SAN JOSE, Calif., October 17, 1994 -- Network leaders Cisco Systems,Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) and UB Networks today announced that they have signed aworldwide distribution agreement. The companies also announced plans toenter into a bilateral technology development agreement. Under the termsof the relationship, the two companies will jointly develop integratedinternetworking solutions which include ATM, Virtual LAN and switchingtechnologies. Under the distribution agreement, UB Networks gainsworldwide distribution rights to the entire range of Ciscointernetworkingproducts. Cisco and UB Networks have also agreed to offer globalservice and support.
Cisco and UB Networks will build on their collective expertiseleveraging VNA, the virtual network architecture developed by UBNetworks, IOS, Cisco's Internetwork OperatingSystem,and ATM and hub architectures. The two companies are incorporating Cisco's 4500 router into UB Networks' Access/One enterprise hub as well as adding IOS toforthcoming products, including UB Networks' GeoSwitch product line, afamily of modular, distributed ATM switches and adapters. UB Networks willalso include Cisco's IOS in its next generation object-oriented virtualnetwork messaging architecture, to greatly simplify management of switchedand routed environments. UB Networks will support Cisco router productswith its Net Director network management platform. Under the proposedalliance, UB Networks gains worldwide distribution rights for all productsresulting from joint development.
"The integration of routing and switched technologies, and how to getthere, is one of the uppermost concerns in customers' minds today," saidJohn Morgridge, president and CEO of Cisco Systems Inc. "We realize thefaster we can provide them with products for getting there, the more valuewe offer to our customers.
"We have selected UB Networks as our partner because of itsdemonstrated growth, financial stability, experience in building enterprisenetworks, complementary strengths in product development and distribution,and its world class service and support organization," added Morgridge.
"Customers want flexibility and choice," said Roel Pieper, presidentand CEO of UB Networks. "We're very pleased to offer Cisco products throughour worldwide distribution channel and to provide Cisco customers todaywith an integrated migration path for their switching needs. With thisagreement we give them the best of all worlds -- greater interoperability,broad product selection and a clear roadmap to deployment of futuretechnologies without being locked into a single vendor."
Cisco and UB Networks will offer global service and support that willleverage UB Networks' support organization, with over 300 support personnelworldwide. Operating out of 72 offices around the world, UB NetworksServices Division provides Professional Services specializing in the designof new customer networks and the evaluation of existing networks andNetwork Care, focused on network uptime and performance.
UB Networks is a leading, worldwide supplier of network hardwareproducts and is a pioneer in the area of distributed network managementsolutions. As part of its Access/Anywhere strategy, the company offers afull-line of enterprise wide networking products including the Access/Oneenterprise hub, Access/Workgroup family, Access/ATM and Access/Management.The company also provides a range of integration services includingconsulting, training and technical advice to build and support networksworldwide. The company employs 1100 people worldwide and has over 70offices around the world. Headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., UBNetworks is a wholly owned and independently operated subsidiary of TandemComputers (NYSE:TDM).
Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., Cisco Systems,Inc., is theleading global supplier of high-performance, multimedia and multiprotocolinternetworkingsystems and software including routers, bridges; workgroupsystems for 10Mbps/100Mbps data transmission; ATM switches; dial-up accessservers; software routers; and router management software. Cisco'sInternetwork Operating System (IOS) technology, which is used by over 20companies in over 50 different products, is the de facto worldwide standardfor data transmission across both public and private networks. Cisco'ssystem and software technology is used to build enterprise-wide networkslinking an unlimited number of geographically dispersed LANs, WANs, and IBMSNA networks. In the United States Cisco is traded over the counter underthe NASDAQ symbol CSCO. The company is a member of the S&P 500 and Fortune500, and in 1994 became the first data communications company to exceed $1billion in annual sales.
Posted: Fri Nov 20 10:43:10 PST 1998
