Sify Technologies Signs up with Cisco to Launch Managed Services

Sify Technologies Limited (Nasdaq National Markets: SIFY), a leader in Consumer Internet and Enterprise Services in India with global delivery capabilities, announced today the launch of Managed MPLS Service and Managed Internet Service as part of the Cisco Managed Services Channel Program (MSCP). This service is the first of a series of Managed Services that Sify Technologies plans to launch over the next two years.

The Managed MPLS Service will provide world-class solutions with end-to-end service assurance to enterprises for their business critical networks. The services are a part of Sify's strategy to migrate from TDM to IP based network services and introduce a full suite of Managed Services for Indian enterprises.

The launch of these services follows the Tier 1 MSCP certification for Sify Technologies from Cisco for their network and service capabilities. The certification places it in a league of select global operators that are endorsed for carrier-class MPLS networks and enterprise-class MPLS service capabilities.

The Cisco Tier 1 MSCP certification is based on rigorous third party audit that covers various aspects of the MPLS Service, including network architecture, network engineering capabilities, the security on network and service providing capabilities and processes.

Over the next two years, Sify will start offering a wide range of managed IP based services in a phased manner. These services will enable enterprises to outsource some of their most important IP communication services with complete investment protection and scalability.

Cisco launches 'innovative branch solution' for banks

Cisco today announced that it has launched a solution that would enable banks to optimise its services in their branches.

Cisco Senior Vice-President, Mr Anil Bhasin said,''Today banks are exploring options beyond core banking system. They are looking at ways to differentiate and increase revenues, especially in their top branches.'' ''This solution would enable banks to differentiate from their peers, increase revenue from the branch, improve service levels and improve staff operational efficiency,'' he said.

In the past, Cisco has worked with HDFC Bank, State Bank of India, Bank of India, IDBI Bank, Union Bank of India and Yes Bank.

'' We are talking to couple of banks for our innovative branch solution,'' Mr Bhasin said and added '' Installing the innovative branch solution for one branch would cost between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 15 lakh,'' said a release issued here today.

Cisco Appoints B. Raghavendran to Head India Channel Operations and Commercial Strategy

Cisco® today announced the appointment of B. Raghavendran as Vice President, Channel Operations and Commercial Strategy, Cisco India & SAARC. In this role, Raghavendran will build and lead Cisco's partner efforts in the region. He will also focus on reinforcing Cisco's presence in the commercial segment, which is among the key growth markets for Cisco in the region.

Raghavendran will succeed R. Dhamodaran, who headed Cisco India's channel operations and commercial strategy over the past year and has recently taken on a new role at the Cisco Globalisation Center East.

Raghavendran will be based in Mumbai and will report directly to Naresh Wadhwa, President and Country Manager, Cisco India & SAARC. Prior to this, Raghavendran was the Strategy and Operations Lead for Cisco India's sales organisation.

Commenting on the appointment, Naresh Wadhwa said, "Channel partners are key enablers in expanding Cisco's market reach. Raghavendran has already proven to be an asset to the company. We believe his rich experience will help us deepen our relationships in this community."

Naresh further added, "Cisco's channel strategy is also tightly integrated with our Commercial business, and we believe that Raghavendran's extensive knowledge and understanding of the industry will be invaluable to the company."

Raghavendran is a graduate in BE and has over 15 years of experience in the technology industry. He joined Cisco India in 1998 as an Account Manager for the company's banking and financial services vertical, and has played a key role in achieving several strategic wins for Cisco India. Subsequently, Raghavendran headed the IT Services vertical, Western region where he grew the business significantly. Prior to joining Cisco, Raghavendran was a Regional Manager at Wipro Infotech.

Cisco Unveils "Intelligent Urbanisation" Global Blueprint

Cisco today unveiled its holistic blueprint for "Intelligent Urbanisation," a global initiative to help cities around the world use the network as the next utility for integrated city management, better quality of life for citizens, and economic development.

Cisco chairman and CEO John Chambers, speaking from the launch at Cisco's Globalisation Centre East in Bangalore, India, said; "With the number of people living in urban areas growing from three billion today to five billion by 2030, urbanisation is a global trend impacting citizens, governments, and industries. This trend will also significantly impact the environment - the 20 most populous cities alone are responsible for 75 percent of the planet's energy consumption. In a world where all things are becoming connected, the network has become the next utility, enabling the holistic, intelligent and environmentally sustainable creation and management of cities, industries and public services."

