Cisco Systems Announces Nationwide Program to Provide Equipment to Enable Internet Access for K-12 Students; Virtual Schoolhouse Grant Program Brings World Wide Web and Internet Communication to the Classroom.

today announced the Virtual Schoolhouse Grant Program, which will help schools nationwide connect to the Internet.

Each year, Cisco will award products, service and training to selected K-12 schools that develop a plan and demonstrate the ability to support and implement an internetworking site.

Grants are to be used for curriculum-based applications such as Internet access and in-classroom learning. Selected schools will receive equipment and services valued at approximately $10,000, depending on their individual requirements. Annually, Cisco will donate a total of $500,000 nationwide. Grant recipients for 1996 will be announced in June of next year at the National Education Computing Conference (NECC) in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

"The need for networking in schools today is a fundamental part of the educational infrastructure, just like good lighting and adequate facilities. As information on the Internet grows each month, resources for use in public schools have increased phenomenally," said John Morgridge, chairman of the board of Cisco Systems. "The Virtual Schoolhouse Grant is devised to expedite the implementation and support of networks in educational institutions."

Depending on their specific needs, grant recipients will receive an access router, software, service and training. To meet the needs of first-time or beginning networking personnel, Cisco has customized its networking products for the grant program to increase ease-of-use and manageability. -0-

Relevant products include:

-- Internetworking devices -- Routers from the Cisco 1000 or 2500 series.

-- Software -- Cisco Internetwork Operating System (Cisco IOS(tm)) software, suite of sophisticated networking software that ensures robust, reliable networks by supporting standard protocols and optimizing services and internetwork access.

-- Service and training -- Cisco's Smartnet(tm) package includes maintenance support for one year and training on router configuration and installation if needed. -0-

Internet connections provide schools with access to vast amounts of information in a time-efficient and interactive manner, and the ability to communicate within school districts and beyond to students in other cities and even other countries.

"Internet access has brought the Ravenswood School District (East Palo Alto, Calif.) from the 1940s to the 1990s," said Michael Hooper, technology coordinator for the Costano Elementary School.

"With the equipment from Cisco Systems, our teachers now have the world's databases on the World Wide Web at their fingertips, enabling them to enhance their lessons with the most updated information."

Grant applications and guidelines

Interested schools can receive an application by calling Cisco's education hotline at 408/526-4226 or sending an email to [e-mail]. Applications must be received by March 1, 1996, to be considered for the 1996 awards.

For additional guidance in completing the application or on how to articulate a technology plan for a school's network, Cisco and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have established a World Wide Web site (http://sunsite.unc.edu/cisco) called the Cisco Educational Archive and Resources Catalog home page (CEARCH), which offers information and guidelines for the Grant Program and Cisco's education program.

The Virtual Schoolhouse Grant Program complements Cisco's corporate-wide initiative to provide the benefits of Internet access and international communication in today's classrooms. Cisco sponsors several educational projects, including the International CyberFair for Schools, a demonstration of educational and community-related information published by students and teachers on the World Wide Web.

Cisco Systems also provides financial support to the Global Schoolhouse Project, an internationally recognized program for demonstrating the use of the Internet in K-12 classrooms across the U.S. and overseas.

Cisco supports and participates in numerous educational networking and Internet organizations including CAUSE, the Consortium for School Networking (COSN), EDUCOM, the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and the Internet Society.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) is the leading global supplier of enterprise networks, including routers, LAN and ATM switches, dial-up access servers and network management software. These products, integrated by the Cisco IOS software, link geographically dispersed LANs, WANs and IBM networks.

Cisco Systems news and product/service information are available at World Wide Web site (http://www.cisco.com). Cisco Systems is headquartered in San Jose, Calif. -0-

Note to Editors: Cisco IOS and Smartnet are trademarks, and Cisco, Cisco Systems and the Cisco logo are registered trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

CONTACT: Cunningham Communication, Inc.

Christine Yum, 408/764-0779

Email: [e-mail]