Juniper Networks chief executive said the network equipment maker wants to get bigger and is open to acquisitions and new partnerships.

Kevin Johnson's remarks come after Cisco bought wireless equipment maker Starent in a $2.9 billion deal that could hurt Juniper's position. Juniper has been busy lately after it unveiled product enhancements, such as allowing third-party development on its JUNOS operating system, opening up opportunities for Juniper to forge licensing partnerships and bolster sales.

Johnson claims his outfit is more interested in research and development at the moment which worried investors who want the company to buy up smaller start-ups. In reply to them, Johnson said that he was open to buying new companies. However his primary value creation driver is organic R&D.

"We are an innovation company. Now we will complement that organic R&D with targeted acquisitions," said Johnson.