Cisco

Cisco Systems, Inc.

File:Cisco logo blue 2016.svg Logo since 2016, inspired by the Golden Gate Bridge
Company type	Public
Industry	Digital communications technology, networking equipment, software, telecommunications
Founded	December 1984 (1984-12)
Founder	Leonard Bosack, Sandy Lerner
Headquarters	San Jose, California , United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Chuck Robbins (CEO and chairman)
Products	Networking equipment, software solutions, telecommunications devices, Webex, OpenDNS, Jabber, Duo Security, Silicon One, Cisco Jasper
Revenue	US$53.8 billion (2024)
Operating income	US$12.18 billion (2024)
Net income	US$10.32 billion (2024)
Total assets	US$124.4 billion (2024)
Total equity	US$45.46 billion (2024)
Number of employees	90,400 (2024)
Website	www.cisco.com

Cisco Systems, Inc. (commonly known as Cisco) is a global American corporation specializing in digital communications technology, with its headquarters located in San Jose, California. The company designs, produces, and markets networking equipment, software solutions, telecommunications devices, and advanced technology services. Cisco’s strategic focus includes sectors such as the Internet of Things (IoT), cybersecurity, video conferencing, and energy efficiency. Prominent offerings from Cisco encompass Webex, OpenDNS, Jabber, Duo Security, Silicon One, and Cisco Jasper.

Established in December 1984 by Stanford computer scientists Leonard Bosack and Sandy Lerner, who were pioneers in developing multiprotocol router systems that linked remote computers via local area networks (LANs), Cisco went public in 1990. By the conclusion of the dot-com era in 2000, the company achieved a market valuation of $500 billion, overtaking Microsoft to become the most valuable company worldwide.

Cisco’s shares (ticker symbol CSCO) are listed on Nasdaq and have been part of the Dow Jones Industrial Average since June 8, 2009. The company is also a constituent of major indices such as the S&P 500, Nasdaq-100, Russell 1000, and Russell 1000 Growth. As reported in 2024, Cisco generated revenues of $53.8 billion, with operating income of $12.18 billion and net income amounting to $10.32 billion. The firm holds assets valued at $124.4 billion and equity totaling $45.46 billion. Under the leadership of CEO and chairman Chuck Robbins, Cisco employs about 90,400 individuals globally.

1984–1995: Foundations and early expansion

Cisco Systems was launched in December 1984 by Sandy Lerner and her spouse Leonard Bosack, both associated with Stanford University. Lerner managed computing resources at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, while Bosack oversaw systems within the university’s computer science department.

The company’s first product emerged from networking initiatives on Stanford’s campus. In the early 1980s, Bosack collaborated with colleagues to create a multiprotocol router known as the "Blue Box," which integrated hardware engineered by Andy Bechtolsheim with software developed by William Yeager. This adaptable design became instrumental to Cisco’s initial achievements.

In 1985, Bosack partnered with Kirk Lougheed to formalize Stanford’s network infrastructure by refining Yeager’s software into what would later evolve into Cisco IOS. Following disputes over intellectual property rights, Stanford licensed both the router hardware and software to Cisco in 1987. Early contributors included Bosack, Lerner, Lougheed, programmer Greg Satz, and sales representative Richard Troiano. Bill Graves served as Cisco’s inaugural CEO from 1987 to 1988 before John Morgridge took over in 1988.

The company’s name “Cisco” is derived from San Francisco and is symbolized by its iconic Golden Gate Bridge logo. Cisco held its initial public offering on February 16, 1990, achieving a market value of $224 million on NASDAQ. Later that year, Lerner was dismissed and Bosack resigned in response.

While not the originator of network nodes, Cisco was among the earliest firms to achieve commercial success with multiprotocol routers. Its CPU-based design coupled with flexible IOS software enabled frequent upgrades—allowing products like the Cisco 2500 series to remain relevant for nearly ten years. The company rapidly entered the service provider market through product lines such as the Cisco 7000 and 8500 series.

From 1992 through 1994, Cisco grew via acquisitions in Ethernet switching technology by purchasing companies like Kalpana, Grand Junction Networks, and Crescendo Communications led by Mario Mazzola—forming what became known as the Catalyst business unit. Cisco adopted a strategy that treated layer 3 routing and layer 2 switching as complementary technologies—a stance that shaped its product development throughout the decade.

In 1995, John Morgridge passed leadership to John T. Chambers as CEO, initiating a new era focused on expanding business operations and increasing market presence.

