Cisco Systems, Inc. designs, manufactures, and sells Internet Protocol (IP)-based networking and other products relating to the communications and information technology industry worldwide.

It is a Headquartered in San Jose, California, USA.

It was founded in 1984 by Len Bosack and Sandy Lerner, a married couple who worked as computer operations staff at Stanford University, later joined by Richard Troiano.

Since the company's inception, Cisco engineers have been leaders in the development of Internet Protocol (IP)-based networking technologies.

In 1987 Lerner moved on to direct computer services at Schlumberger, moving full time to Cisco. The name of the company was derived from the city name, San Francisco, which is why the company's engineers insisted on using the lower case 'cisco' in the early days. For Cisco's first product, Bosack adapted multiple-protocol router software originally written some years before by William Yeager, another Stanford employee who later joined Sun Microsystems.

In 1990, the company was listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange. Lerner was fired and because of that, Bosack quit but not before receiving $200 million. Most of those profits were given to charities and the two later divorced.

Its vision is "Changing the Way We Work, Live, Play and Learn." Cisco's current tagline is "Welcome to the human network". Its hardware, software, and service offerings are used to create the Internet solutions that make networks possible-providing easy access to information anywhere, at any time.

The company offers routers that interconnect IP networks and moving information between networks; switching systems, which provide connectivity to end users, workstations, and servers; application networking solutions; home networking products, such as voice and data modems, network cards, media adapters, Internet video cameras, network storage, and USB adapters; and Cisco security solutions to protect information systems. It also provides storage area networking products that deliver connectivity between servers and storage systems; unified communication products, which integrate voice, video, data, and mobile applications on fixed and mobile networks; video systems, including digital set-top boxes and digital media technology products; and in-building and outdoor wireless networking products. Further, the company offers optical networking products, cable access, and service provider VoIP services.

It provides its products and services through its direct sales force, systems integrators, service providers, resellers, distributors, and retail partners to large enterprises, public institutions, telecommunications companies, commercial businesses, and personal residences.

It has strategic alliances with Accenture, Ltd.; AT&T, Inc.; BearingPoint, Inc.; Cap Gemini S.A.; Dell, Inc.; EMC Corporation; Fujitsu Limited; Hewlett-Packard Company; Intel Corporation; International Business Machines Corporation; Italtel SpA; Microsoft Corporation; Nokia; Nokia Siemens Networks; Oracle Corporation; Siemens AG; Sitronics Telecom Solutions, Czech Republic a.s.; Sprint Nextel Corporation; ThruPoint, Inc.; Wipro Limited; and Tata Consultancy Services, as well as a partnership with NASA.

Cisco acquired a variety of companies to bring in talent and innovation into the company. Several acquisitions, such as Stratacom, were the biggest deals when they happened. During the Internet boom in 1999, the company acquired Cerent Corp., a start-up company located in Petaluma, California, for about US$7 billion. It was the most expensive acquisition made by Cisco at that time. Since then, only Cisco's acquisition of Scientific-Atlanta has been bigger. Although not every acquisition is successful, Cisco has more frequently succeeded in integrating and growing the revenue of its acquisitions than its competitors. Several acquired companies have grown into $1Bn+ business units for Cisco in LAN switching, Enterprise VOIP, and home networking.

In late March 2000, at the height of the dot-com boom, Cisco was the most valuable company in the world, with a market capitalization of more than US$500 billion. In April 2009, with a market cap of about US$104 billion, it is still one of the most valuable companies. The company's 7500 Series router was voted 3rd in the product of the decade 1990-2000 behind the Mosaic web browser and the Novell LAN manager.

In 2003, Cisco acquired Linksys, a popular manufacturer of computer networking hardware and positioned it as a leading brand for the home and end user networking market (SOHO).

The company's first two CEOs are John Morgridge and John Chambers.

The multinational corporation has more than 66,000 employees and annual revenue of US$39 billion as of 2008.

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