Cisco (CSCO) is a leading supplier of Internet Protocol infrastructure. In its fiscal 2012 which ended at the end of July, 2012, just less than half its $46.1 billion in sales was outside the United States, and most of its recent large sales have been on foreign soil. Its customers are typically governments, large businesses and universities.

2012 was an important milestone for Cisco, as it finally not only set the all time record in revenue for the company, its profits finally just about caught up with the company’s 2008 record. Profits in fiscal 2012 came to $8.04 billion, or $1.49 per share. That compares favorably, or by 27%, with the $1.17 per share recorded in fiscal 2011.

Looking ahead, there are mixed messages. In the fiscal fourth quarter that ended in July 2012, Cisco’s core router business rose by 4% from the year earlier. Cisco’s key competitor in that segment, Juniper Networks (JNPR) saw an 18% drop in its router business in its comparable quarter. But competitors such as Microsoft (MSFT) and Polycom (PLCM) are making inroads into Cisco’s video conferencing equipment business. Cisco has also done the right thing and disengaged with its Chinese partners, Huawei, which has been mentioned as a cybersecurity threat by the United States, and ZTE, which has been accused not only of being a security threat, but also of violating international trading bans with Iran.

If the economy both at home and overseas sees some improvement going forward, Cisco will surely benefit. To continue reading, click here.