Cisco Systems, Inc. was founded in 1984 and has since become a leading global provider of networking equipment and solutions.

In 1985 Cisco sold its first product, a network interface card for Digital Equipment Corporation’s computers.

On July 11, 1986, Bosack and Lougheed were forced to resign from Stanford and the university contemplated filing criminal complaints against Cisco and its founders for the theft of its software, hardware designs, and other intellectual properties.

In 1987 they were able to acquire the original license for the router and another two computer boards from Stanford University.

Cisco Live is an annual customer and partner conference where attendees can gain knowledge and skills through in-person and virtual experiences. It features technical education, networking opportunities, and insights from industry leaders.

On February 16, 1990, Cisco Systems went public with a market capitalization of $224 million, and was listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange.

On August 28, 1990, Lerner was fired.

Cisco started focusing on service provider solutions in 1992, aiming to provide advanced networking services to telecommunication companies.

Cisco makes its first acquisition by buying Ethernet switching startup Crescendo Communications, marking a significant milestone in the company's expansion and diversification.

In 1995, Cisco released the 7200 and 7500 series routers, which were designed for high-performance and high-density environments, offering advanced features and capabilities for enterprise networking.

In 1996, the company acquires StrataCom, Inc., maker of switching equipment, for $4.67 billion.

The largest of these was the April 1998 purchase of NetSpeed, Inc., a specialist in digital subscriber line (DSL) equipment, an emerging technology providing homes and small offices with high-speed access to the Internet via existing telephone lines.

By 1999, Cisco had reached sales revenue of $12 billion within 15 years of its inception.

In late March 2000, at the height of the dot-com bubble, Cisco became the most valuable company in the world, with a market capitalization of more than $500 billion.

Cisco Messaging refers to the messaging solutions introduced in 2001, enabling secure and efficient communication within organizations.

Cisco has been manufacturing and innovating network devices since its inception in 1984, with a significant focus on device development in 2003.

In 2004, Cisco introduced the GSR 12000 series with IOS XR, a modular and scalable operating system designed to provide high availability and service flexibility for carrier-grade networking.

Executive Demos are presentations by Cisco executives to showcase the latest technology solutions and innovations. They are often held to demonstrate the company's strategic vision and product capabilities.

Cisco Calling refers to the cloud-based calling and collaboration services introduced in 2006, enabling users to make calls over the internet.

Webex, acquired by Cisco in 2007, is a cloud-based collaboration platform that offers video conferencing, online meetings, and screen sharing.

In 2008, Cisco introduced the ASR-9000 and later the ASR-9900 series, which are high-performance edge routers designed to deliver advanced services and applications in carrier networks.

In April 2009, Cisco played a pivotal role in the evolution of data center networking, introducing technologies that transformed the way data centers operate.

In 2010, Cisco collaborated with NetApp to introduce FlexPod, further expanding their converged infrastructure offerings. This solution later became the industry's leading choice, solidifying Cisco's position in the market.

In 2011, Cisco introduced the Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) firewalls, providing advanced threat protection and security services for data center and enterprise networks.

In 2012, Cisco launched UCS Central Software, enabling the centralized management of multiple Cisco UCS domains through a single management console. This development streamlined infrastructure management across enterprises.

Cisco DNA Center is a network management and automation platform that provides intent-based networking for enterprise networks, enabling centralized management and control.

Cisco introduces ACI, a comprehensive SDN architecture. It provides a business-relevant application policy model across networks, servers, storage, and security.

On May 4, 2015, Cisco announced CEO and Chairman John Chambers would step down as CEO on July 26, 2015, but remain chairman.

The Cisco IOS XE 16.x.x Software releases are time-based, with a fixed release date. The schedule specifies 3 individual software releases per year at 4 month intervals, providing a structured approach to software updates.

After EoVS, Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) will provide customer support on the affected Cisco Software release, within the guidelines set by existing Cisco’s EoL policies.

From 2018 to 2020, Amy Chang served as Executive Vice President and General Manager of Cisco’s Collaboration business after the acquisition of the company she founded, Accompany, an artificial intelligence/machine learning-based relationship intelligence platform serving Fortune 500 companies.

On May 1, 2018, Cisco Systems agreed to buy AI-driven business intelligence startup Accompany for $270 million.

The Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Software is extended for support in January 2019.

Cisco Viptela SDWAN Software Release 19.2 is an Extended-Support release. Every subsequent third release (for example, Cisco Viptela Software releases 19.2, 20.2 etc.) will also be an Extended Maintenance release.

The Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Software is extended for support in March 2019.

The Cisco RV340 Series routers were launched in June 2019, offering advanced security and connectivity features for small business networks.

The Cisco IOS XE/IOS XE SDWAN Software release model was updated on March 12, 2020. It includes information about the software support, release schedule, end-of-sale, end-of-life guidelines, upgrade paths, and customer notifications.

The C7200, introduced as a software-based router, was built on two PCI buses and was modular in design.

Cisco IOS XE Software Release 17.9 is the first Extended-Support release under the 17.x series to support 48 months.

Cisco IOS XE Software Release 17.12 will be an Extended Maintenance release.

The support timeline and End-of-Life (EoL) guidelines for Cisco IOS XE Software and Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN releases are described in this software lifecycle support statement.

Cisco Systems, Inc. takes action to report illegal content.

Three years after end-of-sale date for either Standard-Support or Extended-Support releases, customers are encouraged to migrate to one of the Extended Maintenance releases when the release becomes available with appropriate features for the applications.