What Cisco does

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) is a publicly traded technology conglomerate founded in 1984 and headquartered in San Jose, California. The company develops, manufactures, and sells networking hardware, telecommunications equipment, cybersecurity and collaboration software, observability platforms, and AI infrastructure, serving 99%+ of the Fortune 500 and over one million customers worldwide across enterprise, government, service provider, hyperscaler, and SMB segments. Its core technology portfolio spans AI-optimized networking (Silicon One programmable silicon, Nexus switches, Catalyst SD-WAN), security (Hypershield, AI Defense, Talos, Splunk Enterprise Security, Duo, Umbrella), collaboration (Webex Suite, Webex Calling, Board Pro G3), observability (Splunk Observability Cloud, ThousandEyes, AppDynamics), and compute management (Intersight, Meraki, UCS, Unified Edge). Cisco's platform strategy now centers on Cisco Cloud Control and AI Canvas, an AgenticOps foundation that unifies networking, security, compute, observability, and collaboration under a single login with multiplayer human-and-agent workflows, MCP connectivity, and post-quantum cryptography.

Cisco's business model combines product sales (hardware, optics, on-prem software), recurring software subscriptions (security, collaboration, observability, cloud-managed networking), services and support (CX/TAC), and a rapidly growing AI infrastructure revenue stream. FY2026 AI infrastructure orders are guided to $9 billion (with $6B+ projected for FY27), driven by hyperscaler demand and the Secure AI Factory with NVIDIA and Equinix. The company sells through direct enterprise field sales, inside sales, a global partner ecosystem (Cisco 360 Partner Program with World Wide Technology and Softchoice), cloud marketplaces (AWS, Azure, GCP), and self-service via cisco.com for SMB and collaboration products. Q3 FY2026 reported revenue of $15.8 billion (up 12% YoY), net income of $3.4 billion, EPS of $1.06, with full-year FY26 guidance of $62.8-63 billion.

The company's recent strategic posture combines aggressive AI-platform investment with disciplined cost action: a third round of restructuring in roughly a year is eliminating ~4,000 jobs (471 in Bay Area, $617M in severance) while AI orders accelerate and Cisco simultaneously runs a tuck-in M&A program (NeuralFabric for SLMs, Astrix ~$400M for non-human identity, WideField Security, Galileo, EzDubs, Robust Intelligence) to feed Splunk and Cloud Control. Strategic partnerships with Anthropic (Glasswing), OpenAI (Daybreak), the Linux Foundation (Akrites, Agent Name Service), and Equinix/NVIDIA position Cisco as the infrastructure layer for the AI agent economy, while embedded cybersecurity vulnerabilities disclosed via CISA and ongoing product portfolio simplification remain operational and regulatory risks.

Name

Cisco

Legal name

Cisco Systems, Inc.

Website

https://cisco.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) designs, manufactures, and sells networking hardware, cybersecurity and collaboration software, observability platforms, and AI infrastructure to enterprise, government, service provider, hyperscaler, and SMB customers, serving 99%+ of the Fortune 500 globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Enterprise Networking Infrastructure

NAICS

Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing (33411), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518210), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Computer Communications Equipment (3576), Electronic Computers (3571), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Hyperscale & OCP Server Designs (HDABADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hyperscale/OEM & Open Compute (OCP) Server Platforms (HDACABAI), Security & Trusted Hardware ICs (Secure Element/TPM/Crypto) (HDAHABAF)

Keywords

• Enterprise networking infrastructure
• Network security platforms
• Unified collaboration software
• Cloud-managed networking
• AI infrastructure systems

