On August 24, Cisco announced plans to eliminate 6,000 jobs, or about 8% of its global staff. Couninting its most recent cuts, Cisco has eliminated nearly 26,000 jobs since the start of 2009.Stagnant growth forecasts are likely the chief catalyst in Cisco's job cuts. The company faces a challenging shift as customers move from purchasing Cisco's core expensive hardware to new, less expensive software advancements.