1996–2005: Expansion into Internet and Silicon-Based Networking

During the late 1990s, as Internet Protocol (IP) became widely adopted, Cisco broadened its product range beyond modem access shelves like the AS5200 to include core routers such as the GSR, solidifying its leadership in the market. At the height of the dot-com bubble in March 2000, Cisco achieved the status of the world's most valuable company, boasting a market capitalization surpassing $500 billion. By July 2014, it continued to hold a prominent position in the industry with a market value near US$129 billion.

The increasing intricacy of routing silicon programming encouraged competitors like Juniper Networks, which launched its inaugural product in 1999 and swiftly captured roughly 30% of Cisco’s service provider market share by 2000. To counter this, Cisco engineered proprietary ASICs and developed high-speed processing cards for its GSR routers and Catalyst 6500 switches. In 2004, Cisco began transitioning to more advanced hardware platforms with the introduction of the CRS-1 router and rolled out the new software architecture IOS XR, thereby enhancing its competitive edge in premium networking solutions.

2006–2012: The Human Network Era

In 2006, Cisco shortened its corporate name to simply "Cisco" and launched "The Human Network" marketing campaign aimed at establishing a widely recognized brand identity, supporting its consumer-focused Linksys products alongside forthcoming offerings. On the enterprise front, Cisco expanded its portfolio in routing, switching, and security technologies. Recognizing Ethernet’s growing significance, it developed the ASR 9000 series powered by EZChip hardware and IOS-XR software to integrate carrier Ethernet capabilities with subscriber management.

In March 2007, Cisco acquired Reactivity Inc., a provider of XML gateway technology, integrating it into its Datacenter Switching and Security Technology Group led by senior VP Jayshree Ullal. Additionally, Cisco invested $1 billion in India by launching its Globalization Centre East in Bangalore to bolster global operations.

Growth through acquisitions was a key strategy; notably, in 2009 Cisco purchased mobile infrastructure specialist Starent Networks for $2.9 billion to reinforce its mobile networking offerings. Despite these moves, intense competition from Alcatel-Lucent, Juniper Networks, and Huawei exerted pressure on Cisco’s financial results. After profits fell short of expectations in 2011, Cisco implemented cost-cutting measures including a $1 billion reduction in annual expenses and workforce downsizing by up to 10,000 employees (approximately 14% of staff), utilizing early-retirement buyouts. CEO John Chambers openly addressed these competitive challenges during the company’s 2011 analyst call.

On July 24, 2012, Cisco obtained European Union approval to acquire TV software developer NDS for $5 billion, further diversifying its product and service offerings. In 2013, Cisco divested its Linksys home-router business to Belkin International, signaling a strategic retreat from consumer markets to concentrate on enterprise clients.

2013–Present

On July 23, 2013, Cisco announced an agreement to acquire Sourcefire for $2.7 billion. In August of that year, Cisco revealed plans to reduce its workforce by approximately 4,000 jobs (around 6%) beginning in 2014. By year-end 2013, revenues declined due to sluggish sales in emerging markets amid economic uncertainties and concerns about potential backdoors linked to the National Security Agency.

In April 2014, Cisco introduced a $150 million investment fund aimed at early-stage Internet of Things (IoT) companies, supporting accelerators such as The Alchemist Accelerator and startups like Ayla Networks. Later that year, another restructuring led to layoffs affecting roughly 6,000 employees (8% of global staff). In November, Cisco invested in Stratoscale, a startup specializing in hyper-converged infrastructure.

On May 4, 2015, CEO and Chairman John Chambers announced he would step down as CEO in July but remain as chairman; Chuck Robbins—senior VP of worldwide sales with a tenure of 17 years—was named his successor. On July 23, Cisco sold its television set-top-box and cable modem divisions to Technicolor SA for $600 million, marking an exit from consumer markets to focus on cloud-based enterprise solutions while maintaining collaboration with Technicolor. In November 2015, Cisco co-founded the OpenFog Consortium alongside ARM Holdings, Dell, Intel, Microsoft, and Princeton University to promote fog computing technologies.

In January 2016, Cisco invested in VeloCloud—a software-defined WAN startup delivering cloud-based network optimization solutions. February 2017 saw the launch of Cisco Umbrella, a cloud-based secure internet gateway designed for users outside corporate networks. Following strong financial results in Q4 of that year, Cisco’s stock price rose over 7%, fueled by better-than-anticipated performance. John Chambers relinquished his role as executive chairman in December 2017; Chuck Robbins took over that position while continuing as CEO.