Building on the thought leadership developed through Cisco's ongoing efforts with Connected Urban Development (CUD), the Intelligent Urbanisation initiative will bring together a broad portfolio of Cisco's products, services, partners and solutions. The initial focus will be on global sustainable solutions for public safety and security, transportation, buildings, energy, healthcare and education.

Jointly with the chief minister of Karnataka, B.S. Yeddyurappa, Cisco also announced a pilot program with the State of Karnataka to develop the roadmap for an intelligent, smart and sustainable Bengaluru city. This collaboration builds on Cisco's thought leadership and technology expertise with Connected Urban Development (CUD), a public-private partnership that includes cities like San Francisco, Amsterdam, Seoul and Singapore, which develops replicable ICT solutions to help promote sustainable, intelligent urban development practices.

As another step towards its focus on intelligent urbanisation, Cisco today announced that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Incheon Metropolitan City in Korea to mutually collaborate to transform the Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ) into a center of globalisation expertise in Asia Pacific. As part of this collaboration, Cisco will provide its experience and technologies around creating intelligent urbanisation for Incheon Metropolitan City. The model will be partly based on Cisco's previous globalisation projects in major cities in Singapore, India, Malaysia and the Middle East. The two parties also agreed to launch a joint task force to investigate legal, technical aspects of this cooperation.

Wim Elfrink, Chief Globalisation Officer and EVP, Cisco Services, said: "The Internet is quickly expanding from mobile devices and computers to become the 'Internet of Things', as it begins to encompass not only the consumer and business internet but now the industrialisation of the Internet. Cities which are run on information will transform the quality of life for citizens, drive economic growth and improve city services and management. Particularly in these tough economic times, cities that use the network to accelerate and multiply their infrastructure investments will be those who not only survive challenges but thrive and lead into the future."

"The network is also key to addressing one of the 21st century's most significant issues -environmental sustainability," Mr. Elfrink said. "While technology contributes to about 2 percent of the world's carbon emissions, it can be a substantial part of the solution. It is estimated technology can reduce carbon emissions by 15% by 2020; an environmental saving of 1 ton of CO2 per capita that translates into US$946 billion dollars in financial savings. Additionally, cities that run on information can improve their energy efficiency by 30% within 20 years."

Cisco Sets New Era of Business Mobility in Motion

Cisco® today announced an evolved architecture that helps empower businesses to meet and exceed mobility demands and move beyond basic wireless networking into the next generation of business mobility - transforming the way business is done by fostering broader collaboration and new levels of productivity. This announcement is part of Cisco Motion - Cisco's innovative vision for business mobility that delivers practical solutions to integrate mobile devices, applications, security and disparate networks into a unified platform.

The cornerstone of the Cisco Motion vision is the Cisco 3300 Series Mobility Services Engine (MSE). This appliance-based platform offers an open application programming interface (API) for consolidating and supporting an array of mobility services across wireless and wired networks. Cisco is releasing four initial software offerings for the MSE: Cisco Context-Aware Software, Cisco Adaptive Wireless Intrusion Prevention System (wIPS), Cisco Secure Client Manager and Cisco Mobile Intelligent Roaming. The Cisco MSE and its software integrate with the Cisco Unified Wireless Network portfolio, Cisco Unified Communications Manager and Cisco-compatible devices to expand the reach and value of an enterprise's mobility system.

Numerous application and solution partners have integrated or plan to integrate with the MSE. This partner ecosystem includes Nokia and Oracle, technology partners like AeroScout, Agito Networks and Airetrak, as well as industry-specific application partners like IntelliDOT and Johnson Controls (healthcare) and OATSystems (manufacturing).

"Today's business mobility challenges cannot be solved using only traditional wireless LAN solutions when multiple network elements are converging and need to collaborate. Cisco's Motion approach is a true services-oriented network architecture that creates a mobility network as a platform for integrating key business strategies, processes and goals," said Brett Galloway, senior vice president of Cisco's Wireless and Security Technology Group. "To meet and exceed business mobility expectations, IT must secure and manage a range of devices, integrate multiple networks, enable applications, access information with a high level of security, and help ensure a consistent experience regardless of network connection or location."

