Cisco has been a long-time Linux user on a corporate scale, using an open-source tool developed internally, it's been reported. With tens of thousands of employees, even in this post-dot-bomb era, Cisco network managers have had the opportunity to design, deploy, and manage an internal IT department that rivals those of most of its customers. One tool, the Cisco Enterprise Printing System (CEPS), was even released by the company to the open source community's GPL.

Thus it's no surprise to hear that Linux is popular on the desktop at this industry-leading technology developer. According to published reports, J. Craig Manning, one of the company's network administrators, has said there are 2,000 engineers using Linux on the desktop, for example. Perhaps mostly to write code, but perhaps for other applications down the road.

Manning is reportedly looking to deploy the platform on laptops (a controversial step that was addressed by LinuxWorld Senior Editor Jim Turner several weeks ago.) These revelations come as no surprise and do not seem especially controversial.

How about Cisco deploying Linux as an OS into its own products, though? Cisco showed its hand in Las Vegas at Interop recently by demonstrating the company's new Integrated Service Routers, which use small Linux-based blades to run application-focused network services, such as content caching, security and voice/e-mail messaging. There will no doubt be further announcements involving Linux down the road.