ArrowPoint Communications

About ArrowPoint Communications

ArrowPoint Communications, founded in 1997 by serial entrepreneur Cheng Wu, carved a significant niche in the technology sector by developing and providing content-aware web switches. The firm was established in Acton, Massachusetts, and focused on optimizing the delivery of web content for a burgeoning internet landscape. Its target clients included internet service providers (ISPs), web hosting companies, and various "dot com" enterprises.

The company's core products were its hardware and software-based content switching platforms, such as the CS-100 and the Cisco 11000 Series Content Service Switches that succeeded them after the acquisition. These switches operated at Layers 4 through 7 of the OSI model, enabling a sophisticated level of network traffic management. A key feature was the ability to direct traffic based on specific information like the URL being requested or data from browser cookies. This allowed clients to offer tiered service levels and ensure a faster, more reliable web experience for end-users by intelligently distributing information requests across servers to prevent overload.

Cheng Wu, who served as CEO, had a history of successful ventures, including founding Arris Networks which was sold to Cascade Communications. His experience was instrumental in guiding ArrowPoint. The company secured funding from institutional investors such as Accel, Matrix Partners, and North Bridge Venture Partners. ArrowPoint's trajectory was swift; it launched an initial public offering (IPO) on March 31, 2000. Shortly after, on May 5, 2000, Cisco Systems announced its acquisition of ArrowPoint in a stock deal valued at approximately $5.7 billion. The acquisition was a strategic move for Cisco to integrate ArrowPoint's advanced web switching technology into its own product lines and solidify its position in the content networking market. Following the acquisition, the ArrowPoint team and its CEO were integrated into Cisco's Service Provider Line of Business.