Cisco Motion: Accelerating the Evolution of Business Mobility

Information Technology (IT) departments must increasingly manage disparate networks (Wi-Fi, cellular, passive RFID, personal wireless, sensors, Ethernet), to handle a rising number of devices and more applications. The Cisco Motion approach includes the industry's first mobility architecture that addresses these challenges in the following ways:

-- Unifying networks: Extending applications to devices regardless of the connection

-- Managing the client device wave: Securing devices, centralizing client provisioning

-- Facilitating collaboration: Selecting the right media at the right time and right place

-- Opening up development: Open API supports integrated applications and services

"Cisco's mobility vision mirrors Oracle's approach to application development, which focuses on efficiently connecting users to the information they need to make better business decisions," said Jon Chorley, vice president of product strategy at Oracle. "Integrating Oracle's enterprise applications with Cisco's open mobility platform creates tremendous value for our customers."

The Cisco MSE's initial service offerings include the following software components:

Cisco Context-Aware Software captures contextual information from a full range of sensors, mobile devices and RFID tags over the Cisco Unified Wireless Network, allowing businesses to move beyond basic location tracking and gather detailed information about assets like location, temperature, availability, and the application used. Information is channeled into applications, increasing asset-management intelligence. Context-Aware Software supports enhanced received signal strength indication (RSSI) and time difference of arrival (TDOA), improving location accuracy and performance indoors, outdoors and in challenging RF environments.

Cisco and EMC to Collaborate to Help Customers Strengthen Data Security

Cisco and EMC (NYSE: EMC) today announced the intention to expand their strategic alliance to offer customers holistic data security solutions that span different layers of the information technology (IT) infrastructure, including storage, servers, networks and data center security. The companies plan to build on their existing collaboration to develop integrated products, services and best practices by taking advantage of resources and technology from Cisco, EMC, and RSA, the Security Division of EMC. These will be designed to provide customers with the ability to discover, secure, track and enforce the usage of sensitive data stored in the data center and at desktop and server endpoints, as well as while sensitive data is transmitted across enterprise networks.
"The data security market is very fragmented with add-on point tools at every layer of the IT stack which leads to management complexity for customers," said Robert Gleichauf, chief technology officer of Enterprise, Services and Security at Cisco. "Cisco, along with EMC and RSA, its security division are strongly positioned to provide a holistic approach to addressing businesses' data security needs encompassing products, services, and best practice processes across the network and the other layers of the IT infrastructure."

Integration of Data Loss Prevention

Cisco and RSA intend to collaborate in various areas of Data Loss Prevention (DLP) and provide a rich set of DLP professional service offerings to enterprise customers. Cisco intends to integrate data-classification technology from RSA's DLP Suite with Cisco's DLP capabilities in the network and on desktop and server endpoints, and RSA plans to take advantage of Cisco policy enforcement capabilities with the RSA® DLP Suite. The companies intend to enable the RSA DLP Enterprise Manager to manage DLP policy administration for the combined Cisco and RSA DLP solutions. Cisco and RSA also intend to collaborate on the endpoint to provide integrated host protection, policy control and data protection for desktop, laptop and server platforms. As a first step, Cisco plans to enhance the DLP capabilities of Cisco® Security Agent with RSA's classification technology. This new functionality will be able to be managed via the Cisco Security Agent Management Center or the RSA DLP Enterprise Manager.

Collaboration in Data Center Security, Data Encryption and Key Management

Cisco and RSA also intend to continue to collaborate in the area of data center security, data encryption and key management. Customers will soon be able to encrypt data-at-rest stored on tapes and virtual tapes through the integration of Cisco MDS 9000 Storage Media Encryption (SME) and the RSA® Key Manager. This integrated solution is scheduled to be available via EMC in May and will be designed to provide enterprise key management for customers who plan to encrypt sensitive data-at-rest. Cisco and RSA intend to work together to integrate additional security capabilities into Cisco TrustSec for data-in-motion encryption with the Cisco Nexus 7000 platform. To provide security for e-mail traffic, RSA intends to interoperate with Cisco's Registered Envelope Service technology to encrypt sensitive e-mails discovered by RSA DLP Network.

