SAN JOSE, Calif. -- March 23, 1998 -- Cisco Systems, Inc. today announced that it is delivering the third phase of its data/voice/video integration strategy, which ultimately will encompass all aspects of corporate enterprise environments.
During this third phase, Cisco is introducing new, multiservice gateway products that will enable seamless connectivity and help corporate enterprise customers reduce costs, improve network performance/management and deploy new business applications.
"With these solutions, Cisco is bolstering what is already the industry's most complete portfolio for integrating data, voice and video," said Sabine Velmeden, head of the network section at Deutsche Post AG, Europe's largest postal enterprise.
Today's announcement is part of a five-phase, open systems and technology strategy designed to help users integrate data, voice and video on an end-to-end basis - from smaller access locations to larger backbone sites. The strategy uses Cisco IOS software to seamlessly deliver voice over Internet Protocol (IP), voice over Frame Relay and voice over Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) throughout multiservice network environments.
Phase three of Cisco's data/voice/video integration strategy focuses on gateways between the different environments in a multiservice, mixed-technology environment. These include gateways from network protocols to Private Branch Exchange (PBX) protocols to public voice and ISDN switching protocols; gateways from IP to ATM; gateways from low-speed access to broadband backbone switching; and gateways from circuit switching to packet and cell switching. Only a network with this variety of gateway capabilities can become a ubiquitous information infrastructure.
The multiservice gateway solutions announced today will enable customers to reduce costs by avoiding long-distance toll charges, centralize dial plan management and take advantage of new business applications such as distance learning and intranet/Internet fax and telephony.
Further, users now can extend PBX features (such as calling party ID and call transfer) network wide over IP and ATM networks.
New Gateway Products Enhance Cisco's Broad Range of Enterprise Multiservice Solutions
In this third phase, Cisco is introducing the Cisco 2600 series modular access router for remote branch offices, a new gateway from circuit-to-packet and cell switching. The company also is announcing Cisco Voice Manager, a Java-based management tool for end-to-end management of the networked voice environment.
New gateways from low-speed access to backbone switching include the high density, Universal Switching Module (UXM) for Cisco's IGX ATM switch. And new gateways from IP to ATM in this phase include new ATM port adapters for the Cisco 7500 and 7200 series of high-end routers.
Additionally, Cisco announced that all of its multiservice platforms - including Cisco 2600 and 3600 series routers, MC3810 multiservice access concentrators, and IGX and LightStream 1010 and Cisco IGX ATM switches and Cisco 2600, 3600, 7500 and 7200 series routers.
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 and IGX are trademarks and Catalyst, Cisco, Cisco Systems, the Cisco Systems logo and LightStream are registered trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. in the U.S. and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.
