# Cisco Systems

> Cisco Systems is an American multinational technology company and the world's largest maker of networking hardware. Founded in 1984 by two Stanford computer scientists, it builds the routers, switches, silicon, security, and software that route much of the world's internet traffic. Today Cisco is repositioning around AI infrastructure, cybersecurity, and observability - anchored by its 2024 acquisition of Splunk - while remaining the default backbone for enterprise, service-provider, and government networks.

- **Founded:** 1984
- **Headquarters:** San Jose, California, USA
- **Founders:** Leonard Bosack (Co-founder), Sandy Lerner (Co-founder)
- **Team size:** Approximately 80,000-90,000 employees worldwide
- **Products:** Routers and Switches, Cisco Security, Splunk, Webex, Cisco AI Infrastructure / Silicon
- **Notable:** Became the world's largest networking hardware company and, briefly in 2000, the most valuable public company on earth., IPO in 1990; long-standing component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and NASDAQ-100., Acquired Splunk for approximately $28 billion in 2024, one of the largest software acquisitions in tech history.

## Products & services

- **Routers and Switches** — Enterprise and service-provider networking hardware, including the Catalyst, Nexus, and 8000/N9000 series that route and switch traffic across networks and data centers.
- **Cisco Security** — Firewalls, secure access, threat intelligence (Talos), and cloud security including Cisco Secure and Hypershield for protecting networks, users, and AI workloads.
- **Splunk** — Security and observability platform for machine data analytics, acquired in 2024 and now central to Cisco's security and monitoring strategy.
- **Webex** — Cloud collaboration suite for video meetings, calling, messaging, and contact-center software.
- **Cisco AI Infrastructure / Silicon** — Networking silicon (Silicon One / G300) and systems like the N9000 and 8000 built to connect GPUs in large AI data-center back-end fabrics.
- **Meraki** — Cloud-managed networking, Wi-Fi, and IT for distributed enterprises, acquired in 2012.
- **ThousandEyes** — Internet and cloud network intelligence and visibility platform.

## Achievements

- Became the world's largest networking hardware company and, briefly in 2000, the most valuable public company on earth.
- IPO in 1990; long-standing component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and NASDAQ-100.
- Acquired Splunk for approximately $28 billion in 2024, one of the largest software acquisitions in tech history.
- Its certification programs (CCNA, CCNP, CCIE) trained a global generation of network engineers.
- Raised FY2026 AI infrastructure revenue outlook from hyperscalers to about $4 billion.

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Q3 FY2026 revenue reached $15.8B, up 12% year over year, with networking revenue up 25%; Cisco raised its full-year outlook.
- **2026-02** — Raised FY2026 AI infrastructure revenue forecast from hyperscalers to about $4 billion as AI orders accelerated.
- **2025-11** — Q1 FY2026 results showed AI demand lifting orders and guidance; AI orders reported around $5.3B for the period.
- **2026-01** — Announced N9000 and 8000 systems built on Silicon One G300 to compete for the largest AI back-end network fabrics.

## Links

- Website: https://www.cisco.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cisco
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/Cisco
- GitHub: https://github.com/cisco
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/cisco
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cisco/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cisco/

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Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-16