Expand PCI Reference Architectures

Cisco and RSA also plan to expand on their PCI reference architecture which helps enable customers to audit and run reports on their systems to ensure compliance with PCI regulations. The broader data-security reference architecture will showcase how customers can discover and monitor sensitive information and will provide the appropriate enforcement controls. The Cisco Lean Retail solution that incorporates five RSA® PCI Solutions will be enhanced with the release of the Cisco Application Control Engine (ACE) Web Application Firewall. The Cisco ACE Web Application Firewall can comprehensively inspect and provide security for Web-based application data including HTML, XML and Web service requests, helping customers to efficiently satisfy the June 2008 Payment Card Industry (PCI) application firewall requirements.

Cisco Organizes its First Developer Forum in India

Cisco® conducted the first Cisco Developer Forum in India, on April 3-4 in Bangalore. The Cisco Developer Forum was a major milestone in the company's efforts to equip more developers with the knowledge on how to best use the network as a development platform. The Cisco Developer Forum, held at the J.N. Tata Auditorium, Indian Institute of Science, comprised of two days of vision, learning and collaboration around the latest networking technologies today.
Presented by the Cisco Developer Services Program, the two day event included technical sessions and hands-on demonstrations covering applications in technologies including Unified Communications, Customer Contact Center, Voice Gateway, Data Center, Network Management and Wireless technologies.

"With Cisco leading the transition to a network-centric technology environment, Cisco Developer Forum is the place to be, for developers and technologists, to learn how the various applications of today's latest technologies can enable the network to become the preferred service platform of the future," said Parvesh Sethi - Vice President, Advanced Services, Cisco.
Over the two days, Cisco leaders shared their insights into how to use the network, as a development platform, to accelerate the developing of integrated solutions and applications, the delivering of innovative services and solutions to customers, and the building of rich applications that leverage the intelligence of the network.

About Cisco Systems

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com. Cisco equipment in India is supplied by Cisco Systems International BV, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cisco Systems, Inc.

Cisco Clarification on Media Reports Stating 'Cisco India to hire 360000 people'

Furthering its goals to enhance the development of information technology (IT) talent in India, Cisco® announced a series of country-specific initiatives aimed at expanding India's capacity to train, employ and retain highly qualified networking and systems engineers. By establishing partnerships and opening testing facilities, Cisco aims to expand India's networking workforce capacity to 360,000 engineers in the next five years, a six fold increase over present employment levels.
According to a recent IDC report on global skills, India's surging economic development will create a demand for 137,000 more networking professionals by 2009. As an integral part of the training-development initiative, Cisco announced that two of India's largest technologies training organizations, IIHT and NIIT, have become Cisco Certified Learning Solutions Partners. With this designation, both IIHT and NIIT join Global Knowledge and Training Partner Ltd., a business unit of Datacraft India, in offering the complete range of authorized Cisco training materials and certifications to students and professionals in more than 200 locations throughout the country.

"Globalization will continue to transform India's economy and will require its young workforce to develop skills that are market-driven," said Leo Scrivner, vice president of human resources for Cisco Services & Globalisation Centre East. "The launch of our talent-development initiative in India underscores Cisco's commitment to expand access to the IT training and certification resources that will support the country's continued economic growth. With these initiatives in place, we are able to ensure that our customers and partners have the resources available to train and equip the thousands of motivated students in India with the knowledge and skills necessary to shape the country's burgeoning information economy."
In concert with these new partnerships, Cisco is also announcing a major push toward increasing access to its examination facilities through its primary test-delivery partner, Pearson VUE. The company is committed to adding 150 testing facilities that meet these new requirements across India by the end of the year. To further close the digital divide, Pearson VUE will also deploy several mobile testing centers to increase access to technology in rural and underserved areas. Pearson VUE recently announced that it is requiring its test centers to adopt increased security measures in order to safeguard the value of IT certifications.
"With competition growing for the number of skilled personnel available in the market, companies are aggressively seeking to hire and retain knowledgeable staff," said Keshava Raju, CEO, IIHT Ltd. "IIHT has an impeccable track record of conducting training in networking and IT infrastructure for the last 15 years, and we are excited to be working with Cisco to expand opportunity and access to quality training to help address India's national skills shortage."
"Significant talent shortages in sectors such as infrastructure management have opened up multiple career options for aspiring students and professionals," said G. Raghavan, president, Individual Learning Solutions, NIIT. "We are happy to unite with Cisco to develop talent in the Asia Pacific region."
To learn more about the Cisco certification programs, please visit: http://www.cisco.com/go/getcertified.
Additional information on Pearson VUE testing facilities is available at:
http://www.pearsonvue.com/programs/.

Cisco Launches Talent-Development Strategy for India

Furthering its goals to enhance the development of information technology (IT) talent in India, Cisco® today announced a series of country-specific initiatives aimed at expanding India's capacity to train, employ and retain highly qualified networking and systems engineers. By establishing partnerships and opening testing facilities, Cisco aims to expand India's networking workforce capacity to 360,000 engineers in the next five years, a six fold increase over present employment levels.

According to a recent IDC report on global skills, India's surging economic development will create a demand for 137,000 more networking professionals by 2009. As an integral part of the training-development initiative, Cisco announced that two of India's largest technologies training organizations, IIHT and NIIT, have become Cisco Certified Learning Solutions Partners. With this designation, both IIHT and NIIT join Global Knowledge and Training Partner Ltd., a business unit of Datacraft India, in offering the complete range of authorized Cisco training materials and certifications to students and professionals in more than 200 locations throughout the country.

"Globalization will continue to transform India's economy and will require its young workforce to develop skills that are market-driven," said Leo Scrivner, vice president of human resources for Cisco Services & Globalisation Centre East. "The launch of our talent-development initiative in India underscores Cisco's commitment to expand access to the IT training and certification resources that will support the country's continued economic growth. With these initiatives in place, we are able to ensure that our customers and partners have the resources available to train and equip the thousands of motivated students in India with the knowledge and skills necessary to shape the country's burgeoning information economy."
In concert with these new partnerships, Cisco is also announcing a major push toward increasing access to its examination facilities through its primary test-delivery partner, Pearson VUE. The company is committed to adding 150 testing facilities that meet these new requirements across India by the end of the year. To further close the digital divide, Pearson VUE will also deploy several mobile testing centers to increase access to technology in rural and underserved areas. Pearson VUE recently announced that it is requiring its test centers to adopt increased security measures in order to safeguard the value of IT certifications.
"With competition growing for the number of skilled personnel available in the market, companies are aggressively seeking to hire and retain knowledgeable staff," said Keshava Raju, CEO, IIHT Ltd. "IIHT has an impeccable track record of conducting training in networking and IT infrastructure for the last 15 years, and we are excited to be working with Cisco to expand opportunity and access to quality training to help address India's national skills shortage."
"Significant talent shortages in sectors such as infrastructure management have opened up multiple career options for aspiring students and professionals," said G. Raghavan, president, Individual Learning Solutions, NIIT. "We are happy to unite with Cisco to develop talent in the Asia Pacific region."

To learn more about the Cisco certification programs, please visit: http://www.cisco.com/go/getcertified.

Additional information on Pearson VUE testing facilities is available at: http://www.pearsonvue.com/programs/.

About Cisco Systems
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com. Cisco equipment in India is supplied by Cisco Systems International BV, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cisco Systems, Inc.
Cisco, the Cisco logo, and Cisco Systems are registered trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. in the United States and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partnership does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. This document is Cisco Public Information.

Cisco Unveils Nexus 7000 Series Data Center-Class Platform

Cisco® announced today an innovative family of data center-class switching platforms, the Cisco Nexus Series, to meet customer demands for next-generation mission-critical data centers. As the data center transitions to a more services-centric model, the network plays a pivotal role in orchestrating virtual IT resources and scaling workloads. The Cisco Nexus 7000 Series was designed with this environment in mind, delivering the infrastructure chapter of Cisco's Data Center 3.0 vision.

Today's announcement features a new data center platform with both hardware and software innovations, including:
-- The Cisco Nexus 7000 Series, the flagship data center-class switching platform combining Ethernet, IP, and storage capabilities across one unified network fabric
-- The Cisco Trusted Security (TrustSec) architecture
-- An advanced operating system, the Cisco Nexus Operating System (NX-OS), and the Cisco Data Center Network Manager

Introducing the Nexus 7000 Series: Purpose Built for Data Centers
The Cisco Nexus 7000 Series is the flagship member of the Cisco Nexus Family, the first in a new data center class of switching products. The Nexus 7000 is a highly scalable modular platform that delivers up to 15 terabits per second of switching capacity in a single chassis, supporting up to 512 10-gigabits-per-second (Gbps) Ethernet and future delivery of 40- and 100-Gbps Ethernet. Its unified fabric architecture combines Ethernet and storage capabilities into a single platform, designed to provide all servers with access to all network and storage resources. This enables data center consolidation and virtualization. Key components of the unified fabric architecture include unified I/O interfaces and Fibre Channel over Ethernet support to be delivered in the future.
The Nexus 7000 is designed specifically for the data center with improved airflow, integrated cable management, and a resilient platform architecture. The data plane is fully distributed and, when coupled with the Cisco NX-OS operating system, is designed to enable zero service-disruption upgrades on production systems. This provides a seamless systems design that reduces administrative tasks and simplifies complex systems operations.

A Unique Unified Fabric Architecture
Building data centers based on a unified fabric eliminates the need for parallel storage and computational networks, reducing the number of server interfaces and significantly reducing the cabling and switching infrastructure required. A unified fabric also enables customers to move to higher-density server form factors, increasing the IT workload output of each data center. Combined with virtualization, this new technology will help customers to build more efficient and sustainable data centers, maximizing IT workload for each facility and saving more power overall than the network generally consumes. The Nexus 7000 architecture is designed around this lossless unified fabric capable of simultaneously forwarding storage, Ethernet, and IP traffic. The fabric scales performance linearly with each fabric module and is logically partitioned for efficient unicast and multicast traffic, making it ideally suited for market data video as well as collaboration applications.
Microsoft is currently performing rigorous testing of the Nexus 7000 Series for security, manageability and performance in a lab environment. "We appreciate the modular processes of the Cisco Nexus operating system designed to resolve problems in real time without impact to production traffic, as well as data center-class high-availability features and unified fabric support," said Debra Chrapaty, corporate vice president, Global Foundation Services, Microsoft.

Powered by an Advanced Operating System: NX-OS
At the heart of the Nexus 7000 Series is the NX-OS software, purpose-built to maximize data center resiliency and to consolidate disparate networks. NX-OS combines the best of Cisco's SAN-OS, Layer 2 switching, Layer 3 routing protocols, and advanced virtualization capabilities into one reliable operating system with the familiar Cisco IOS® interface.

NX-OS has many innovative features, including:

-- Zero-service-disruption upgrades
-- Virtual device contexts
-- Graceful systems operations
-- XML interfaces to access switch information or any command

NX-OS delivers zero-service-disruption system upgrades to maximize production uptime while self-diagnostic capabilities continuously track each software component in the operating system. If a failure is detected, NX-OS policies enable stateful process restart without service disruption. This modular design provides fault containment and automatic recovery so that processes can be remotely started, stopped and upgraded without human intervention.
Innovative virtualization capabilities such as virtual device contexts allow the system to be partitioned into multiple logical devices, each with its own processes and command-line interface running independent of one another. This system may be used by hosting providers and complex enterprise administrative models, to be shared by multiple administrators concurrently, each with its own switching environment.

Securing the Data Center with Cisco Trusted Security
The Nexus 7000 Series is the first platform to deliver Cisco Trusted Security, a new architecture introduced last month that integrates identity- and role-based security across data centers. (See news release at http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2007/prod_120507.html.) Cisco TrustSec enforces trusted traffic segmentation without requiring complex addressing models and unmanageable access control lists. This enables virtual machine mobility throughout the data center while helping to ensure data integrity with a wire-rate AES-128 encryption implementation on every port of the Nexus 7000.
The National Nuclear Security Administration's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has reviewed the new Cisco data center switch for the high performance computing systems scientists employ for national security research. Applications such as research in fusion energy, atmospheric modeling, and the simulation of other physical phenomena, can benefit greatly from increased network bandwidth for data movement between parallel file systems and archival storage. "The future-proof architecture of this new data center platform has great potential to enhance the scientific computing capabilities critical to our national and global security missions," said Doug East, High Performance Computing Manager at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. "We can see applicability for our environment because of its scalability, the enhanced security features, innovative virtualization features, and immediate improved performance through high density 10-Gigabit Ethernet and the ability to support 40 Gigabits and 100 Gigabits in the future."

