Editing Cisco (section)

=== 1996–2005: Internet and silicon intelligence ===
[[File:John T. Chambers - World Economic Forum Annual Meeting Davos 2010.jpg|thumb|[[John T. Chambers]] led Cisco as its CEO between 1995 and 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Law |first=Marcus |date=2024-10-04 |title=How John Chambers Wired Cisco into the Internet's DNA |url=https://technologymagazine.com/articles/how-john-chambers-wired-cisco-into-the-internets-dna |access-date=2025-05-29 |website=technologymagazine.com |language=en}}</ref> (Pictured at 2010 [[World Economic Forum]], in [[Davos]], [[Switzerland]]).]]
The [[Internet Protocol]] (IP) became widely adopted in the mid-to-late 1990s.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ve-0ELyyDJwC|title=John Chambers and the Cisco Way: Navigating Through Volatility|last=Waters|first=John K.|date=2002-10-31|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=9780471273554|language=en}}</ref> Cisco introduced products ranging from modem access shelves (AS5200) to core [[Cisco 12000|GSR]] routers, making them a major player in the market.<ref name=":4" /> 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&nbsp;billion.<ref name="auto" /><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.expressindia.com/ie/daily/20000326/ibu26043.html | title=Cisco replaces Microsoft as world's most valuable company | agency=[[Reuters]] | work=The Indian Express | location=India | date=March 25, 2000 | access-date=January 25, 2007 | archive-date=January 16, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116101944/http://www.expressindia.com/ie/daily/20000326/ibu26043.html | url-status=dead }}</ref> As of July 2014, with a market cap of about US$129&nbsp;billion,<ref>[https://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=csco&d=t Cisco Systems Summary]. Finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved November 26, 2011.</ref> it was still one of the most valuable companies.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/05/05/BUC200MARKETCAP.DTL | title=Chron 200 Market capitalization | first=Dan | last=Fost |work=San Francisco Chronicle | date=May 5, 2006 | access-date=January 25, 2007}}</ref>

The perceived complexity of programming routing functions in silicon led to the formation of several startups determined to find new ways to process IP and [[MPLS]] packets entirely in hardware and blur boundaries between routing and switching. One of them, [[Juniper Networks]], shipped their first product in 1999 and by 2000 chipped away about 30% from Cisco SP Market share. In response, Cisco later developed homegrown [[ASIC]]s and fast processing cards for GSR routers and [[Catalyst 6500]] switches. In 2004, Cisco also started the migration to new high-end hardware [[Cisco CRS-1|CRS-1]] and software architecture [[IOS-XR|IOS XR]].<ref>Stephen Lawson, InfoWorld. "[https://www.infoworld.com/article/2632331/network-router/cisco-s-crs-1-router-reaches-five-year-milestone.html Cisco's CRS-1 router reaches five-year milestone]." May 27, 2009. Retrieved July 10, 2018.</ref>