Cisco Systems was founded in 1984 by a married couple named Len Bosack and Sandy Lerner. They were computer engineers employed at Stanford University near San Francisco, California. The name cisco, which was originally spelled with a lowercase c, was taken from San Francisco. He created the first commercially successful multi-protocol router. This was exactly the right product at the right time, allowing previously incompatible computers to communicate with each other. Thus, the Cisco router was instrumental in the establishment and growth of the Internet. The switch to standard Internet Protocol (IP) dramatically reduced the need for a multi-protocol router, but by this time the company was well established and was able to diversify into other network system products.

In 1990, just six years after its founding, the company went public and the name was changed to Cisco Systems. The founders walked away with a nice profit of around $170 million. In the following years, the company continued to grow. Just before the dot com. the bubble burst, Cisco Systems was one of the richest companies in the world. Today, the company has managed to stay at the forefront of network system technology and has maintained its position as a leader in the field of Internet technology.

Around 1993, Cisco systems became involved in training with the establishment of Cisco Academies. The idea was to provide global training to network associates. Since Cisco was training them to use Cisco equipment, the establishment of the Academies contributed to the growth of the company. Cisco training has established itself as a reference standard for network associates and IT technicians. Cisco was also a leader in introducing formal certification programs to ensure the level of competency and skill of networking employees. The idea was that a college education by itself did not guarantee a person’s ability to do a job. Cisco Certification training was established to prepare candidates to pass the Certification exams.

Although other companies have introduced Certification programs in recent years, Cisco Certification is still an important indicator of a potential employee’s skill level. This is especially true in the field of networks. Currently, Cisco Systems sponsors 9 different Certifications. They range from CCIE (Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert) to CCSI (Cisco Certified Systems Instructor). The most common and entry level Certification is CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate).