Cisco and Adobe Form Relationship to Provide IT Skills to Students

New relationship will add a Web Design course to the Cisco Networking Academy Program

SAN JOSE, Calif., April 16, 2001 - Cisco Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO) and Adobe Systems, Incorporated (Nasdaq: ADBE) today announced that Adobe will sponsor a Fundamentals of Web Design course, which will be offered as an optional course within the Cisco Networking Academy Program. This relationship expands competencies gained through the Cisco Networking Academy Program to include Web design skills and prepares students for higher education endeavors or jobs in the Internet economy.

The Fundamentals of Web Design course is currently scheduled to be available in the U.S. in September 2001. It is planned to be offered internationally at a later date.

While this curriculum is offered within the Cisco Networking Academy Program structure, students do not have to be enrolled in networking classes in order to enroll in the Web Design course. Hands-on Web design exercises will be taught using Adobe software including Go Live ^TM, Adobe . Illustrator ., LiveMotion^TM, Photoshop., and Adobe Premiere..

"Cisco is delighted to welcome Adobe as a sponsor to sponsor curriculum for the expanding Networking Academy program," said Kevin Warner, senior director of worldwide education at Cisco. "Adobe is a leader in digital publishing for the Web and we're pleased they have chosen to partner with us to offer a Web design course as part of the Academy program."

"Adobe is thrilled to work with Cisco to deliver Web design skills to students in an e-learning environment," said Katie Keating, senior director of marketing at Adobe. "Cisco partners with educators to truly understand how learning occurs and in doing so, allows students from diverse backgrounds to obtain the skills they need to be successful in the Internet economy."

The Cisco Networking Academy Program employs an e-learning model, using a combination of web- and skills-based, instructor-led learning and hands-on exercises to teach students how to design, build and maintain computer networks. Fundamentals of Web Design, funded through Adobe's Education Marketing and Community Relations programs, is part of the expanding e-learning framework which Cisco announced in January with its Fundamentals of UNIX course, sponsored by Sun Microsystems. Currently, more than 156,000 students are enrolled in more than 6,500 Networking Academy sites in 121 countries around the world.

Cisco Networking Academies are established in high schools, higher education institutions, military bases, workforce retraining centers, juvenile detention centers and homeless shelters, and taught in nine different languages.

Cisco is in the process of selecting the Cisco Academy Training Centers in the U.S. to begin Web Design instructor training in June 2001. Classroom instruction of the Fundamentals of Web Design course in English is currently scheduled to begin in the U.S. in September 2001.