Cisco Systems, one of the world’s largest makers of networking gear, said on Wednesday that it would cut about 5,500 jobs — or nearly 7 percent of its work force — and post charges of up to $400 million in its first fiscal quarter as it shifts focus away from its legacy hardware toward higher-margin software.

The gradual move to fast-growing areas like security, the internet of things and the cloud is a response to sluggish demand for Cisco’s traditional lineup of switches and routers from telecom carriers and enterprise customers, at a time of intense competition from companies like Huawei and Juniper Networks.

Revenue at the company’s routers business fell 6 percent in the fourth quarter ended July 30, while switching unit revenue was up 2 percent. Orders from service providers fell 5 percent, and revenue in emerging markets was down 6 percent, Cisco said.

Cisco projected flat revenue in the first quarter and gave an earnings forecast that was shy of analysts’ estimates, saying it expected adjusted earnings of 58 to 60 cents per share, versus Wall Street estimates of 60 cents.