Cisco is now leaning heavily on its intent-based networking initiative to pull the company out of the world of expensive, proprietary hardware-based networking and into the burgeoning software-defined market. Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins said recently that more than 1,100 customers had adopted the company's Catalyst 9000 switch, which is the foundation of its "Network Intuitive" intent-based networking initiative. For now, Cisco may have an advantage in the rapidly developing market for software-defined networking solutions, said Chris Bottger, vice president at AVI-SPL, a Billerica, Mass., solution provider that works with Cisco.