Cisco Systems, Inc. (using the trademark Cisco) is an American multinational technology conglomerate corporation that develops, manufactures, and sells hardware, software, telecommunications equipment and other high-technology services and products focused on networking, cyber security and AI.[4] Cisco specializes in specific tech markets, such as the Internet of things (IoT), domain security, videoconferencing, and energy management, including products such as Webex, OpenDNS, Jabber, and Jasper. The company is headquartered in San Jose, California, and, as of December 2025, has a market capitalization of $317 billion.[5]
Cisco Systems was founded in December 1984 by Leonard Bosack and Sandy Lerner, two Stanford University computer scientists. They pioneered the concept of a local area network (LAN) being used to connect distant computers over a multiprotocol router system. The company went public in 1990 and, by the end of the dot-com bubble in 2000, had a market capitalization of $500 billion, surpassing Microsoft as the world's most valuable company.[6][7]
Cisco stock (CSCO), trading on Nasdaq since 1990, was added to the Dow Jones Industrial Average on June 8, 2009. It is also included in the S&P 500, Nasdaq-100, and the Russell 1000 indices.[8][9]
History
1984–1995
Cisco Systems was founded in December 1984 by Sandy Lerner, along with her husband Leonard Bosack. Lerner was the director of computer facilities for the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Bosack was in charge of the Stanford University computer science department's computers.[10]
Cisco's initial product has roots in Stanford University's campus technology. In the early 1980s, students and staff at Stanford, including Bosack, used technology on the campus to link all of the school's computer systems to talk to one another, creating a box that functioned as a multi-protocol router called the "Blue Box".[11] The Blue Box used circuitry made by Andy Bechtolsheim, and software that was originally written at Stanford by research engineer William Yeager.[11] Due to the underlying architecture, and its ability to scale well, Yeager's well-designed invention became a key to Cisco's early success.
Financials
Acquisitions and subsidiaries
Cisco acquired a variety of companies to spin products and talent into the company. In 1995–1996 the company completed 11 acquisitions.[106] Several acquisitions, such as Stratacom,[107] were one of the biggest deals in the industry when they occurred.[108] During the Internet boom in 1999, the company acquired Cerent Corporation, a start-up company located in Petaluma, California, for about US$7 billion.[109] It was the most expensive acquisition made by Cisco to that date, and only the acquisition of Scientific Atlanta has been larger.[110] In 1999, Cisco also acquired a stake for $1 billion in KPMG Consulting to enable establishing Internet firm Metrius founded by Keyur Patel of Fuse.
Products and services
Cisco provides IT products and services across five major technology areas: networking, security, collaboration, data center and IoT.[173]
Cisco is the dominant vendor in the Australian market across all market segments.[174] It uses its Australian office as one of the main headquarters for the Asia-Pacific region.[175]
Hosted Collaboration Solution (HCS)
Cisco partners offer cloud-based services based on Cisco's virtualized Unified Computing System (UCS). The Cisco Unified Services Delivery Solution includes hosted versions of Cisco Unified Communications Manager (UCM), Cisco Unified Contact Center, Cisco Unified Mobility, Cisco Unified Presence, Cisco Unity Connection (unified messaging) and Cisco Webex Meeting Center.[176]
Corporate affairs
Facilities
Cisco is headquartered in San Jose, California at 170 West Tasman Dr. with dozens of buildings comprising its corporate campus.[189] Over 15,000 full-time employees are based at the San Jose campus and the surrounding Bay Area.[190] Cisco's second largest campus in the United States is located at Research Triangle Park in North Carolina with 7,000 employees spanning across 12 buildings.[191]
Awards and accolades
Cisco products, including IP phones and Telepresence, have been seen in movies and TV series.[192]
Controversies
Shareholder relations
A class action lawsuit filed on April 20, 2001, accused Cisco of making misleading statements that "were relied on by purchasers of Cisco stock" and of insider trading.[204] While Cisco denied all allegations in the suit, on August 18, 2006, Cisco's liability insurers, its directors and officers paid the plaintiffs US$91.75 million to settle the suit.[205]
Intellectual property disputes
On December 11, 2008, the Free Software Foundation filed suit against Cisco regarding Cisco's failure to comply with the GPL and LGPL licenses and make the applicable source code publicly available.[206]
See also
- Mass surveillance in the United States
- Cisco certifications
- Cisco IOS
- Packet Tracer
- Cisco Catalyst
- Cisco DevNet
- Cisco Express Forwarding
- Cisco Discovery Protocol
- Cisco Security Agent
- Cisco Systems VPN Client
- Cisco WebEx
- Cisco Field
Further reading
- Bunnell, D. (2000). Making the Cisco Connection: The Story Behind the Real Internet Superpower. Wiley. ISBN 0-471-35711-1.
- Bunnell, D. & Brate, A. (2001). Die Cisco Story (in German). Moderne Industrie. ISBN 3-478-35995-3.
- Paulson, E. (2001). Inside Cisco: The Real Story of Sustained M&A Growth. Wiley. ISBN 0-471-41425-5.
- Slater, R. (2003). The Eye of the Storm: How John Chambers Steered Cisco Through the Technology Collapse. HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-018887-1.
- Stauffer, D. (2001). Nothing but Net Business the Cisco Way. Wiley. ISBN 1-84112-087-1.
- Waters, J. K. (2002). John Chambers and the Cisco Way: Navigating Through Volatility. Wiley. ISBN 0-471-00833-8.
- Young, J. S. (2001). Cisco Unauthorized: Inside the High-Stakes Race to Own the Future. Prima Lifestyles. ISBN 0-7615-2775-3.
External links
References
- Contact Cisco retrieved March 1, 2017^
- Robert Hackett. Why Cisco's board chose Chuck Robbins to lead as CEO Fortune, May 5, 2015, retrieved May 29, 2025^
- Cisco Systems, Inc. FY 2025 Annual Report (Form 10-K) U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, September 3, 2025