Headquarters

HQ city

San Jose

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Product Sales (Hardware, Software, Optics): Cisco generates the majority of revenue from selling networking hardware (switches, routers, wireless), security appliances, collaboration devices, and optical transceivers. Includes subscription software tied to hardware platforms.
2. Software Subscriptions (Security, Collaboration, Management): Recurring subscription revenue from security software (Hypershield, Duo, Secure Access, Umbrella, XDR, Splunk), collaboration (Webex Suite), cloud/observability (Meraki, Intersight, ThousandEyes, AppDynamics), and network management (Catalyst Center, Nexus Dashboard). Sold via annual and multi-year agreements.
3. Services (CX/Support): Technical support, professional services, and customer success engagements including Cisco Success Plans, TAC support, and consulting/implementation services.
4. AI Infrastructure Orders: Growing revenue stream from AI-optimized networking infrastructure (Silicon One, AI-ready data center networking, Nexus switches, Secure AI Factory) driven by hyperscaler and enterprise AI demand. Cisco raised FY26 AI orders guidance to $9 billion.
5. Licensing (Enterprise Agreements): Cisco Enterprise Agreement (EA) licensing provides unified software coverage across the portfolio with simplified terms and conditions, generating multi-year committed revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Cisco designs, manufactures, and sells enterprise networking hardware (switches, routers, wireless, optical), security software, collaboration platforms, observability tools, and AI infrastructure for organizations worldwide. Its portfolio is anchored by proprietary Silicon One chips, the unified Cisco Cloud Control AgenticOps platform, and security offerings built around Splunk, Hypershield, AI Defense, and Talos. The company monetizes across hardware product sales, recurring software subscriptions, enterprise licensing, and technical support and professional services sold direct, via partners, and through cloud marketplaces.

Product overview

Cisco is a technology conglomerate offering a comprehensive portfolio organized around networking, security, collaboration, computing, observability, and AI. The portfolio includes unified platforms like Cisco Cloud Control (AgenticOps foundation), Cisco AI Canvas (multiplayer workspace for AI operations), and Cisco AI Assistant (generative AI for IT decisions), alongside core networking products (Catalyst switches, Nexus switches, SD-WAN, Meraki cloud management, Silicon One custom silicon), security solutions (AI Defense, Hypershield, Talos threat intelligence, Splunk Enterprise Security, XDR, Duo, Umbrella, Secure Access, ISE), collaboration tools (Webex Suite, Webex Calling, Board Pro), observability platforms (Splunk Observability, ThousandEyes), and computing infrastructure (UCS servers, Intersight management, Unified Edge). The portfolio follows a platform-plus-modules architecture with AI capabilities embedded across products through AgenticOps, AI networking, and AI Defense. Recent additions include Cloud Control Studio for custom agent building and integration with third-party tools via MCP connectivity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Webex: Collaboration platform including video conferencing, messaging, and events
• Cisco Meraki
• Cisco Umbrella
• Cisco Duo
• Splunk
• ThousandEyes
• Cisco Hypershield
• Cisco AI Defense
• Cisco Identity Intelligence
• Cisco Intersight
• Cisco AppDynamics
• Cisco Spaces
• Cisco Networking Academy

