Cisco's CEO Talks Emerging Markets, Customer Trends And Dividends

Shares of Cisco Systems, Inc. CSCO surged higher by around 10 percent on Thursday following its top and bottom beat in its fourth-quarter results.

Speaking to CNBC on Thursday, Cisco's CEO Chuck Robbins discussed the company's performance in the fourth quarter and its outlook.

Robbins began the conversation by pointing out the "balance" of Cisco's portfolio across product lines and various regions – especially in India and China.

Expanding on Cisco's growth in emerging markets, Robbins noted that leaders in various countries fully understand the importance of embracing the power of technology and how it can create jobs and improve education for future generations.

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Robbins also singled out a strong quarterly performance in China within the routing, switching, wireless and video segments.

Robbins further pointed out that there appears to be a fundamental shift in how the company's clients are evaluating their needs. He explained that when a team of executives interact with Cisco over a sale, over 70 percent are not a technology pro or member of the IT executive team.

"That speaks to the fact that technology is not only being viewed as something that is being bought during times of prosperity but they also view it as a fundamental element of how they think about their strategy going forward," Robbins said.

Finally, Robbins discussed Cisco's cash return policies and said that now is a "right time" given management's "confidence in the business" to implement a dividend hike and add an incremental $15 billion to its share buyback program.