Founded in 1996 by Michael Richardson, the company performs a breadth of services that keep Mr. Richardson in top form. There is nothing as much fun as doing a good design and seeing a system boot up for the first time. Two kinds of systems are particularly pleasing: new network protocols, and new pieces of hardware.

While occasionally an employee of a startup, Richardson discovered unique skills in communicating requirements among different communities: marketing, business development, network management, user interface, software and hardware design groups.