According to Reuters reports, Cisco’s product revenue in Russia increased by 20% during 2017—outpacing growth rates seen in other BRIC nations.

On May 1, 2018, Cisco acquired Accompany—a business intelligence startup focused on AI—for $270 million. By June that year, Forbes ranked Cisco at number 444 on its Global 2000 list with a market capitalization of $221.3 billion.

In 2019, acquisitions included customer experience firm CloudCherry and AI company Voicea. That same year marked the debut of the "Silicon One" ASIC chip series; the G100 model achieved speeds up to 25.6 Tbit/s—competing directly against Broadcom’s Tomahawk series and Nvidia’s Spectrum chips. The forthcoming G200 model is projected to reach speeds of up to 51.2 Tbit/s by 2023.

In March 2020, David Goeckeler—SVP and GM of Enterprise Networking—departed to become CEO of Western Digital, with Todd Nightingale from Cisco Meraki stepping into his role. In October 2022, Cisco partnered with Microsoft to integrate Microsoft Teams into its meeting device portfolio.

Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, by 2022 Cisco halted all equipment sales and services within Russia. In April 2023, it destroyed assets valued at approximately $23 million because of export restrictions and wrote off unpaid debts exceeding ₽1 billion from Russian operator MTS. That same year saw Cisco announce plans to commence equipment manufacturing within India as part of a diversification strategy.

On February 15, 2024, Cisco revealed plans for layoffs exceeding 4,000 employees (representing about 5% of its global workforce) alongside lowering annual revenue forecasts due to economic headwinds and decreased demand from telecom and cable sectors.

On March 5, 2024, Cisco secured unconditional antitrust clearance from EU regulators for its $28 billion acquisition bid targeting cybersecurity firm Splunk.

On April 24, 2024, CEO Chuck Robbins met with Pope Francis at the Vatican where he signed the Rome Call for AI ethics—endorsing principles aimed at responsible artificial intelligence development.

Finance

In the fiscal year 2023, Cisco achieved net profits of US$12.6 billion, generated from revenues totaling US$57 billion, representing a 10.6% growth compared to the prior year. As of September 2018, the company's stock price exceeded $43 per share, resulting in a market valuation of approximately US$213.2 billion.

Year	Revenue (mil. US$)	Net income (mil. US$)	Total assets (mil. US$)	Price per share (US$)	Employees
2001	22,293	−1,014	35,238	16.69
2002	18,915	1,893	37,795	11.80
2003	18,878	3,578	37,107	14.38
2004	22,045	4,401	35,594	17.44
2005	24,801	5,741	33,883	14.67
2006	28,484	5,580	43,315	17.45	49,930
2007	34,922	7,333	53,340	23.07	61,560
2008	39,540	8,052	58,734	18.15	66,130
2009	36,117	6,134	68,128	16.14	65,550
2010	40,040	7,767	81,130	18.74	70,700
2011	43,218	6,490	87,095	14.10	71,830
2012	46,061	8,041	91,759	15.34	66,640
'2013'	'48,607'	'9,983'	'101,191'	'19.20'	'75,049'
'2014'	'47,142'	'7,853'	'105,070'	'21.22'	'74,042'
'2015'	'49,161'	'8,981'	'113,373'	'25.09'	'71,833'
'2016'	'49,247'	'10,739'	'121,652'	'26.83'	'73,700'
'2017'	'48,005'	'9,609'	'129,818'	'31.97'	'72,900'
'2018'	'49,330'	'110'	'108,784'	'43.65'	'74,200'
'2019'	'51,904'	'11,621'	'97,793'	'55.84'	'75,900'
'2020'	'49,301'	'11,214'	'97,793'	'—'	'77 500'
'2021'	'49 818'	'10 591'	'97 497'	'—'	'79 500'
'2022'	'51 557'	'11 812'	'94 002'	'—'	'83 300'
'2023'	'56 998'	'12 613'	'101 852'	'—'	'84 900'

Acquisitions and subsidiaries

Cisco has expanded its market reach and product lineup through a series of strategic acquisitions over the years. During the period from 1995 to 1996 alone, the company completed eleven acquisitions including the transformative $4 billion purchase of Stratacom. The peak of the dot-com era in 1999 saw Cisco acquire Cerent Corporation for nearly $7 billion—the most substantial deal until it acquired Scientific Atlanta—and invest $1 billion in KPMG Consulting to launch the Internet venture Metrius.

