What is Cisco?

Cisco Systems, Inc. Cisco Systems is the world's leading provider of Internet equipment. Its network devices and application schemes connect people, computing devices and networks all over the world, so that people can use various devices to transmit information anytime and anywhere. Cisco provides customers with end-to-end network solutions, enabling customers to build their own unified information infrastructure or connect with other networks. Cisco provides the most extensive network hardware products, Internet operating system (IOS) software, network design and implementation and other professional technical support, and cooperates with partners to provide technical support and professional training services in network maintenance and optimization.

Cisco is headquartered in San Jose, California, USA, and its branches in chelmsford, Massachusetts and Research Triangle Park, North Carolina are responsible for some important business operations of Cisco.

Cisco and its customers are working hard to promote the development of the Internet every day. Cisco believes that the development of the Internet will greatly change the operation mode of enterprises and produce a "global network economy" model. This model enables enterprises of any size to use information exchange technology to maintain a strong interactive business relationship.

Cisco itself is the beneficiary of the "global network economy" model. By using network applications across the Internet and Intranet, operating costs are greatly reduced and direct income is increased. This has increased Cisco's annual revenue by $825 million, and also improved the satisfaction of customers and partners. Cisco's competitiveness in customer support, product reservation and delivery time has also been greatly improved. Cisco currently has the world's largest Internet business website, and 90% of its global business transactions are completed online.

Cisco is one of the most successful companies in America. Since the first router was produced in 1986, Cisco has occupied the first or second market share in every field it entered and become the market leader. Since the listing of 1990, Cisco's annual revenue has increased from $69 million to $22.29 billion in the fiscal year of 200/kloc-0. The company has more than 36,000 employees worldwide.

When college dropouts such as Bill Gates, Larry Ellision, michael dell and Steve Jobs appeared like Cheng in 1970s and 1980s, IT seemed that the whole IT industry would be dominated by "college dropouts". Today, it seems that this "open plan" is basically successful.

Apart from several IT "antiques" such as IBM and Hewlett-Packard, which are still in their prime, the IT industry famous for its high technology is basically the territory of these "low-diploma" heroes. However, it is gratifying that some companies founded by highly educated people have also "seized" some sites, among which Cisco, founded by two Stanford teachers, is the most beautiful. In 2000, Cisco became the most valuable enterprise in the world with an astonishing figure of $532 billion (in the last 20 years, only Microsoft and Cisco have reached the highest peak in the world). Of course, things quickly got worse.

Because Cisco does not provide products to mass consumers, Cisco is a strange company outside the industry: we know the rise of Cisco stock, but we don't know its ins and outs; We know that Cisco sued Huawei with intellectual property weapons, but we don't know why Cisco has its own intellectual property rights. We know that Chambers is the helmsman of Cisco Navigation, but we don't know morrissey, the founder and chairman of the company. We know the news of Cisco's recent painful layoffs, but we don't know the great pain of Chambers breaking his oath of "never laying off employees".

Yes, when it comes to history, Cisco can't compare with IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle and so on. When it comes to culture, Cisco can't compare with Apple and Hewlett-Packard. However, Cisco is indeed the God of Wealth in Silicon Valley, the embodiment of the peak of the Internet and the symbol of the new economy. Cisco represents the glory of the Internet in 10 and the glory of Silicon Valley in 10.

Let's go into the depths of Cisco's history, listen to its progress more truly and grasp its beating pulse.

Cisco, a company founded in 1984, has the same market value as the blue giant IBM. Cisco's stock is one of the hottest stocks in the past 10 years. Since 1990 went public, its value has increased by more than 100 times. The company's market value once surpassed Microsoft and Intel and became the world's number one.

From 65438 to 0995, Cisco became the largest network equipment manufacturer in the world. In 2000, Cisco's annual sales reached $65.438+08 billion, with 36.5438+million employees, and its market value reached $444 billion, second only to GE's $505 billion and Intel's $446 billion, and also surpassed Microsoft's $358 billion for the first time.