Products and services

• Cisco Cloud Control Unified operations platform providing single login, unified inventory, and real-time topology across all Cisco products including networking, security, compute, observability, and collaboration, with AI Assistant, AI Canvas, and Cloud Control Studio.
• Cisco AI Canvas Multiplayer workspace where teams and AI agents investigate, correlate, and resolve cross-domain IT issues together, governed by organizational policies with full auditability.
• Cisco AI Assistant Generative AI assistant integrating Azure OpenAI and Google Gemini models, providing instant natural language answers across network domains with 90% adoption across Cisco's 96,000+ employees.
• Cisco AI Defense AI-native threat detection, automated response, and telemetry correlation to protect AI data centers, hybrid users, and internet-facing applications from sophisticated AI-enabled attacks.
• Cisco Hypershield AI-native security architecture for data centers, cloud, campus, and IoT environments providing distributed enforcement and zero-trust segmentation.
• Cisco Talos Threat intelligence platform providing real-time threat detection and security analytics across Cisco's global network infrastructure, observing 750B+ security events daily.
• Cisco Splunk Enterprise Security Enterprise security platform providing unified security analytics, threat detection, and incident response capabilities, integrated as part of the Splunk acquisition.
• Cisco Splunk Observability Cloud Full-stack observability platform providing real-time troubleshooting across applications, infrastructure, and networks, part of the Splunk portfolio.
• Cisco XDR Extended detection and response platform providing unified incidents, correlated telemetry, and automated playbooks for threat detection across endpoints, network, email, and cloud.
• Cisco Duo Cloud-delivered multi-factor authentication (MFA) and identity services providing phishing-resistant authentication and zero-trust access for hybrid workforces, with per-user monthly pricing.
• Cisco Umbrella Secure internet gateway providing DNS security, secure web gateway, firewall, and CASB protection for users and workloads.
• Cisco Secure Access Zero-trust, app-specific access controls replacing VPNs for secure hybrid worker access to SaaS and data center applications.
• Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) Identity-based access control, posture checks, and segmentation policies for campus, data center, and OT networks.
• Cisco Secure Firewall Next-generation firewall providing advanced threat prevention, segmentation, and application-aware controls for hybrid environments.
• Webex Suite Unified collaboration suite for hybrid work including meetings, messaging, calling, and events with AI-powered features, available via subscription with monthly and annual billing options.
• Webex Calling Cloud calling platform with PSTN options and device integration for enterprise telephony.
• Cisco Board Pro G3 All-in-one intelligent collaboration device powered by next-generation NVIDIA chipset for meetings and presentations.
• Cisco ThousandEyes Digital experience assurance platform providing visibility across internet, cloud, and enterprise networks for proactive performance monitoring.
• Cisco Meraki Cloud-managed networking platform providing wireless, switching, security, and SD-WAN management through intuitive dashboard, with subscription-based licensing and 24/7 support included.
• Cisco Catalyst Center Intent-based networking platform with AI-driven assurance and automation for campus connectivity and Wi-Fi management.
• Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Software-defined WAN solution providing application-aware routing, integrated security, and multi-cloud onramps for resilient hybrid work and AI services.
• Cisco Nexus Dashboard Data center networking platform providing unified visibility, automation, and assurance including AI cluster capacity planning, health scoring, and impact analysis.
• Cisco Silicon One Purpose-built programmable silicon powering networks with leading performance, efficiency, and scale optimized for AI workloads across hyperscalers, service providers, enterprises, and data centers.
• Cisco Smart Switch C9550 High-speed forwarding switch with AI-driven telemetry and integrated security including hardware-rooted trust and post-quantum cryptography readiness.
• Cisco 8600 Series Secure Routers High-capacity VPN aggregation and high-density connectivity routers for large-scale, data-intensive operations and AI workloads.
• Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) Converged infrastructure and servers for data center computing with fabric interconnects and adapters.
• Cisco Intersight Hybrid cloud operations platform providing SaaS-based lifecycle management, automation, and Kubernetes/VM observability for GPU-ready infrastructure, offered via tiered Essential and Advantage subscriptions with 90-day free trial.
• Cisco Unified Edge Full-stack platform delivering data center performance, modularity, centralized management, and built-in security for edge computing environments.
• Cisco IQ Unified AI-powered experience delivering real-time insights, assessments, troubleshooting, learning, automation, and agent-driven guidance for Cisco support and professional services.
• Cisco Cyber Vision Industrial security solution providing OT asset discovery, traffic visualization, and anomaly detection for manufacturing and industrial environments.
• Cisco Spaces Indoor location analytics and IoT platform transforming buildings into smart, data-driven workplaces with occupancy insights.
• Cisco Secure Endpoint Endpoint protection platform providing threat detection and response across laptops, servers, and VDI for hybrid work environments.
• Cisco Vulnerability Management Continuous discovery, risk scoring, and remediation workflows to reduce security exposure across data centers, clouds, and endpoints.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% reduction in support tickets and critical incidents (Nestlé global network)
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments11 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

AI capability11 records

Feature16 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, major and minor.