Several purchases evolved into core revenue streams exceeding $1 billion annually; notable examples include LAN switching technology; enterprise VoIP solutions via Webex; and home networking products following the acquisition of Linksys in 2003. To enhance its wireless portfolio in 2005 Cisco bought Airespace for $450 million and later acquired IronPort in 2007 for $830 million to integrate advanced email security into its Security division.

In 2010 Cisco strengthened its wireless infrastructure capabilities by acquiring Starent Networks for $2.9 billion and improved consumer product design through the Moto Development Group acquisition. That year also included acquiring Tandberg for video conferencing and Pari Networks for network configuration software in subsequent years; however some ventures like Flip Video were eventually phased out.

Cisco continued broadening its cybersecurity and cloud service offerings with purchases such as NDS Group for $5 billion in 2012; Intucell for $475 million in 2013; Cognitive Security; SolveDirect (cloud services); Ubiquisys (mobile software); and Sourcefire at $2.7 billion—all reinforcing its security portfolio.

In 2014 and beyond Cisco added ThreatGRID (malware analysis) and Tail-f Systems (configuration management), followed by Embrane (software-defined networking) and Tropo (cloud API platform) in 2015; OpenDNS (DNS security); MaintenanceNet (cloud contract management); Pawaa (secure file sharing); Portcullis Computer Security; ParStream (analytics database); and Lancope ($453 million cybersecurity firm).

The acquisition of CloudLock for $293 million in 2016 enhanced Cisco’s cloud security capabilities while efforts to incorporate Springpath technology into hyper-converged infrastructure were ultimately discontinued with HyperFlex products ending by 2023.

Recent high-profile acquisitions include AppDynamics ($3.7 billion) in 2017 to monitor application performance; Viptela ($610 million) for SD-WAN technology; BroadSoft ($1.9 billion) to bolster cloud communications; ThousandEyes (~$1 billion) for network intelligence insights; Portshift (~$100 million) focusing on DevOps security; Slido to boost WebEx engagement; IMImobile ($730 million) for customer interaction platforms; as well as cybersecurity firms Valtix, Lightspin and Armorblox during 2023.

In December 2023 Cisco revealed plans to acquire Isovalent—a startup specializing in cloud-native networking and security solutions—with its largest-ever acquisition being the $28 billion takeover of cybersecurity company Splunk announced in September 2023 and finalized by March 2024.

These acquisitions demonstrate Cisco’s deliberate approach to diversify its offerings across networking infrastructure, security solutions, collaboration tools, cloud computing services and analytics—thereby reinforcing its competitive position and expanding global influence within the technology sector.

Ownership

By 2017, the majority of Cisco Systems' stock was owned by institutional investors, including prominent firms such as The Vanguard Group, BlackRock, and State Street Corporation.

Facilities

Cisco's main headquarters is located at 170 West Tasman Drive in San Jose, California, featuring a corporate campus that accommodates more than 15,000 staff members. Its second-largest U.S. site is situated in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, where approximately 7,000 employees work across a dozen buildings.

In August 2020, Cisco inaugurated a 130,000 square-foot Midwest headquarters within Chicago’s Old Main Post Office building, designed to house around 1,200 personnel. Globally, the company maintains over 200 offices spread throughout more than 80 countries, underscoring its extensive international footprint.

In July 2021, Cisco introduced permanent remote work policies for all employees, reflecting its adaptable business approach and leadership in modern workforce management strategies.

Products and services

Cisco focuses on three primary customer segments: enterprise clients, service providers, and small to midsize businesses. The company's offerings encompass five principal technological domains: networking (including Ethernet, optical solutions, wireless, and mobility), security, collaboration tools (covering voice, video, and data), data center technologies, and the Internet of Things.

Over the past thirty years, Cisco has developed a robust presence in the Asia-Pacific region and commands market leadership across all sectors in Australia. The Australian office functions as a regional headquarters supporting Cisco’s worldwide operations.

VoIP services

Cisco is recognized as a top provider of Voice over IP technology for enterprise use and is actively expanding into the residential consumer market through acquisitions such as Scientific Atlanta and Linksys.

Hosted Collaboration Solution (HCS)

Through its virtualized Unified Computing System (UCS), Cisco empowers partners to offer cloud-based services. The HCS portfolio comprises hosted versions of Unified Communications Manager, Contact Center, Mobility solutions, Presence services, Unity Connection (unified messaging), and Webex Meeting Center. This suite supports Cisco’s strategic goal to broaden its cloud collaboration capabilities.

