Cisco Systems Corporate Timeline
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Cisco Systems Corporate Timeline 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 1985 1990 1995 2000 1986 1991 1996 2001 1987 1992 1997 2002 1988 1993 1998 2003 1984 Cisco Facts: Headcount for Fiscal year 2 · Computer scientists, Len Bosack and Sandy Lerner, from Stanford University found Cisco Systems ®. The company is named for San Francisco, gateway to the Pacific Rim. (Dec 84) · Beginning to experiment with connecting detached networks, Bosack and Lerner run network cables between two different buildings on the Stanford campus, connecting them first with bridges, and then routers. · Bosack and Le rner, with the expertise of Greg Satz and Kirk Lougheed, work to enable disparate networks to talk with each other and share information reliably. But in order for the networks to be truly interconnected, a technology has to be invented that can deal with the disparate local area protocols. With that idea in mind, the multi-protocol router is born. Internet Facts: · The Domain Name System (DNS) is introduced. Moderated newsgroups are introduced on USENET. · William Gibson coins the term “cyberspace” in his novel Neuromancer. · JUNET (Japan Unix Network) established using UUCP and JANET (Joint Academic Network) established in the UK. 1985 Cisco Facts: Headcount for Fiscal year 2 · Company headquartered in home of founders in Atherton, California. · First corporate logo is developed. Cisco Innovations: · Cisco® ships its first product, the MEIS Subsystem. © Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Page 1 rev. 030731v4 Corporate Timeline Internet Facts: · The first .com and .edu domains are assigned. · There are 1,961 Internet hosts. (Oct 85) · The last Canadian university is connected to BITNET in a one year effort to have coast- to-coast connectivity. 1986 Cisco Facts: Headcount for Fiscal Year: 6 · Cisco Systems hires its first employee. · Company headquarters moved to modest offices in Menlo Park, California. Cisco Innovations: · Cisco gets involved with the beginnings of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). The IETF is an international community of network designers, operators, vendors and researchers concerned with the evolution and operation of Internet architecture. http://www.ietf.org · Cisco forever changes the networking communications industry and the Internet by shipping its first routing innovation, the AGS (Advanced Gateway Server), to the University of Utah. (Mar 86) · Cisco ships its first volume shipment of the AGS running release 5.0—what came to be called Cisco IOS. (Jul 86) Internet Facts: · The Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP) is designed to enhance USENET news performance over TCP/IP. 1987 Cisco Facts: Headcount for Fiscal Year: 9 · Cisco receives $2 million in funding from venture capital firm Sequoia Capital. · First company mug released, promoting Cisco products. Cisco Innovations: · Cisco designs the Multiport Communications Interface (MCI) which two Ethernet and two serial ports that could run up to T1 speeds. · Cisco develops the Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (IGRP) the first protocol to permit the building of large internets. http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/1993/prod_051193.html Internet Facts: · The industry gains momentum and credibility with the establishment of the first TCP/IP Interoperability conference in March 1987, held in Monterey, California, establishing an official forum for vendors to test the compatibility of their products. The name of the conference changes to INTEROP the following year. · Number of Internet hosts breaks 10,000. · UUNET sells first-ever commercial Internet connection. © Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Page 2 rev. 031209v1.1 Corporate Timeline 1988 Cisco Facts: Headcount for Fiscal Year: 29 · John Morgridge joins Cisco as President and CEO. · Employees celebrate at first company picnic. · Cisco launches a user newsletter called The Packet®. Cisco Innovations: · Cisco ships the Multiport Communications Interface (MCI), the highest speed network interface in the industry at that time and could do bridging and routing concurrently. Internet Facts: · Internet Relay Chat (IRC) developed. · FidoNet gets connected to the Net, enabling the exchange of e-mail and news. 1989 Cisco Facts: Headcount for Fiscal Year: 111 Revenue for Fiscal Year: $27 million · With only three products and 111 employees for FY89, Cisco reports revenues of $27 million. Cisco Innovations: · Cisco designs the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) and completes the first implementation of BGP on Cisco routers. The BGP is still in use today facilitating connections to service providers. · To enable a higher capacity system, cBus and cBus controller is developed and deploys a Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI), the first high speed technology interface. · Cisco develops further Ethernet interfaces with up to six Ethernets ports on a cBus card enabling high speed switching. Internet Facts: · The first gateways between private e-mail carriers and the Internet are established. CompuServe is connected through Ohio State University, MCI through the Corporation for National Research Initiatives. · Number of Internet hosts breaks 100,000. 