Cisco Systems, Inc. Is among the best-known names in the networking industry. They are known not only for the design and manufacture of network systems, but also for training some of the finest computer engineers and certifying their work.
The Cisco story begins in December 1984. Two Stanford Varsity computer staff members Leonard Bosack and Sandy Lerner. Bosack continued working with the University while getting the company up and started. Sadly , some of the router software created by another engineer was employed in their activities. Bosack had to leave the University and face potential criminal charges for theft of intellectual property. Somehow that situation sorted itself out so that by 1987 Sanford had licensed 2 computer boards and software to Cisco.
The name Cisco was a shortening of San Francisco. In the earlier years when John Morgridge was Chief Executive Officer (until 1988) they didn't capitalize the corporation name as a kind of a trademark. Whatever the formula it worked well enough that by 1990 Cisco changed into a public company noted on the market. Sadly this was also the year in which Bosack gave up his work at the company but still managed to pocket about $170 million, much of which was employed for charity.
The thing that put Cisco on the map was its ability to sell routers that supported several network customs commercially. This made the Cisco system fantastically flexible, especially it’s operating software that they continually modified to keep abreast of technology’s ever grinding growth and invention. A few of these products became almost holy in the PC industry, and continued in production for a decade before the requirement for other software support became obvious with the growth of the service provider industry that required high volume capabilities.
Like many PC firms, Cisco grew in part by acquiring other companies including Mario Mazzola’s Crescendo Communications. Through these acquisitions they managed to begin creating changes in Ethernet design by utilizing harmonizing resources. This proved extremely successful till late 1990s. Of course the internet industry expansion in this decade failed to hurt the company at all. They started producing rather more routers and access shelves, both of which ISPs needed to prosper. They also creates some ‘spin off ‘ companies that focused on specific sorts of work including software design and processing cards.
While this is only a peek at Cisco’s early years, there is no interrogating the ongoing importance of Cisco in the internet world. Their place in history is firmly established and so far they show no indications of slowing down.
Bob Bello owns of Certification Kits, a website that gives info regarding Cisco based certification and studying kits.