Network Emergency Response

Within its Crisis Response program, Cisco deploys several Network Emergency Response Vehicles (NERVs) strategically stationed at its San Jose headquarters and Research Triangle Park facility in North Carolina. These self-sufficient vehicles provide wired and wireless connectivity options such as voice over IP, radio interoperability, network video surveillance, and secure high-definition video conferencing for emergency leaders and first responders. Equipped with a 1.8-meter satellite dish, they deliver bandwidth ranging from 3 to 72 Mbit/s and can be fully operational within 15 minutes after arrival.

Fueled by high-capacity diesel tanks, the largest NERV units can function continuously for up to 72 hours. Cisco’s NERVs have been mobilized during significant emergencies including the October 2007 California wildfires; hurricanes Gustav, Ike, and Katrina; the 2010 San Bruno gas pipeline explosion; tornado outbreaks in North Carolina and Alabama in 2011; as well as Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

Beyond North America, Cisco’s Crisis Response Operations team utilizes smaller portable communication kits to aid disaster recovery efforts worldwide. Key deployments include the 2010 earthquakes in Haiti and Christchurch (New Zealand), flooding events in Brazil during 2011, and the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in 2011.

In recognition of its pioneering disaster response technology, Cisco was honored with the Innovation Preparedness award by the American Red Cross Silicon Valley Chapter in 2011.

Certifications

Cisco Systems provides an extensive range of IT professional certifications aligned with its products, organized into six tiers: Entry (CCT), Associate (CCNA/CCDA), Specialist (Cisco Certified Specialist), Professional (CCNP/CCDP), Expert (CCIE/CCDE), and Architect (CCAr). These credentials span eight principal specialization areas, such as Collaboration, CyberOps, Data Center, DevNet, Enterprise, Security, and Service Provider.

In addition to these, Cisco offers Specialist certifications tailored for roles in technical support, sales, and data center operations. The company facilitates certification preparation via the Cisco Networking Academy, which authorizes eligible educational institutions worldwide to conduct training programs. To become a Cisco Certified Academy Instructor, educators must possess CCNA certification.

The Cisco Networking Academy extends its reach across more than 180 nations, demonstrating Cisco’s commitment to advancing global technical education. A significant expansion occurred in 2013 when Cisco launched Networking Academies in Yangon and Mandalay, Myanmar, alongside establishing a local channel partner network.

Awards and accolades

Cisco’s technology has been prominently showcased in various films and television series. The company’s influence was notably featured in the 2011 documentary Something Ventured, which explores its business contributions.

Acknowledged for its corporate social responsibility, Cisco earned the Ron Brown Award during 2002–03 for outstanding employee and community engagement. It secured the top position in Great Place to Work’s World's Best Workplaces in 2019 and ranked fourth on Fortune’s 2020 list of Top 100 Companies to Work For based on employee satisfaction metrics.

A 2015 analysis by LexInnova recognized Cisco as a dominant patent holder in network security technologies with over 6,400 patents, highlighting its innovation leadership. In 2024, the CP-8861 phone model was awarded Best Office Phone by PhonePrices.co.uk, affirming Cisco’s strength in communication device markets.

Sponsorship

In February 2021, Webex initiated a multi-year collaboration agreement with McLaren Racing as their Official Collaboration Partner. This partnership evolved in 2022 when Cisco became the team’s Official Technology Partner. By October 2023, Cisco was appointed as the Official Primary Partner of the McLaren F1 Academy program, with branding prominently displayed on driver Bianca Bustamante’s car, race suit, and team apparel for the 2024 F1 Academy season.

Shareholder relations

On April 20, 2001, a class action lawsuit accused Cisco of making deceptive statements and engaging in insider trading that impacted stock investors. While Cisco refuted these claims, the company reached a settlement in August 2006 involving payments totaling $91.75 million from its liability insurers as well as directors and officers to the plaintiffs.

Intellectual property disputes

On December 11, 2008, the Free Software Foundation initiated legal action against Cisco for alleged violations of the GPL and LGPL licenses due to failure to release source code publicly. The dispute was resolved on May 20, 2009, with Cisco agreeing to adhere to FSF licensing requirements and providing a financial settlement.

In October 2020, Cisco was mandated to compensate Centripetal Networks $1.9 billion for infringing four patents related to cybersecurity technology.

