Computer Networking Companies

Avenda Systems is a Silicon Valley start-up. It builds network access security products. The company operates in Santa Clara, California, USA, and Bangalore, India.

CAIS Software is an integrated development environment company. It sits in San Diego, CA, United States. The company formed in the mid-1990s as Atcom/Info. Cisco Systems bought the IPORT division on October 20, 2000. Cisco Systems sold the remaining company assets, including the CyberShell division, on May 15, 2002.

Devicescape creates software for wireless networking. It uses the IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi standard and other network protocols. Founded in 2001 as Instant802 Networks, the company changed its name in January 2005. Devicescape is a private company backed by venture capital. It supplies embedded software for wireless client devices and services that help devices connect to Wi-Fi networks.

Hammerhead Networks was a computer networking company based in Billerica, Massachusetts. It made software solutions for Internet Protocol service features. Eddie Sullivan founded the company in April 2000 and served as CEO. Cisco Systems bought Hammerhead Networks on May 1, 2002, for $173 million in stock. Cisco Systems already held a minority interest. Hammerhead Networks had 85 employees then.

Kiss Technology is an entertainment technology company based in Denmark. Cisco Systems bought Kiss Technology on July 22, 2005. In January 2004, the open-source MPlayer project accused the Danish DVD player maker, Kiss Technology, of marketing DVD players with firmware containing parts of MPlayer's GPL Licensed code. The accusation suggested Kiss violated the GPL License because Kiss did not release its firmware under the GPL license. Peter Wilmar Christensen, the managing director of Kiss, offered an explanation for the similarities the MPlayer team shared.

Komodo Technology is a voice over Internet Protocol company in the United States. Cisco Systems bought Komodo Technology on July 25, 2000, for $175 million in stock. Komodo Technology led in internet and enterprise telephone technology products. It gained attention for introducing the analog telephone adapter for voice over IP in the 1990s. Komodo Technology developed VoIP telephony products and other media appliances for various telephony markets.

LightStream was a LAN switching company based in the United States. Bolt Beranek & Newman Inc. and UB Networks formed a joint venture for the company. Cisco Systems bought LightStream on December 8, 1994, for $120 million in cash.

MaxComm develops broadband Internet technology, bringing data and multiple voice lines to consumers. Cisco's purchase of MaxComm lets service providers offer extra voice lines and fast Internet access without new home wiring. MaxComm provides hardware and software using ADSL and cable to connect home customers to public networks. Service providers use MaxComm technology to cut spending on closed phone systems from traditional telecom companies.

NetSolve, an information technology company, operated in the United States. Cisco Systems bought it on September 9, 2004. Netsolve, Inc. renamed Southwest Network Services, Inc. in 1995; Southwest Network Services, Inc. was based in Austin, Texas. Netsolve focused on managing and consulting IP and frame-relay networks. A mid-sized call center and engineering team formed the core of the company. Cisco and AT&T were major clients for Netsolve. Southwest Network Services began as a nationwide data communications carrier in late 1991. The SNS network used circuit-switching.

Nortel Networks Corporation, formerly Northern Telecom Limited and sometimes Nortel, made multinational telecommunications and data networking equipment. Nortel was headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, and founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1895. At its peak, Nortel held over a third of the total valuation of all companies on the Toronto Stock Exchange, employing 94,500 people globally. On January 14, 2009, Nortel filed for creditor protection in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom to restructure its debt.

Okena is an intrusion detection company located in Waltham, Massachusetts. Cisco Systems acquired Okena on January 24, 2003. Okena's technology uses behavior detection, unlike the signatures most intrusion detection systems rely on.

Parc Technologies was a network optimization software company based in London. The company started in 1999 as a spin-off from Imperial College, London. Cisco Systems bought Parc Technologies on July 8, 2004.