News Release

Alliance Between Sterling Software and Cisco Systems Enhances Manageability of Corporate Intranets Running SNA and IP

Agreement is First of Several Sterling Intends to Bring More Robust and Reliable Management to Corporate Networks
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Apr 07, 1997



RESTON, Va. April 7, 1997 -- The Operations Management Division ofSterling Software Inc. (SSW-NYSE) and Cisco Systems today jointly announceda reseller agreement to offer CiscoWorksTM Blue Native Service Point routermanagement product with Sterling's SOLVE:Netmaster network managementapplication. Together, the products enable enterprise network managers tomonitor and manage the Cisco routers that comprise the backbone of mostcorporate Intranets. Under the terms of the agreement, Sterling will resellNative Service Point for SOLVE:Netmaster as an integrated, value-addedSOLVE:Netmaster application.

Reseller Agreement Yields Benefits

This agreement provides stronger integration between the two products,helping network managers improve the availability of their corporatenetworks. The integrated application delivers the operational disciplines-- and therefore, the reliability -- available with mainframe systems formanaging and controlling distributed systems and applications. With NativeService Point for SOLVE:Netmaster, operators can manage the Cisco routernetwork from the SOLVE:Netmaster application, improving the organization'sability to keep the enterprise network up and running. The applicationprovides automatic alerting of device failures and enables operators toconduct problem diagnosis, performance trending and configuration archiving.This application leverages the organization's investment in SOLVE:Netmasterenterprise management software and skills.

With the growth in TCP/IP networks and the increasing number ofIntranet users accessing MVS-based applications, network managers now needa more reliable, integrated solution for managing the IT infrastructure.Sterling's strategy, together with Cisco, is to provide solutions thatenable organizations with mixed SNA and IP networks to more reliably managemission-critical data as it moves through the enterprise onInternet>servers. This strategy enables operators to isolate failed servicecomponents quickly and restore those devices based on their impact on keybusiness services.

First of Several Planned Alliances

Sterling's decision to team with Cisco is the first of several agreementsthat Sterling plans with leading internetworking vendors, with an eyetowards bringing more robust, reliable network management to the distributedworld. Cisco also has had great success in working with other vendors toprovide more comprehensive management solutions for its customers.

Views From The Top

"Sterling Software leads the way in networked systems management by teamingwith recognized industry leaders to deliver solutions that meet ourcustomers' growing need to centrally manage SNA and IP resources," said RonHardy, vice president of marketing for Sterling's Operations ManagementDivision. "By providing command and control of Cisco routers, our customershave improved visibility into the IP world. They are better able toidentify and prioritize IP network failures based on their effect onmission-critical applications," Hardy said.

Product Manager for Cisco Systems' Interworks Business unit Rob Adamssaid "Cisco seizes opportunities to team with vendors such as Sterling tocomplement the functionality of our network management products. Thisalliance with Sterling Software will help Cisco better maintain ourcommitment to provide strong network management solutions on all platformsto our customers. We want network operators to choose Cisco products tomake their jobs easier."

Company Briefs

Native Service Point is part of CiscoWorks Blue, Cisco's nextgeneration roadmap for integrating IBM's SNA networks and associatedapplications into high-performance, multi-protocol enterprise networks thatare fast, affordable, and easily managed.

SOLVE:Netmaster is one of the industry's leading enterprise networkmanagement systems. It gives network managers an end-to-end view oftheir enterprise networks, including both IBM SNA networks and TCP/IP-basedIntranets. SOLVE products help organizations manage, control, and automatetheir networked systems to improve delivery and management ofmission-critical applications. Please reference the division's Internethome page for additional SOLVE product information at www.omd.sterling.com.

Sterling Software is a leading worldwide provider of software productsand services for applications management and systems management, as well ashighly technical professional services for the federal government. Thecompany also is an international distributor for certain Sterling Commerce,Inc. (SE-NYSE) products. Sterling Software, with its headquarters inDallas, has a worldwide installed base of more than 20,000 customer sitesand has 2,600 employees in 70 offices worldwide.