What is Cisco?
Cisco Systems, doing business as Cisco, is an American technology company that develops, manufactures and sells hardware, software and telecommunications equipment focused on networking, cybersecurity and AI. It was founded in December 1984 by Leonard Bosack and Sandy Lerner, two Stanford University computer scientists, and is headquartered in San Jose, California.
Cisco was one of the first companies to sell commercially successful routers that supported multiple network protocols. In the early 1990s it acquired several Ethernet switching companies, which together formed the Catalyst business unit. Today its networking catalog covers switching, routing, wireless and software for network operations, and its product pages separate campus, data center and branch use cases.
For developers and network engineers, Cisco DevNet provides API, SDK and data model documentation, plus a sandbox where pre-built Cisco platforms can be used to test APIs, SDKs and solutions. A Cisco listing should point buyers to an architecture and product family rather than imply that one device fits every topology.
Key capabilities
- Switching for access, core and data center use, including the Catalyst line
- Routing to connect sites and services
- Wireless networking
- Network management and operations software
- DevNet API, SDK and data model documentation
- A sandbox of pre-built Cisco platforms for testing APIs and solutions
Where Cisco fits
- Switching and routing Cisco sold some of the first commercially successful multiprotocol routers, and its Catalyst line covers switching for access, core and data center use.
- Wireless and network software Wireless networking and software for network operations complete the infrastructure portfolio.
- Campus automation Cisco Catalyst Center is documented on DevNet as a way to automate network infrastructure through its platform APIs.
- Cloud managed networking Meraki exposes APIs to automate Cisco cloud managed infrastructure.
- Orchestration Network Services Orchestrator orchestrates, automates and extends across a technology stack.
- SD-WAN and service provider Catalyst SD-WAN deploys and manages devices programmatically, and Crosswork covers service provider network planning and operation.
- Security and data Cisco acquired Sourcefire for security, and Splunk Dev supports apps that bring new kinds of data into the Splunk platform.
- Developer resources DevNet provides API, SDK and data model documentation, labs, sample code and a sandbox of pre-built platforms.
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