• McLaren RacingflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 July 2026Cisco and McLaren Racing extended their technology partnership maintaining Cisco as an official partner across both the McLaren Formula 1 Team and the NEOM McLaren Electric Racing Team. The renewed agreement covers digital infrastructure, connectivity, collaboration tools, cybersecurity, and observability software used in race operations. AI is expected to be a focus of the next phase. Cisco provides networking and AI infrastructure for processing race data across 24 races annually.
• College BoardmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 July 2026Cisco partnered with College Board to support the launch of AP Cybersecurity as part of AP Career Kickstart courses, set to begin in 2026–2027 school year through Cisco Networking Academy. A pilot program during 2025–2026 reached 3,100 students across 183 schools in 30 states, with nearly 500 educators registered for AP Summer Institutes ahead of the national launch.
• Rockwell AutomationmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026Cisco partnered with Rockwell Automation to accelerate software-defined manufacturing in India, launching a Full-Stack Software-Defined Manufacturing reference design and Demo Pod at Rockwell's Gurugram facility. The partnership integrates Cisco's software-defined networking with Rockwell's industrial automation to enable secure data transmission across IT/OT systems. Includes a joint digital skills initiative combining Cisco Networking Academy and Rockwell's Learning+ program.
• Rockwell AutomationmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026Rockwell Automation and Cisco announced a strategic collaboration to advance software-defined manufacturing in India, combining Cisco's software-defined networking capabilities with Rockwell's industrial automation technologies. The initiative includes a Demo Pod at Rockwell's Gurugram campus and a joint digital skills initiative.
• World Wide Technology (WWT)flagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 29 June 2026Cisco highlighted World Wide Technology (WWT) as an ideal partner for the Cisco 360 Partner Program due to its extensive expertise across market segments and ability to scale AI solutions globally. WWT recently acquired Softchoice, expanding its reach. Cisco aims to leverage these partnerships to expand its reach in the SMB and mid-market sectors through the new Cisco 360 Partner Program.
• Astrix SecuritymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 June 2026Cisco announced the acquisition of Astrix Security (reportedly valued at approximately $400 million) to address the growing challenge of securing non-human identities (NHIs) and AI agents in enterprise environments. The acquisition will integrate NHI management capabilities into Cisco's existing security portfolio including Splunk and Cisco Identity Intelligence.
• Linux Foundation (Agent Name Service)majorTechnology or Integration · 25 June 2026Cisco is a founding backer of the Agent Name Service (ANS), an open-source identity framework for AI agents developed originally by GoDaddy and now under the Linux Foundation. ANS leverages existing DNS infrastructure to allow users and systems to verify AI agent identity, permissions, and operational safety against threats like prompt and tool injections. Backed by Cisco, Cloudflare, Salesforce, and Infoblox.
• RAISE US (Workforce Retraining Nonprofit)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2026RAISE US is a bipartisan nonprofit launched by former Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo with backing from Amazon, Anthropic, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Cisco among others, to retrain American workers for the AI economy. The initiative has secured over $500 million with a $1 billion goal. Cisco has committed resources to the initiative despite simultaneously conducting AI-driven layoffs. State-level pilots are planned in Arkansas, Connecticut, Maryland, and Utah.
• WideField SecuritymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2026Cisco announced its intent to acquire WideField Security, an identity lifecycle security company, to integrate its technology into Splunk's Agentic SOC platform. WideField will normalize and correlate telemetry across human, non-human, and AI-agent activity, extending a pattern established by Cisco's planned acquisition of Astrix Security and Galileo.
• Starlink / WEIminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 25 June 2026Starlink partnered with IT solutions provider WEI to launch WEI Connect, integrating Starlink satellite transmission with security platforms from Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, and HPE Aruba Networking. WEI offers SD-WAN and SASE connectivity via Starlink satellite, with Cisco's security integrated into the solution.
• EquinixflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 June 2026Equinix expanded its collaboration with Cisco and NVIDIA to deploy Cisco Secure AI Factory with NVIDIA across its global data center network. The partnership enables customers to deploy standardized AI factory designs and deployment automation services using Equinix's global footprint, offering turnkey AI infrastructure to enterprise customers.
• Linux Foundation (Akrites Initiative)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Cisco is a founding member of Akrites, a Linux Foundation initiative bringing together Anthropic, AWS, IBM, Microsoft, Cisco, Citi, JPMorgan Chase, NVIDIA, OpenAI, and Ericsson to establish shared Security Incident Response Teams and Coordinated Vulnerability Disclosure processes for critical open-source software. Driven by the emergence of frontier AI models accelerating vulnerability discovery.
