With the Linux Foundation announcing the rollout of the Open Daylight Project, the endorsement by both IBM (IBM 0.06%) and Cisco Systems (CSCO 0.44%) is a major coup. Given the potential near-term threat that the project represents to Cisco, its involvement comes as something of a surprise. The longer-term implications, however, show the strategic advantage for the company and why it may have thrown its support behind the project.

In the below video, Fool.com contributor Doug Ehrman discusses the technology involved in the project, what it hopes to accomplish, and why Cisco has come down in favor of these objectives.