Cisico’s IOS operating system is very different from Apple’s iOS, and the two should not be confused. Ciciso’s IOS is an operating system design to work on very specific hardware, mainly routers and switches that Cisco sells. Is is a command line only system that runs with very low over head that means cisco’s equipment can be very efficient not worrying about user interfaces and graphical processing. That means the size of the OS is still remarkable small most versions of IOS are around 8 MB to Download and 32 MB to run. One of the requirements to download are registering with Cisco and having a service contract to actually run IOS on your equipment. It is generally not available to the public. While non tier 3 switches don’t need IOS, as their hardware is ASIC based. Tier 3 switches inherit functionality from routers and need knowledge of IOS to configure. One of the most interesting qualities of Cisco IOS and routers is the fact that they’re designed to require little or no user interaction in their service life. This “Bullet-Proof” quality of their products is important to most companies as networks are often the backbone that keeps the company working. All vital networks should have redundancies to deal with any issue that might come up. So who should use Cisco routing and switching gear? really most businesses that rely on their computer for daily business but we’re seeing more and more businesses that require solid networks in their locations like fast food restaurant integrating self serve POS terminal for their customers.