Simplifying Data Center Network Operations: Cisco Data Center Network Manager
Supporting the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series, the Cisco Data Center Network Manager (DCNM) provides visibility across data center networks. Built on the foundation of Cisco Fabric Manager for storage networks, DCNM provides topology discovery and visualization for increased operational efficiency and systems awareness. Nexus 7000 management interfaces are fully compatible with Cisco VFrame Data Center, an orchestration platform that uses network intelligence to provision resources together as virtualized services. VFrame DC will be a key enabler for services orchestration on the Nexus platform.
"With the new Nexus 7000 platform, Cisco is on track to deliver its vision for next-generation data centers by simplifying data center operations and supporting the transition to a unified fabric," said Zeus Kerravala, senior vice president of Enterprise Research, Yankee Group. "Following the Catalyst model, Cisco also designed the Nexus platform with longevity in mind, providing ease of migration, investment protection, and a clear roadmap for future upgrades that will help virtualize IT services within the network."

Pricing and Availability
The Nexus 7000 Series starts at $75,000, can be ordered globally now, and is planned to be generally available in the second quarter of calendar year 2008. Cisco Capital SM is offering financing for data center solutions globally. In the United States, Cisco Capital is offering lease rates as low as 3.99 percent APR for the Cisco Nexus 7000.

Additional Information and Resources
Cisco also announced today the expansion of its Catalyst® family with innovative additions to its modular, fixed and blade platforms. See http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2008/prod_012808.html
Additional information and resources on today's announcement can be found in the Cisco online press kit at: http://newsroom.cisco.com/DataCenter_3 More information and resources on the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series announced today can be found at: www.cisco.com/go/nexus

About Cisco Systems
Cisco, (NASDAQ: CSCO), is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com.

Cisco and NISG Present Shared Vision of Transformational Change with e-Governance at India Public Sector Summit

Cisco® and the National Institute for Smart Government (NISG) came together to host the 3rd Annual India Public Sector Summit on e-Governance. The theme of this year’s summit is Networked Nations: Transformational Change with e-Governance. The summit was inaugurated by Shri. R. Chandrashekhar, additional secretary (e-Governance), Department of Information Technology, Government of India, with a keynote address by John Chambers, chairman and CEO of Cisco Inc., on the first day of his three-day visit to India.

“Governments worldwide have made significant progress in moving services online by implementing a network-based approach to increase access for citizens and improve productivity in national and local government”, said Chambers. “Effective collaboration with government and the development of universal broadband access lies at the heart of Cisco’s strategy to support transformation of public services and drive socio-economic change across nations. The network truly can provide the platform for leading this transformation.”

Speaking at the summit, Chandrashekhar said, “This forum provides an excellent opportunity with a backdrop of international experience for the Department of Information Technology to share and discuss its plans with leaders from the states and union territories who are responsible for implementing these plans in their respective jurisdictions. This forum helps us to design and evolve approaches and solutions that take into account both the specific circumstances prevailing in states and international best practices in order to address felt needs optimally.”

The summit focused on key priorities of the National e-Governance Plan, including e-districts, unique identification, capacity building and leading transformational change. The summit provided a platform for government decision-makers, those responsible for leading implementation, and international experts to exchange views.

J Satyanarayana, CEO of NISG, said, “A concerted effort is needed for the successful implementation of the National e-Governance Plan. The Public Sector Summit 2007 will enable sharing of knowledge and experience on the various facets of e-governance, which will go a long way in increasing the pace of implementation and realizing the goals of providing better public services in the country.”

The two-day summit, to be held on October 29 - 30 in New Delhi, will see participation from various senior officials from the central and state governments in India and experts from around the world. International speakers include Datuk Azizan bin Ayob, CEO of Commerce Dot Com, Malaysia; D. Scott Campbell, former CIO and strategic consultant, eGovernance, Canada; and Simon Willis, Global Vice President and Head eGovernment, Internet Business Solutions Group, Cisco.

About National Institute for Smart Government (NISG)

National Institute for Smart Government (NISG), Hyderabad is a not-for-profit company incorporated in 2002 with NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Service Companies), Central and State governments being the principal promoters. NISG is being shaped as an institution of excellence in the area of e-Governance with focus on Strategic Planning, developing appropriate architectures and standards, providing high-level consultancy services and capacity building at the national level. The goal of NISG is to lead the nation to a preeminent position in providing integrated online services to the citizens and businesses. Cisco has partnered with the NISG in 2005 and 2006 on previous Public Sector Summits.

About Cisco

Cisco, (NASDAQ: CSCO), is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to newsroom.cisco.com. Cisco equipment in India is supplied by Cisco Systems International BV, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cisco Systems, Inc.