• Automation Anywhere (EnterpriseClaw)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Automation Anywhere launched EnterpriseClaw at its Imagine 2026 conference in collaboration with Cisco, NVIDIA, Okta, and OpenAI to help organizations coordinate and scale AI deployments across functions and platforms. EnterpriseClaw enables coordination of AI agents across enterprise systems. Cisco's role provides infrastructure for AI agent orchestration.
• OpenAI (Daybreak Cybersecurity Program)majorTechnology or Integration · 1 June 2026OpenAI expanded its Daybreak cybersecurity program adding Cisco as a partner in the newly launched partner program alongside CrowdStrike, IBM, Palo Alto Networks, Accenture, KPMG, and PwC. The program includes Codex Security plugin, GPT-5.5-Cyber updates, and the Patch the Planet open-source initiative developed with Trail of Bits.
• AMCHAM Korea AI Leadership CouncilminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 June 2026AMCHAM launched an AI Leadership Council in Seoul with executives from major global companies including Apple, AWS, Cisco, Qualcomm, OpenAI, Tesla, and others participating. The council aims to provide industry perspectives on AI policy, regulation, and ecosystem development while promoting closer US-Korea collaboration in AI.
• Anthropic (Glasswing / Project Glasswing)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Cisco is participating in Anthropic's Glasswing trusted-partner programme, which allows partners to assess how frontier AI models like Mythos could be exploited by attackers and test enterprise infrastructure resilience. The collaboration aims to proactively identify vulnerabilities before they can be weaponized at scale. Project Glasswing has identified over 10,000 high- and critical-severity vulnerabilities across participating organizations with $100M in usage credits.
• NEC (as Cisco customer deployment partner)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2026NEC completed a three-year network modernization project for Messer Gases in Brazil deploying Cisco networking and security technologies. NEC served as the systems integrator delivering Cisco solutions for Messer Gases' digital transformation and Industry 4.0 initiatives.
• NeuralFabric Corp. (Acquired, November 2025)majorTechnology or Integration · 21 November 2025Cisco completed its acquisition of NeuralFabric Corp., a Seattle-based enterprise AI platform company specializing in building and managing domain-specific Small Language Models (SLMs) for enterprise use. NeuralFabric supports flexible deployment across SaaS and on-premise environments, enhancing Cisco's AI capabilities with expertise in distributed systems and large-scale data platforms.
• Splunk (Acquired, March 2024)flagshipTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025Cisco completed its $28 billion acquisition of Splunk Inc. in March 2024, integrating Splunk's Enterprise Security, Observability Cloud, SOAR, and AI capabilities into Cisco's security portfolio. Splunk enables Cisco to offer AI-driven security operations and full-stack observability at enterprise scale.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Arista Networks: Arista Networks competes directly with Cisco in high-performance data center switching and cloud networking, with strong traction among hyperscalers and large enterprises — the same AI networking segment driving Cisco's $9B FY26 AI infrastructure orders.
• HPE (Aruba Networking / Juniper Networks): HPE's Aruba networking division and the recently acquired Juniper Networks form Cisco's closest direct competitor in enterprise campus, branch, and AI-era data center networking — directly contesting Cisco Catalyst, Nexus, and Mist-style operations.
• Juniper Networks (now HPE): Juniper's Mist AI networking and Apstra data center automation are direct competitors to Cisco Catalyst Center, Meraki, and Nexus Dashboard — and the HPE acquisition creates a scaled Cisco challenger in enterprise and service provider networking.
• Extreme Networks: Extreme Networks competes with Cisco in enterprise campus, switching, and AI-driven networking, including ExtremeCloud IQ and Wi-Fi 7 access points overlapping with Cisco Meraki and the new Cisco outdoor Wi-Fi 7 portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Palo Alto Networks: Palo Alto Networks is a leading network security incumbent competing with Cisco Hypershield, AI Defense, Secure Firewall, and Splunk ES across enterprise firewalls, SASE, and SecOps — and is also a named partner alongside Cisco in OpenAI's Daybreak cybersecurity program.
• Fortinet: Fortinet competes with Cisco across firewalls, secure SD-WAN, SASE, and OT security, with comparable scale in enterprise networking security — a relevant incumbent for buyers comparing Cisco Secure Firewall and FortiGate.
• Microsoft: Microsoft competes with Cisco through Azure networking, Teams collaboration, Defender security, and increasingly integrated AI infrastructure offerings — and is also a Cisco cloud marketplace partner, illustrating the coopetition dynamic.
• Nvidia: Nvidia is both a strategic partner (Secure AI Factory with Cisco and Equinix) and an indirect competitor via NVIDIA networking silicon (Spectrum-X) and the broader AI infrastructure stack that Cisco's $9B AI orders target.

Emerging players

• Broadcom: Broadcom supplies networking silicon (Tomahawk, Jericho) and acquired VMware, competing with Cisco Silicon One and increasingly with Cisco's networking and virtualization stacks in hyperscale and enterprise data centers.
• F5: F5 competes with Cisco in application delivery, load balancing, and API security — overlapping with portions of Cisco's networking and security portfolio for enterprise and service provider customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat8 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cisco
• YouTubeyoutube.com/cisco
• Facebookfacebook.com/cisco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cisco
• Instagraminstagram.com/Cisco

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A257 records

Investments244 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cisco