Juniper Networks doesn't acquire at a regular pace, but when it does move, it moves in a big way. Last year, it acquired two startups, Peribit Networks and Redline Networks, for a combined $470 million. It was a much-needed exit for the venture capitalists that had patiently backed those companies since the telecom bust

And prior to those purchases, Juniper made its biggest acquisition ever when it spent $4 billion in 2003 for NetScreen Technologies, a tremendously successful startup that had gone public.

Juniper has been quiet for a while now. So what's next? I don't know, but I'm certain Tech Confidential Executive Editor Olaf Domis will ask Spencer Greene, Vice President of Corporate Development at Juniper Networks, what the company is looking at. I, along with the venture capitalists and communications equipment executives in the room, will be interested to hear what he has to say.

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