YAGO Systems
| Company type | Private (defunct) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Networking hardware |
| Founded | 1983 |
| Founder | Craig Benson, Robert Levine |
| Fate | Restructured into holding company and split into separate companies |
| Successor | Enterasys Networks, Riverstone Networks, Aprisma Management Technologies, Global Network Technology Services |
| Headquarters | Rochester, New Hampshire , United States |
Key people | Craig Benson (co-founder) |
| Products | Networking hardware (Ethernet hubs, routers, network management software) |
Number of employees | 6,600 (at peak) (1990s) |
Cabletron Systems, Inc. was a producer of networking hardware during the 1980s and 1990s, primarily headquartered in Rochester, New Hampshire, USA, with manufacturing plants located in Ironton, Ohio and Ireland.
History
Established in 1983 within a garage in Massachusetts by Craig Benson (who later became Governor of New Hampshire) and Robert Levine, Cabletron grew its design and manufacturing operations in Rochester, New Hampshire, eventually employing around 6,600 staff at its height. By 1996, the company achieved sales exceeding US$1 billion. Cabletron initially gained prominence through the 10BASE5 Ethernet sector with products such as the ST-500 transceiver equipped with diagnostic LEDs and the LAN-MD test set, both designed to resolve operational issues associated with 10BASE5 Ethernet. Subsequently, the company introduced one of the earliest modular Ethernet hubs, the MMAC-8, which accommodated high-density 10BASE-T modules (offering 24 or 48 ports per slot), substantially lowering the cost per port. Their proprietary Element Management System, Prism, improved maintenance processes.
Cabletron expanded into Layer 3 routing beginning with a collaboration with Cisco, jointly creating a Cisco router compatible with the MMAC-8 hub before developing independent routing technology. Balancing competition in the lower-end Ethernet market alongside investments in advanced routing technology presented significant difficulties.
In 2000, Cabletron restructured into a holding company to concentrate on separate business divisions:
- Enterasys Networks (Andover, Massachusetts), which originated from Cabletron’s foundational product lines. Enterasys merged with the Cabletron holding company yet retained its brand name before launching an IPO in 2001. It was privatized in 2006 by The Gores Group, which subsequently combined Enterasys with Siemens Enterprise Communications, committing up to €350 million in investment.
- Riverstone Networks (Santa Clara, California), created from YAGO Systems assets to compete in the Switched Ethernet arena. Riverstone was acquired by Lucent Technologies and later integrated into Alcatel-Lucent; however, overlapping technologies led to its phase-out. Riverstone ultimately filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and was liquidated.
- Aprisma Management Technologies (Durham, New Hampshire), a subsidiary under Enterasys following the merger, retained Cabletron’s network management solutions based on the SPECTRUM software platform. Aprisma was purchased by Concord Communications, which was later acquired by Computer Associates (now CA, Inc.) for $350 million.
- Global Network Technology Services (GNTS) (The Woodlands, Texas), a network installation and management company employing over 800 personnel but dissolved in 2001 due to the dot-com downturn and declining demand for network services.
Enterasys Networks became part of Siemens Enterprise Communications and preserved extensive documentation regarding original Cabletron products.
On September 12, 2013, Extreme Networks announced an agreement to acquire Enterasys Networks for $180 million.