Cisco Systems

Today, Cisco Systems is a world leader in networking technologies that are changing the way people communicate, connect and work together. Although Cisco was not the first company in the world to develop and sell routers - devices that redirect computer traffic from one network to another, it created the first commercially successful multi-protocol router . Many people observe and note that Cisco is actually refining a set of business principles.

What does Cisco stand for?

Cisco Systems (Cisco for short) is an American multinational company that develops and sells network equipment , one of the largest companies in the world specializing in high technology . Cisco calls itself a "world leader in network technology."

The company offers over 80% of routers that are the basis of Ethernet . Cisco is a major supplier of computer inframrezhi business. Cisco networking solutions enable the integrated networks of thousands of companies, universities, government organizations, and offices around the world.

Having a series of legendary products alone cannot guarantee the huge success that Cisco has today.

Cisco Systems is also developing a multi-level certification system for computer network engineers CCIE (Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert). Because exams with this system test knowledge not only of Cisco products , but also knowledge of network technologies and protocols, many organizations recognize the value of Cisco professional certifications .

The company is headquartered in San Jose, California. The president and CEO of Cisco is John Chambers .

Cisco - How Does It All Start?

In 1984, Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Bosac and Sandra Lerner , working as computer service personnel at various faculties at Stanford University, founded Cisco Systems . They have some difficulty establishing a connection between their personal systems. They had to make sure that their computer systems could communicate with each other. Therefore, in order to have a connection between two incompatible computers located in different departments, they create a gateway server in their home. He helped machines from two faculties at Stanford University to exchange data using the Internet Protocol (IP) .

Soon after this achievement, they decided to try their luck and create a commercial version of the gateway server. Cisco's first development and production facility is the Bosac living room. In order to register their company, the employees had to pay from their personal savings.

The name Cisco

When founders chose a name for their company, they often came across names that were already in use and in use. In fact, in 1984, Cisco Systems Inc. was founded . Pay attention to the lowercase letter "c" in the original name of the company. There are many rumors and explanations about its origin.

It was interpreted as an attempt to embarrass the editors when they started a sentence with the name of the company, or as a mistake of the lawyers proposing a project for the name. The reasons also included a torn sheet of paper, originally named San Francisco Systems, and simply an attempt to make them stand out.

Although in 1992 the company name was officially changed to Cisco Systems Inc. The transition from the lowercase letter "c" has been met with some hesitation by cisco orthodox, but today most use the name Cisco Systems Inc. except, perhaps, for the relentless engineers of the Cisco Systems era. To this day, you can find ciscoSystems in iOS messages and bug reports.

The company logo is a stylized image of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Cisco - the success story!

1985 The first Cisco corporate logo is developed. The company's first product, the MIES subsystem, goes on sale. Employees - two.

1986 The first employee is hired. Cisco introduces its first innovative product, the Advanced Gateway Server (AGS) router. Number of employees - 6.

1987 Cisco develops the Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (IGRP ), the first protocol to support large global networks. Indicative is the fact that among the employees there is not a single manager or trader - only engineers and programmers. Cisco already has 9 employees.

1988 John Morgridge becomes President and CEO of Cisco. The company launches the Multiport Communication Interface ( MCI). It should be noted that at that time this was extremely successful - the lack of such solutions allowed the company to almost immediately take a leading position in the field of development of network technologies based on IP (Internet Protocol). Employees - 29.

1989 The Border Gateway Protocol (BGP ) is developed and installed on routers and is still in use today. The development of the company needed more funds than the founders of the company could afford to invest, despite their ever-growing revenues. Don Valentino, known for his investments in Oracle and Apple, invested 2.5 million in the company, thus gaining rights to a third of the capital. Employees - 111.

In 1990, there were 251 employees. The first Cisco IGS (Integrated Gateway Server) remote access router was launched. In 1990, Bosac and Lerner left the company with $ 170 million after investors brought in professional managers. Bosac and Lerner later divorced.

1991 John Chambers becomes Cisco 's senior vice president of global sales and operations. There are already 503 employees then.

1992 Cisco registers its first patent, .085,088,032, which describes a new method and a new device for routing traffic between computer networks using the IGRP protocol . The company created a family of communication servers and launched Cisco IOS (Cisco Internetworking Operating System) to manage routers. IOS is one of the best networking system software in the world. The Cisco 3000 router model appears and the Cisco 4000 is announced, designed for the company's regional and city offices. The first print ad appears. The employees at that time were 875.

1993 Cisco acquired foreign company Crenscendo Communications with CDDI technology, which allows data transmission over copper wire at a speed of 100 Mb / s. The Cisco 2000 Remote Access Platform is emerging, extending the corporate network feature to remote locations. The Cisco 7000 router is on the market, and the company's employees already number 1479.

1994 3 companies are acquired. Cisco launches 4 new remote access router models from the Cisco 2000 family, including the Cisco 2500 , the first compact, fully functional router designed for small businesses and large companies. The Catalyst Switch appears, the first intelligent workgroup switch for client / server environments. Number of employees - 2269.

1995 Cisco acquires 4 more companies. John Chambers becomes CEO of Cisco . Announced a Catalyst 5000 - the first multi-modular device with routing, switching and virtual LANs. The Cisco 7500 Router appears, Cisco's first multi-gigabit router with a Packet-over-SONET interface that provides packet data over SONET channels. This device radically changes the ways of transmitting Internet traffic and IP traffic over long distances. Employees at that time - 3827.

