ajaib Bhadare, Cerent co-founder
“Rob brilliantly captures the drama of the Fiberlane experience.”
- Raj Singh, co-founder and former president of Fiberlane
“Your book was an excellent story of a major part of our lives and covers a slice of history that we both experienced.”
- Don Green, "Father of Telecom Valley" and former AFC Chairman
"My experiences during the early days at Cyan parallel those of Mike Hatfield and Ajaib Bhadare’s contentious discussions with Vinod Khosla over the bold vision for Cerent's product line. Rob's insightful book brought these memories to life and reminded me of the power of listening to customers in shaping the product."
- Eric Clelland, former Cerent sales director and CYAN co-founder
"I enjoyed the back story leading up to the Fiberlane breakup, as I hadn't heard most of what had happened . . . it is amazing Cerent ever came to fruition! It was enjoyable to read about some of the names we worked with and be reminded of the happenings of the market. My time at Cerent was definitely the best of my career. I never considered it work, but a journey to see what was around the next corner. The people and atmosphere are something that I hadn't seen before or since. Great memories and thank you for capturing them!"
- Tom Randstrom, former Cerent and Cisco employee
"Thanks so much for devoting two years of your life to document the historic events at Cerent."
- Hui Liu, former Cerent director of hardware engineering
"I thoroughly enjoyed Rob’s book. It was very well written and features an intriguing narrative about our experiences at Cerent. I read it from cover to cover in two days."
- Raghu Belur, former Cerent hardware engineer and co-founder of Enphase Energy
“I read the book! Wonderful. It was an easy read and provided details that I wasn't even aware of since we were working so hard and fast. I'm even more proud of our efforts and our team.”
- Leslie Renshaw, former Cerent Human Resources Director
“I learned much about the sales and marketing. At the time I had a general idea about all that – Terry, Mike, and Carl were pretty good about keeping us all informed – but your explanations and insight make a big difference. Thanks for doing this!”
- Paul Elliott, former Cerent architecture director
Scroll down to end to view Rob's presentation on Cerent's history delivered to SSU Students
CERENT TRIVIA - Test Your Knowledge of the Cerent Story
Q1: What is the origin of the Cerent 454 product name?
Q2: Why was the shelf cover of the Cerent 454 colored purple?
Q3: Who placed the first order for a Cerent 454?
Q4: When did the first Cerent 454 carry live customer traffic?
Q5: Who at Cerent missed the Cisco acquisition announcement on August 25, 1999 and for days after was unaware of his good fortune?
Q6: What does the age of the Earth and Cerent’s first product both have in common?
Q7: What is the coldest spot in the universe?
Q8: Can you identify the people in this collage of Fiberlane-Cerent alumni?
Q2: Why was the shelf cover of the Cerent 454 colored purple?
Q3: Who placed the first order for a Cerent 454?
Q4: When did the first Cerent 454 carry live customer traffic?
Q5: Who at Cerent missed the Cisco acquisition announcement on August 25, 1999 and for days after was unaware of his good fortune?
Q6: What does the age of the Earth and Cerent’s first product both have in common?
Q7: What is the coldest spot in the universe?
Q8: Can you identify the people in this collage of Fiberlane-Cerent alumni?
Q9. How does BTO’s Takin’ Care of Business relate to Cerent?
SCROLL DOWN FOR ANSWERS
A1: The Cerent 454 is named after the large block Chevy engine – the Generation 2: Mark IV Series, which went into production in 1970, expanded to 453.96 cubic inches (7.4 L), with a 4.250-inch (108.0 mm) bore and a 4-inch (100 mm) stroke. As we used to say in customer meetings, there was a lot of horsepower under the hood. Both the Chevelle and Corvette models used this engine.
A2: The Cerent 454 shelf cover color was chosen for Cerent co-founder Mike Hatfield’s favorite NFL team . . . the Minnesota Vikings.
A3: Vernon Tel placed the first order for a Cerent 454 and subsequently deployed the first phase of their project by August 1998 in support of the goernment’s distance-learning mandate. It went into service on January 27, 1999.
A4: Hutchinson Telephone of Minnesota placed the first Cerent 454 into service on November 19, 1998.
A5: David Hillard was on his honeymoon when Cisco announced its acquisition of Cerent on August 25, 1999. He didn’t hear about it until days later, when he just happened to read a newspaper on the 17-day cruise he and his wife were taking. Ajaib and others tried to reach him, but communications to and from cruise ships back in the late 1990s were not that available.
A6: Both Earth’s age and Cerent’s first product have the number 454 in common. The Earth is estimated to be 4.54 billion years young and Cerent’s first product was the Cerent 454.
A7: The coldest spot in the known universe is inside the International Space Station. NASA’s Cold Atom Lab is an atomic “refrigerator” that pushes effective temperatures down to 100 pico-Kelvin. The temperature of gaseous matter found between stars and galaxies drops to 3 degrees K, or 454 degrees below zero Fahrenheit.
A8: Send me the complete list of names and you will receive a complimentary subscription to A World Perspective newsletter.
A9. Bachman Turner Overdrive’s popular song is four minutes and fifty-four seconds (4:54) in length. Like Cerent’s organization, BTO loved Takin’ Care of Business, and they entered their song into music famedom, like Cerent did with its product, using “454” in its designation.