March 27th, 2000 is a historic moment. With a total market value of $555 billion, Cisco once surpassed Microsoft to become the most valuable company in the US market, although it took only a short time to reach the top of the world. However, for this moment, it took Microsoft nearly 25 years to climb to its present position, while Cisco only took 16 years.

Cisco is one of the most successful companies in America. Since the first router was produced in 1986, Cisco has occupied the first or second market share in every field it entered and become the market leader. Since the listing of 1990, Cisco's annual revenue has increased from $69 million to $22.29 billion in the fiscal year of 200/kloc-0. The company has more than 36,000 employees worldwide.

Cisco is addicted to mergers and acquisitions. Since 1993 acquired Crescendo, it took Cisco less than ten years to acquire 8 1 companies. No company in M&A has been so successful. ..

1984, leonard bosack and Sandy Lerner founded Cisco in San Jose, Silicon Valley. They are a teacher couple in Stanford. Posack is the director of the Computer Center of the Computer Department of Stanford University, and Lerner is the director of the Computer Center of Stanford Business School. The marriage of two computer executives is also a story. Of course, more importantly, they designed a new networking device for the Stanford Campus Network (SUNet), which integrated incompatible computer LANs on campus to form a unified network. This kind of equipment is called "multi-protocol router", which indicates the real arrival of the network era.

These routers were developed in the late 1970s, and the couple planned to start their own company and commercialize it. Therefore, there is an intellectual property dispute between the couple and Stanford University. After all, these products are "job inventions" and universities have intellectual property rights. Fortunately, Stanford University did not adopt the traditional rigid attitude in intellectual property rights, but was lenient and did not investigate further (of course, it also charged a certain patent fee). Today, it seems that it was wise for the school not to "kill the goose to get the egg". Otherwise, there would not be today's network equipment overlord, and there would not be astronomical donations from Posack and Lerner. Open Stanford has gained a huge "return on investment" by giving up intellectual property rights. After getting rich, the couple also thanked the school and tried their best to give back to their alma mater.

Both husband and wife are smart, diligent and, of course, lucky. They seized an excellent opportunity at the right time. 1March 1986, the first product was finally launched. These routers have become the cornerstone of the company's road to prosperity. It is these routers that pieced together different networks in the world and formed today's huge Internet. Cisco's name comes from San Francisco, where there is a world-famous Golden Gate Bridge. In the information age, it will also be more famous because of the unimpeded "Golden Bridge" between networks built by Cisco. The couple 1990 quit Cisco.

John Chambers is the president and CEO of Cisco Systems, a leading global manufacturer of Internet. 199 1 joined Cisco systems as vice president, the company's sales income in that year was only $70 million, with a market value of $600 million. During his last four years as president and CEO from 1995 to 1, Cisco Systems established a leading position in the main fields of the network industry and expanded into new market areas. By fiscal year 1999, the sales revenue of Cisco system has reached1265438+400 million USD.

Recently, Upside magazine, located in Silicon Valley, USA, named john Chambers "the king of the digital world"; American Business Week also named him as one of the top 25 senior corporate presidents for the second time in just three years. In the opinion poll of top executives in the world conducted by E-commerce magazine, Chambers was elected as "CEO of the Year" with 1997. In addition, as one of the most innovative and enterprising business leaders recognized by the global business community, Chambers was also elected as a member of President Clinton's Trade Policy Committee.

Recently, at a White House meeting, President Clinton and Vice President Gore talked about Cisco Systems, saying that Cisco Systems is "the best company not only in the network industry, but also in any field". They also believe that Chambers is a real leader in the network industry, the American economy and even the global economy.

Cisco Systems, founded 19 years ago, is the fastest growing company in the information industry. In just over ten years, the market value of Cisco Systems has exceeded $400 billion, making it one of the top ten companies with the most competitive strength in the world. How to use the opportunities provided by the Internet to gain a stable competitive advantage is a model of Cisco system. 1997, e-commerce transactions of Cisco system accounted for one third of global transactions. At present, 73% of Cisco Systems' ordering process is conducted through the Internet. From 65438 to 0998, Forbes magazine rated Cisco system as "the most powerful company in America" and Fortune magazine listed Cisco system as one of the "25 best companies in America".