1996 Cisco acquires 7 companies. It launched its millionth access device and acquired StrataCom, a leading provider of ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) solutions . The first universal access server, the Cisco 7200 , is launched to extend older features to a wider range of network architectures. The employees in this period are already 8259.

1997 With 10,728 employees, Cisco acquires 11 companies. For the first time, the company was included in the list of the 500 largest companies in the world by Fortune magazine. A non-commercial networking academy program is launched for those who want to gain skills in designing, expanding and maintaining computer networks. CCIE is a comprehensive e-learning program that provides students with knowledge of the Internet technologies needed in the global economy. Cisco is announcing the industry's first enterprise security solution and launching Voice over IP and Fax over IP products , embarking on a new phase in the strategic integration of voice, video and data.

1998 9 companies are acquired. Cisco became the first company in history with a market capitalization of $ 100 million in 14 years. Employees - 14623.

1999 Acquires 17 companies and announces a strategy for building corporate virtual private networks ( VPNs ), and launches a suite of VPN solutions . Employees - 20657.

2000 34613 employees. Acquires 23 companies. Cisco entered the history of cinematography by shooting the world's first digital film (Titan AE) for broadcast on Internet channels. Cisco opens an internet house with an area of 50 sq.m. All systems of this house, from security to lighting, are based on technologies for high-speed uninterrupted Internet access.

2001 The company's employees already number 38,402. Acquires 2 more companies. Cisco offers its Internet Business Roadmap , which increases the mobility and competitiveness of small and medium-sized businesses through e-Business applications. Cisco announced the VSR (Very Short Reach Optics) solution for economical scaling of IP networks and launched the Cisco 12400 router , the most powerful and competitive device for 10 G IP / MPLS network infrastructure. Cisco creates Smart - a new family of integrated access devices - Cisco Smart AD2400 .

2002 5 more companies were acquired. Cisco is launching new security hardware and software products , including oversized firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, and enhanced virtual private network (Cisco VPN) technologies. The employees became 35670.

2003 Acquires 4 companies, including Linksys Group, and enters the home networking market. Employees - 34466.

2004 Cisco introduces the Cisco CRS-1 (Carrier Routing System), which immediately enters the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's most powerful Internet router . Cisco completed its portfolio with solutions for IP communications technologies for video telephones (Video Telephony Advantage), giving users the ability to instantly establish a video connection in cyberspace. Employees - 34371.

2005 Acquires 11 companies. Cisco introduces and launches Linksys One , a small business communications solution. Announces a major investment initiative in India worth more than $ 1 billion. Employees - 38413.

2006 With 51,840 employees, the company acquires 8 more companies. CiscoTelepresence technology has been developed - for remote real-time business negotiations , which allows people from different countries and different continents to hold virtual face-to-face meetings.

2007 11 more companies were acquired. Cisco Acquires WebEx, a World Leader in Collaborative Proposals The new Cisco Digital Media System technology provides organizations with dynamic, business-class audio and video technologies to easily connect with customers, employees, and students anywhere, anytime. The employees are already 63050.

2008 11 companies were acquired this year. One of them is Nuovo Systems - Cisco is taking an important step in developing an efficient architecture for data centers. A Cisco router has been sent to the International Space Station .

Today, the company has more than 57,000 employees in many branches and offices around the world and presents the best products and solutions in the field of networking and information transmission. The company's partner network includes 200,000 partners, including 35,000 resellers, implementers and consultants, thanks to which Cisco receives a huge share of its revenue (about 90%) in the segment of large companies, medium and small businesses.

The company's financial turnover in fiscal year 2009 was $ 36.12 million and net profit was $ 6.13 million. Today, Cisco is one of the most expensive brands in the world.

During its existence, Cisco grew into a multifunctional corporation with more than 200 offices in 54 countries with more than 12,000 employees. In 1990, Cisco became a public company. Today, the company has offices in Argentina, Australia, China, Chile, Israel, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, Sweden and many other countries. The company is the third largest in the NASDAQ and is among the 40 largest companies in terms of market capitalization in the world.

Cisco Systems' acquisition of such companies as Precept Software, NetSpeed, WheelGroup, LightSpeed International, and others, as well as its extensive experience as a leader in network technology, make Cisco a major provider of switching technology for global networks .

The secret of this success is mobility. Cisco has recognized the danger of becoming monolithic and slow before it becomes a problem. Cisco Systems is not acquiring another company to eliminate a competitor from the market where it wants to be the leader. A company is bought if there is a long-term perspective in the products of this company, in line with Cisco's plans, and when business and financial circumstances are favorable for both organizations.

Cisco Systems is a world leader in network solutions that are widely used in manufacturing, logistics and transportation , as well as in retail, administration , banking and other sectors .

The company develops innovative solutions, presents a vision for the application and development of technologies in the future, given the growing amount of data that needs to be processed, analyzed and protected. Cisco connects with high-quality products that provide reliable communication.

" Alpha Partner" Ltd. is a partner of Cisco Systems - Cisco Select Partner and Cisco Networking Specialization.