China

Cisco has been subject to scrutiny due to its role in censorship in the People's Republic of China. Author Ethan Gutmann reported that Cisco, along with other technology providers, delivered surveillance tools and Internet infrastructure to Chinese authorities, facilitating website blocking and monitoring of online behavior. Cisco maintains that it does not tailor its products for censorship purposes and offers the same equipment worldwide.

A confidential Cisco presentation disclosed potential business prospects tied to China's Golden Shield Project. In May 2011, practitioners of Falun Gong initiated legal action against Cisco under the Alien Tort Statute, accusing the company of enabling human rights violations by the Chinese government. Although the case was dismissed in 2014, the Ninth Circuit Court revived it in July 2023, permitting it to advance toward trial. Cisco has appealed this decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.

In 2020, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute identified Cisco among 82 companies allegedly linked to forced labor involving Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region.

Tax fraud investigation

In October 2007, several employees from Cisco’s Brazilian division were detained for importing equipment without paying required customs duties. Cisco clarified that it does not directly import products into Brazil but instead relies on third-party intermediaries.

Antitrust lawsuit

On December 1, 2008, Multiven initiated an antitrust lawsuit against Cisco Systems, claiming that Cisco harmed consumers by bundling software patches and bug fixes exclusively with its SMARTnet maintenance service. In May 2010, Cisco accused Multiven’s founder, British-Nigerian entrepreneur Peter Alfred-Adekeye, of unauthorized hacking and requested his extradition from Canada. Following his arrest and two months later, Cisco resolved the dispute by making software updates accessible to all Multiven customers.

Remote monitoring of user connections

Cisco remotely pushed firmware updates to Linksys E2700, E3500, and E4500 routers requiring users to register for a cloud-based service. This enabled Cisco to track network activity and provided the ability to deactivate cloud accounts, which could disable router functionality.

Firewall backdoor developed by NSA

According to a report by German magazine Der Spiegel, the NSA created a tool named JETPLOW designed to infiltrate Cisco ASA (5505–5550 series) and 500-series PIX Firewalls. Cisco’s Chief Security Officer denied any collaboration with government agencies to weaken their products or embed backdoors.

Documents leaked from the NSA revealed that its Tailored Access Operations (TAO) team intercepts shipments of network hardware to implant clandestine firmware, establishing covert access points within targeted networks globally. Cisco rejected these allegations, stating no proof exists linking specific products or supply chain tampering and reiterated that it does not cooperate with governments in compromising security features.

These claims led Cisco’s CEO to express concerns directly to the U.S. President. Similar accusations about government-installed backdoors in Cisco devices have been publicly raised by whistleblowers such as Edward Snowden and journalist Julian Assange.

Spherix patent lawsuit

In March 2014, Spherix filed a patent infringement suit against Cisco, asserting that over $43 billion in sales—including switches and routers—violated 11 patents acquired from Nortel.

Role in Internet Censorship in India

In April 2020, Cisco Systems was accused of collaborating with the Jammu and Kashmir government to develop a firewall aimed at restricting access to prohibited websites, including various social media platforms, through fixed-line internet connections. Cisco refuted these accusations.

Lawsuit Regarding Caste Discrimination

During 2020, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing initiated legal action against Cisco and two of its employees, alleging caste-based discrimination toward an Indian engineer.

Involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

The Israeli military relies on Cisco’s data center infrastructure to facilitate AI-driven targeting in Gaza and other military operations. Since October 2023, a minimum of 32 Cisco staff members have experienced the loss of 288 relatives in Gaza. Employees who voiced opposition to Cisco’s connections with Israel faced termination, attempts to promote divestment were suppressed, and discussions regarding the conflict were prohibited during company meetings as of April 2025.

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. .
• Bunnell, D. & Brate, A. (2001). Die Cisco Story (in German). Moderne Industrie. .
• Paulson, E. (2001). Inside Cisco: The Real Story of Sustained M&A Growth. Wiley. .
• Slater, R. (2003). The Eye of the Storm: How John Chambers Steered Cisco Through the Technology Collapse. HarperCollins. .
• Stauffer, D. (2001). Nothing but Net Business the Cisco Way. Wiley. .
• Waters, J. K. (2002). John Chambers and the Cisco Way: Navigating Through Volatility. Wiley. .
• Young, J. S. (2001). Cisco Unauthorized: Inside the High-Stakes Race to Own the Future. Prima Lifestyles. .