SAN JOSE, Calif. -- January 20, 1998 -- Cisco Systems, Inc. today announcedthat it is shipping Microsoft NT-compatible versions of Cisco Resource Manager (CRM) 1.1 and CiscoWorks for Switched Internetworks (CWSI) 2.1, its leading-edge network management applications.

"Delivery of CRM and CWSI on Microsoft NT is consistent with market requirements and the realization by many customers that NT is an enterprise-class operating system for network management applications," said Bill Ahlstrom, Cisco's director of enterprise network management marketing. "Cisco will continue to make its enterprise network management products available on the UNIX and NT operating systems that our customers need and want."

"With CiscoWorks for Switched Internetworks, Cisco has provided an integrated set of Web-accessible applications that can efficiently manage campus-based switched internetworks," said Theo Forbath, senior consultant, Northeast Consulting Resources, Inc. "With Cisco Resource Manager, it has provided fully Web-enabled tools to distribute software images to those devices and to roll up detailed inventory information about an enterprise's Cisco routers and switches into a broader, end-to-end view of its device inventory. By simultaneously delivering all this functionality on NT, the company is adding important operational flexibility for its customers in the new era of Web-based management."

CiscoWorks for Switched Internetworks (CWSI):

CWSI 2.1 addresses the operational requirements of campus-based switched internetworks to scale comfortably with the growth of the network and to offer Web accessibility. Key new components include a Web-accessible topology interface based on Java technologies; integrated frame and cell management, including a common topology view across the entire campus and the ability to link VLANs (Virtual LANs) with ELANs (Emulated LANs) across ATM switch fabrics; a multithreaded discovery agent that quickly determines the location of each Cisco switch and router node; a user-tracking application that enables construction of policy management tables and authentication of end stations to a VLAN; and enhanced traffic-monitoring capabilities.

"CWSI 2.1 offers powerful solutions for managing rapidly evolving switched internetworks like ours," said Allen Hutchison, senior emerging technologies engineer, Indiana University. "We use NT on almost all of our desktop systems, and this release will allow us to manage the network from our desktops, rather than having to go into the lab to use the one UNIX server we have."

Cisco Resource Manager (CRM):

Cisco Resource Manager was designed specifically to leverage the Web to simplify deployment and operation of Cisco-based networks. Its key components include a Software Image Manager (SWIM), an Inventory Manager, an Availability Manager and a Syslog Analyzer to facilitate troubleshooting. CRM enables network managers to put Cisco's own networking knowledge base to work over the Internet as transparently as possible. For example, the Software Image Manager links into the Cisco Connection Online (CCO) Web site to simplify selection of optimal software images for particular devices and to orchestrate the scheduled software downloads.

In addition to NT support, key new features in this version include Web-based integration and inventory synchronization with HP OpenView's Network Node Manager for NT, a simple report on Cisco network device year 2000 compliance, enhanced reporting capabilities and usability enhancements including context-sensitive help.

"As more and more of our internal information systems move to a Web-based interface, applications that are WWW-native, like CRM, are a joy," said Sean Addleman, network engineer, Autodesk Corp. "We're now able to provide detailed reports on network resources to anyone with a Web browser, and we can do this without having to do any Web page design or maintenance. The developers of CRM have put a lot of thought into designing an applicationthat provides real value to people who run Cisco shops. The Syslog Analyzer is an especially welcome feature, and the Software Image Manager, which automates the selection and installation of software images, is also very helpful."

Cisco Systems

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) is theworldwide leader in networking for the Internet. News and information areavailable athttp://www.cisco.com.

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