Cisco and The Channel Team Up To Accelerate Deployment Of New World Voice Solutions.

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 10, 1999--

New Voice Access Specialization Program Provides Cisco Resellers

with the Skills Needed to Expertly Integrate Data and Voice Networks

Cisco Systems, Inc. today announced the availability of the Voice Access Specialization Program, the latest addition to the Cisco Channels Specialization Programs announced in January 1999. The Voice Access Specialization Program focuses on providing Cisco channel partners with the infrastructure and skills required to integrate traditional telephony traffic, the initial building block in the New World of converged networks, into their customers' data networking environments.

Cisco resellers specialized in voice access will have the skills and infrastructure needed to deploy multiservice networks that run data, voice and video traffic over an IP infrastructure to enhance and reduce the cost of traditional voice solutions, while also increasing network performance and providing access to new applications that provide a competitive advantage.

The distinct data and voice networks that have evolved in most companies are costly to maintain. In fact, a significant portion of many companies' Information Technology (IT) budget is dedicated to maintaining voice services. Recent studies by International Data Corporation found that most companies are budgeting less than a 10 percent increase per year for IT network expenditures, although the volume of data traffic is expected to skyrocket by more than 300 percent by 2002, according to the Gartner Group. Customers are therefore increasingly seeking a solution to reduce their telecommunications costs, while maximizing their networks' capabilities and efficiency.

"Multiservice networking is here. Cisco has sold over 400,000 voice packet networking ports to end-user customers since January 1998, and the demand for these New World voice solutions is only going to increase as more companies seek to enhance their network to provide a competitive advantage," said Tom Stevenson, vice president of Worldwide Channels, Cisco Systems. "Considering that almost 80 percent of our products are sold through the channel, it is imperative that Cisco develop an arsenal of highly-skilled resellers in order to scale and meet end-user customers' growing demand for New World voice solutions."

The program's infrastructure ensures that channel partners specialized in voice access maintain the necessary capabilities to be proficient in selling, designing, installing and supporting Cisco's voice access solutions. Audited annually, these resellers can expertly link voice-to-data networks, design and configure call management schemes and integrate multiservice networks, with a focus on the Cisco 2600 series, Cisco 3600 series and Cisco 3800 series, as well as the Cisco Voice Manager.

The Cisco 2600 and Cisco 3600 series of modular access routers offer enhanced voice and data integration through voice and fax network modules that reduce recurring network expenses by consolidating data, voice and fax traffic on an existing IP data infrastructure. The Cisco 3800 family of multiservice, integrated access platforms enables organizations to integrate all traffic legacy data, LAN traffic, voice, fax and video - over a single network backbone. Cisco will continue to expand the range of products and technologies supported by the program to meet evolving marketplace needs.

Specialization Program

Cisco's Specialization Program enables the channel to sell, design, install and support complex technology solutions in five key segments of the global internetworking market. The Security, SNA/IP Integration, Voice Access and WAN Specialization Programs are available now. Network Management will be available by second quarter 1999. For more information on Cisco channel programs, visit www.cisco.com/go/specializations.

About Cisco Systems

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. News and information are available at http://www.cisco.com.

Cisco, Cisco IOS, Cisco Systems and the Cisco Systems logo are registered trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. in the U.S. and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any of its resellers.