Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
A unique feature of the APO is the ability to integrate third-party software tools
that are called “cartridges” and are intended as useful plug-ins. One of these is a
risk cartridge.
CAI is confident in the efficacy of its proprietary internal tools and methods,
so it offers a number of fixed-price contract options. Given the uncertainty of cost
and schedule results in the software industry, fixed-price contracts require better-
than-average capabilities and project-planning discipline.
Another unusual aspect of CAI is its interest in and support of public schools,
especially
inner-city
schools.
CAI
has
founded
a
group
of
companies
in
Pennsylvania that provides equipment and support for inner-city schools.
Some of the services this group provides include donating equipment, letting
employees have time off for tutoring and mentoring students, sponsoring field
trips to universities to show children what college life is like, and inviting students
to the corporate offices to see what business life is like.
These educational programs are carried out as public services and are not for
profit. It is unusual for a company to demonstrate this kind of social conscious-
ness, and the CAI executives are to be congratulated for their assistance to inner-
city schools and education.
Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems is another legendary saga from Silicon Valley. Cisco is not a pure
software company but rather is a company that uses embedded software in routers
and communications devices to allow computers to communicate and also to cre-
ate wireless networks. However, Cisco does have some “pure” software business
such as the well-known WebEx internet conference hosting service for providing
webinars and meetings via the World Wide Web.
Cisco was founded in 1984 in San Jose, California, by a married couple who
had worked at Stanford University, Leonard Bosack and Sandy Lerner. Shortly
after starting, they were joined by Richard Troiano.
The Cisco logo is an abstract representation of the San Francisco Bridge. The
name of the company itself is the “cisco” portion of “San Francisco.”
Cisco went public in February 1990. The success of its routers and communic-
ation devices was such that for a while, Cisco was the wealthiest company in the
world with a market capitalization of around $500 million in 2000 (its peak). Even
today, Cisco remains a wealthy and successful company, even though Apple has
pulled far ahead of everyone else.
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