Woven Systems

Woven Systems was established in 2003 and operated as a provider of Ethernet fabric switching equipment tailored for enterprise and Internet data centers. The company's core business involved developing high-performance 10 GbE switches, notable for their density and speed, which was achieved through a custom-designed switching ASIC with specialized traffic management capabilities. This technology positioned Woven Systems within the connectivity products industry, serving clients that required robust and high-speed networking solutions for their data center operations.

The firm's strategic focus was on an ASIC-driven approach to maximize performance, a methodology that attracted investors such as Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Mohr Davidow Ventures, and Palomar Ventures. Over its operational history, the company successfully raised $40 million in funding to support its product development and market expansion efforts. Woven Systems' trajectory culminated in its acquisition by Fortinet on August 19, 2009. Fortinet, a provider of network security solutions, acquired Woven's assets and intellectual property to enhance the performance of its FortiGate-5000 Series chassis-based security products. The integration of Woven's high-speed switching and traffic management technology was intended to improve scalability and accelerate security throughput for Fortinet's high-end customers, including large enterprises and service providers. Prior to the acquisition, Woven Systems had ceased operations on May 22, 2009.

Keywords: Ethernet fabric switching, data center solutions, 10 GbE switches, ASIC design, traffic management technology, connectivity products, network security hardware, high-performance computing, enterprise networking, data center infrastructure, Fortinet acquisition, venture capital-backed, network switching, high-speed networking