Cisco helps seize the opportunities of tomorrow by proving that amazing things can happen when one connects the unconnected. An integral part of their DNA is creating long-lasting customer partnerships, working together to identify their customers' needs and provide solutions that fuel their success. They have preserved this keen focus on solving business challenges since their founding in 1984. Len Bosack and wife Sandy Lerner, both working for Stanford University, wanted to email each other from their respective offices, but technological shortcomings did not allow such communication. A technology had to be invented to deal with disparate local area protocols, and as a result of solving their challenge, the multiprotocol router was born.