LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- May 5, 1997 -- Wang Laboratories Inc. (NASDAQ:WANG)announced today at Networld + Interop that it is making a major investment in thenetwork services arena by signing a letter of intent with Cisco Systems, Inc. tobecome a global partner of Cisco.
Global partner status will allow Wang, a leading global network and desktopintegration and services company headquartered in Billerica, Massachusetts, tosupply its clients with Cisco products in authorized countries around the world.
Cisco, headquartered in San Jose, California, is the worldwide leader innetworking for the Internet. As one of the few who are designated by CiscoSystems as a global partner, Wang must meet stringent standards in its serviceand support of Cisco product. To be eligible for Cisco Global Partnership,integration and service companies must train their staffs in Cisco products andmethods, and they must meet Cisco standards for service delivery that allow fortimely response to troubleshooting and maintenance concerns.
"We are very pleased to join forces with such a superb partner. Cisco Systems isa true market driver in networking," noted Wang chairman and CEO Joseph Tucci.
"Our global partnership means that Wang customers will be able to obtain Ciscoproducts throughout the world. This arrangement will ensure that no matter whereour clients are located, their networks will be designed, built and maintainedwith hardware, software and service quality standards that are the most stringentin the industry," he added.
In working towards completion of its Cisco Global Partnership certification, Wangwill send 30 of its service engineers to the Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert(CCIE) program, a high-level training program that provides the expertiserequired to meet the challenges of supporting mission-critical networks. Theservice delivery capability of Cisco's Global Partners must include three fullyequipped Technical Assistance Centers in strategic locations. Wang already hasthree Enterprise Service Centers (ESCs) which integrate network management andhelp desk services to ensure comprehensive end-to-end service delivery. Locatedin Texas, the United Kingdom and Australia, Wang's ESCs will add Cisco-specificequipment to their present state-of-the-art technologies.
"We are happy to be teaming up with Wang on this basis," said Cisco senior vicepresident of worldwide operations Gary Daichendt. "Their technical employees'high level of engineering skills, along with the company's global servicedelivery capabilities, will help our customers benefit from integrated design andinstallation of world-wide networks. Wang will deliver turnkey networkingsolutions that provide the highest levels of added value in both product andservice to our clients."
About Wang
Headquartered in Billerica, Massachusetts, Wang is a leading global network anddesktop integration and services company. With annual revenues of $1.3 billion,Wang provides a comprehensive range of information technology services fortoday's network-centric business environment. Services include systemsarchitecture, design and installation; warranty, help desk, maintenance andsoftware support; and management of local area networks (LANs) and wide areanetworks (WANs). Employing nearly 10,000 people and having subsidiaries andaffiliates in approximately 130 countries, Wang designs, installs, operates andmaintains global computing and telecommunications networks for some of theworld's largest multinational companies as well as defense and civiliangovernment agencies. Information about Wang and its services can be found on theWorld Wide Web at http://www.wang.com.
Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO)is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. News and information areavailable at http://www.cisco.com.
Cisco IOS is a trademark, and Cisco, Cisco Systems, and the Cisco Systemslogo are registered trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. in the U.S. and certainother countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the propertyof their respective owners.
