Acquisition of Network Translation, Inc. (NTI)

Cisco Systems acquired NTI, the company behind the highly successful PIX firewall. This acquisition brought NTI's hardware-accelerated stateful firewall technology and engineering talent into Cisco's security portfolio.

Significance

This was the foundational step for Cisco's dedicated firewall hardware, laying the groundwork for the PIX's evolution into the ASA. It demonstrated Cisco's strategic intent to be a major player in network security beyond routers and switches.