SAN JOSE, Calif., March 20, 1995 -- Cisco Systems and Madge Networkshave entered into a strategic agreement on Token Ring switching productsand technology. Under the terms of the dual-pronged agreement, the twocompanies will exclusively market a Token Ring switch developed by Madge,and Cisco will license Madge's advanced RingRunner technology for futureswitch products. The firms also will mutually promote each other'sproducts.
The pact will result in a family of new Cisco products, availablebeginning in mid-1995, that will address the need for Token Ring switchingat the backbone, server and individual client levels. Among the firstproducts will be a customized version of the stand-alone Token Ring switchbeing announced today by Madge, which Cisco will obtain from Madge on anOEM basis.
The agreement expands on a long-standing pact inaugurated in December1990 under which Cisco licensed Madge's Fastmac high-performance TokenRing technology for use on its line of routers.
Nick Francis, Cisco's director of marketing for IBM products, said,"Madge software has contributed to establishing Cisco as the leader inToken Ring routing over the past four years. With this new alliance we areadopting their market-leading technology to address another major marketopportunity, Token Ring switching. We see this alliance leading to acomprehensive product family that addresses the full spectrum of Token Ringswitching needs."
Cynthia Ringo, vice president of business development at MadgeNetworks, said, "We are broadening our long-standing relationship withCisco to deliver a comprehensive Token Ring switch architecture andbest-of-breed products to Token Ring customers. We believe that Madge'sinnovative technology, coupled with Cisco's market position, willaccelerate the adoption and expand the market for Token Ring switching."
At the core of the companies' switching solutions is Madge RingRunnertechnology. RingRunner is a building block for Token Ring devices thatprovides high-speed throughput and low latency for Token Ring frameswitches and Token Ring/ATM cell switches.
Madge Networks provides networking solutions for the enterprise. Thecompany is recognized for its technology leadership and its commitment tocustomer support without limits. Madge's product lines include a broadfamily of Token Ring and FDDI adapter cards, hub/router adapter cards andstackable hubs. Madge serves its multinational customers from 40 locationsworldwide with four major business centers located in London, San Jose,Calif., Hong Kong and Tokyo. Madge NV (NASDAQ:MADGF), the parent company,is a Netherlands corporation.
CiscoSystems, Inc. is the leading global supplier of enterprisenetworks, including routers, LAN and ATM switches, dial-up accessserversand network management software. These products, integrated by Cisco'sInternetworkOperating System (Cisco IOS) link geographicallydispersed LANs, WANs, and IBM networks. Cisco is headquartered in SanJose, Calif., and in the U.S. is traded under the NASDAQ symbol CSCO.
Posted: Mar 20 09:05:15 1995