1990 Cisco Facts: Headcount for Fiscal Year: 251 Revenue for Fiscal Year: $69 million · Cisco goes public on February 16, 1990, listed as “CSCO” on the NASDAQ. Cisco celebrates the public offering with a market capitalization of $224 million. · Cis co launches its Networkers Users Symposiums. Cisco Innovations: · Cisco broadens its product line with the Compact Gateway Server (CGS), a low-end access router with 2 Ethernet ports and 2 serial ports. · Introduces the first Remote Access Router the Cisco IGS. © Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Page 3 rev. 031209v1.1 Corporate Timeline · Cisco introduces NetCentral network management software. http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/1992/prod_091492.html Internet Facts: · The ARPANET is decommissioned, leaving behind a vast network of networks called the Internet. · Tim Berners-Lee coins the phrase “World Wide Web.” · Headlines are made at the INTEROP trade show when John Romkey connects a kitchen appliance, the Internet Toaster, to the Internet. · CA*net formed by 10 regional networks as national Canadian backbone with direct connection to NSFNET. 1991 Cisco Facts: Headcount for Fiscal Year: 503 Revenue for Fiscal Year: $183 million · Cisco opens first commercial offices with three buildings in Menlo Park, California. (Jun 91) · Cisco opens offices in Uxbridge, London (Stockley Park and London City), and Courtabeof, France. · John Chambers joins Cisco as senior vice president, Worldwide Sales and Operations. http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/tln/exec_team/chambers/chambers_bio.html · First stock split. (Mar 91) · Market capitalization reaches $1 billion. (Aug 91) Internet Facts: · The National Science Foundation (NSF) lifts restrictions on the commercial use of the NSFNET backbone, clearing the way for electronic commerce. NSFNET also built the first peering point, and upgraded from T1 to T3 (1.5 Mbps to 45 Mbps). · Four software tools that started opening the Internet to the casual and business user released: ARCHIE, WAIS, Gopher, and PGP, to provide searching, file transfer, and file security across the Internet. · The first web server in North America and on the Internet goes live at Stanford Linear Accelerator (SLAC). 1992 Cisco Facts: Headcount for Fiscal Year: 875 Revenue for Fiscal Year: $381 million · Cisco opens offices in Toronto, Canada and Tokyo, Japan. http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/1992/corp_060892.html · The predecessor to Cisco.com, Cisco Information Online, a bulletin board and FTP download site designed to provide known bug and technical information to its customers and partners, is launched. www.cisco.com Cisco Innovations: · Cisco earned its first patent, No. 5,088,032, for its method and apparatus for routing communications among computer networks (Interior Gateway Routing Protocol). The computer networks are interconnected with a series of gateway circuits. Each gateway © Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Page 4 rev. 031209v1.1 Corporate Timeline identifies all destination computers to which it is connected and identifies the path or paths to each destination computer. (Feb 92) · Cisco Communication Server Family introduced. (May 92) http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/1992/corp_050492.html · Cisco 3000 Low-end Router Platform launched. (Aug 92) http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/1992/prod_080392.html · CiscoWorks Router-Management Software introduced. (Sept 92) http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/1992/prod_091492b.html · Cisco unveils Cisco 4000 Series—new modular router fa mily for regional and branch offices. (Sept 92) http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/1992/prod_090892b.html · Cisco Maps Out Three-Phase Program for Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) Interfaces. (Oct 92) http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/1992/prod_102892a.html Internet Facts: · Internet Society (ISOC) is chartered. http://www.isoc.org/ · Jean Armour Polly coins the term “surfing the Internet.” · The first online browser is made available by anonymous login at an FTP site. 1993 Cisco Facts: Headcount for Fiscal Year: 1,459 Revenue for Fiscal Year: $714 million · Cisco opens new offices in Brussels, Belgium; Mexico City, Mexico; Hong Kong. http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/1993/corp_030393a.html, http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/1993/corp_030393.html · Company establishes product lines. · Vice President Albert Gore awarded Cisco Circle Award. (Jun 93) http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/1993/corp_062393.html · Cisco introduces Certified Internetwork Expert program (CCIE).