Quick Facts
Founded in 1984
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO)
Q4 FY09 Revenue: $8.5B
Q4 FY09 Employee Count: 65,545
Quick Links
Cisco Overview
At Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) customers come first and an integral part of our DNA is creating long-lasting customer partnerships and working with them to identify their needs and provide solutions that support their success. The concept of solutions being driven to address specific customer challenges has been with Cisco since its inception. Husband and wife Len Bosack and Sandy Lerner, both working for Stanford University, wanted to email each other from their respective offices located in different buildings but were unable to due to technological shortcomings. A technology had to be invented to deal with disparate local area protocols; and as a result of solving their challenge - the multi-protocol router was born. Since then Cisco has shaped the future of the Internet by creating unprecedented value and opportunity for our customers, employees, investors and ecosystem partners and has become the worldwide leader in networking - transforming how people connect, communicate and collaborate.
Please view Cisco's Corporate Overview Presentation for more information.
Market Transitions
Cisco has a proven track record of successfully capturing market transitions. Beginning in 1997 with the reality that Voice and Video would all be one, moving to the Networks of Networks in 2000 and the Network becoming the platform for all related technologies and the core of customer solutions, and the most recent market transition of Collaboration and Web 2.0 technologies. We owe much of this to our customers - as listening to their needs, ideas, challenges, etc. help define the future and what is needed for their success. Customers guide our strategy and we stay ahead of market shifts so that we are ready to help our customers evolve, as their industry and needs evolve.
Please visit Cisco for more information and/or view Cisco's Corporate Overview Presentation.
Technology / Product Offerings
As market transitions evolve so do our product offerings - all to best meet customer needs. Over time, Cisco has evolved from Enterprise and Service Provider solutions to addressing customer needs in many other segments including Small, Consumer and Commercial. The network has truly become the platform for providing one seamless, transparent customer experience. As a result, Cisco and Cisco technology is changing the way we work, live, play and learn. We strive to be "Best in the World" and "Best for the World" - offering solutions that meet customer needs, exceed their expectations and contribute to the world in a positive way. Connecting and collaborating with others is a key element of Cisco's culture. Making the world a smaller place through technology and using it to enhance life experiences. That's the "Human Network" - a place where everyone is connected.
Please visit Cisco for more information and Select "Solutions" or "Products & Services" from the top navigation bar.
Research & Development
Cisco is committed to innovation and research and development is a core component of our corporate culture. Cisco spends nearly $5.2 billion a year in R&D, making us one of the top R&D spenders in the world. When looking at R&D as a percentage of revenue Cisco matches or exceeds industry peers and secures our commitment to innovation.
Please visit Cisco for more information and/or view Cisco's Corporate Overview Presentation.
Cisco Culture
At Cisco we believe community belongs to everyone and connecting and collaborating with others is a key element of our culture. Making the world a smaller place through technology and using it to enhance life experiences is something we take seriously. While market transitions evolve and change over time, the components of our culture remain consistent. For these are our core values, the basis of all we do - and the spirit in which we do it - and are embraced with the intention of customer success and positively contributing to the world and others. Cisco employees are committed to giving back and volunteerism is a huge part of our culture. The numbers speak for themselves; since 2001, Cisco employees have logged more than 980,970 volunteer hours - a number which continues to increase year over year.
Please visit Cisco for more information and/or view Cisco's Corporate Overview Presentation.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
Corporate and social responsibility is a key component to our culture and Cisco's products promote collaboration and communication of information that is used not only to power businesses, but to modernize governments, support education, and foster economic development. Cisco's 2008 Corporate Citizenship Report addresses stakeholder concerns for our citizenship governance practices and commitment to our employees, the environment, and society. It reflects our thinking and progress to date on the issues that affect the sustainability and health of our business and society, and describes the tangible benefits of our corporate social responsibility activities.
Please visit Cisco Corporate Social Responsibility for more information.
Cisco Networking Academy
Cisco Networking Academy is a global education initiative that delivers information and communication technology skills to help improve career and educational opportunities for individuals in communities around the world. Over the past 12 years, Cisco Networking Academy has developed an ecosystem of public-private partnerships to extend the program benefits to more that 750,000 students a year in more than 165 countries.
Please visit Cisco Networking Academy for more information.
Sustainable Business Practices
Cisco is committed to operating in an environmentally-responsible manner, creating energy-efficient products, providing solutions to our customers that help them to meet their environmental goals, and inspiring our employees to get involved and take action. We believe in the opportunity for the ICT industry to reduce emissions while disproportionately helping others to reduce theirs. Our vision is, "if it can be connected to the Internet, it can be green."
Please visit Cisco Corporate Social Responsibility for more information.
Welcome to the Human Network - The Human Network Effect
"Welcome to the Human Network" is synonymous with Cisco as it enables all of us to be connected. A place where remote villages are included and your PDA is a stadium seat where home videos are experienced everywhere at once and Web applications mesh together to create dynamic experiences. On the human network, wonderful things happen everywhere as a result of being connected via the internet. The Internet is not simply a network of computers; it is a network of people and the network brings people together by eliminating boundaries and distances while expanding the reach of our individual efforts and passions. When people connect and collaborate, ideas and opportunities thrive. The Network, and Cisco, is the platform of the human network… Welcome to the Human Network.
Please visit Welcome to the Human Network for more information.
Mergers and Acquisitions
A differentiator for Cisco is our internal innovation, acquisition strategy and partner approach. The ability to innovate has become the harbinger of success and sustainability for the modern corporation. Of all of the companies on the Fortune 500 in 1965, only 19% remain on this prestigious list today - those who were able to successfully innovate and reinvent themselves. Cisco's acquisition strategy is best-in-world and we particularly look for acquisitions that capitalize on market disruption through new technologies and new business models.
Please visit Acquisitions and/or view Cisco's Corporate Overview Presentation for more information.
Cisco Channel Strategy
Cisco understands the importance of partnering with best-in-class providers to ensure customers receive support and solutions of the highest standard. Our partnerships are based on mutual benefits and long-term commitments. We consider our partners to be an extension of Cisco
Cisco enjoys a long history of creating market growth through investments. Direct investing and investment partnerships allow Cisco to gain visibility, knowledge and experience in new technologies and markets. Cisco actively invests in all major technology segments on a global basis. U.S. and global market investments are also critical to our strategy. As with acquisitions, all investment targets are thoroughly vetted for both their business and technology fit.
Please visit Cisco for more information and Select "Partner Central" from the top navigation bar.
