ATLANTA, GA -- September 14, 1999 -- Cisco Systems, Inc. today announced Cisco Powered Network (CPN) Hosted Applications certification, an extension to the current Cisco Powered Network program. The new certification is targeted towards Application Service Provider (ASPs) that want to differentiate their hosted applications service offerings and provide customers with a higher level of reliability, security and manageability. Shared Medical Systems Corp. (SMS), the healthcare industry's network computing leader, joins the Cisco Hosted Applications Initiative and is the first CPN Hosted Applications certified ASP.
Cisco also announced today four additional new members to the Cisco Hosted Applications Initiative-ebaseOne (OTC BB: EBAS), Epicon, Pivotal Corporation (Nasdaq: PVTL) and Xevo. The Cisco initiative provides businesses of all sizes with access to powerful applications that were previously beyond their reach and creates an emerging ecosystem of software application vendors, hardware vendors, application service providers, internet service providers, co-location providers, system integrators, and technology partners to deliver a variety of hosted business applications.
Wide-scale application hosting across the Internet demands an intelligent, end-to-end network infrastructure to satisfy customer expectations for integration, reliability, security, and performance. ASPs achieve CPN Hosted Applications certified through a complete assessment of their end-to-end Cisco network infrastructure and specific business and desktop application design elements. The Cisco Hosted Applications lab is used to verify that the application connectivity and reliability meet the CPN benchmarking requirements.
"The new CPN Hosted Applications certification gives customers another way to choose an ASP that best fits their business needs and meets their standards of performance, security and reliability," said Eugene Lee, vice president of marketing for Cisco's Small/Medium line of business. "We are pleased to announce SMS as the first CPN Hosted Applications certified ASP. SMS and its dedicated focus on providing over a thousand healthcare providers and practitioners with the highest levels of service is unique in the healthcare industry. Now with this new cooperation Cisco and SMS are giving customers a high-quality hosted applications solution that is redefining the way healthcare providers do business."
"SMS provides Pinnacle Health System with robust systems and services demanded in today's healthcare market," said Richard Bagby, Chief Information Officer, Pinnacle Health System, Harrisburg, PA. "With the SMS Network, I can focus on strategic business efforts knowing that SMS handles software upgrades, back-ups, and related services running on a reliable end-to-end Cisco Powered Network infrastructure."
SMS' NOVIUS. Data Warehouse application is the first to receive the CPN Hosted Applications certification. NOVIUS Data Warehouse is a versatile solution that assists in storing, accessing, and manipulating data across the Integrated Health Network. The application meets the diverse needs of today's Integrated Health Networks through a graphical user interface (GUI) technology, and helps healthcare customers access the information they need in an efficient and timely manner. Through the Cisco certification, SMS will work closely with Cisco to develop reference models for the Data Warehouse solution to run optimally on a Cisco Powered Network infrastructure.
Cisco Powered Network Hosted Applications Certification
The CPN Hosted Applications certification enables ASPs to offer higher value add and differentiated hosted applications service offerings. By demonstrating a complete assessment of an end-to-end Cisco solution and specific business or desktop application design elements, ASPs will be designated as CPN certified.To qualify for this certification process, ASPs will need to verify that the application connectivity and reliability is within the boundary required by the Hosted Applications lab benchmarking and that the specific application certified is delivered across last mile CPN service provider infrastructure.
ASPs that are Cisco Powered Network certified are committed to maintaining high levels of network quality by building their services with Cisco solutions. Certified ASPs will be authorized to use the CPN brand logo and will have access to joint marketing programs and promotions.
CPN services give customers all the benefits of an end-to-end network; simplified, cost-effective network management; higher network availability; more reliable, scalable and secure services; and faster deployment of new world network services. Currently there are over 160 large service providers around the world that are members of the Cisco Powered Network program. Situated in more than 26 countries, program members offer a wide range of Cisco-based services for businesses of all sizes.
New Cisco Hosted Applications Initiative Participants
Cisco today announced the addition of four new participants in its Hosted Applications Initiative.ebaseOne Corporation is an ASP that specializes in providing small and medium sized business with "Fortune 500" class data centers to host and manage leading packaged software applications for a flat monthly fee. Pivotal Corp. is a provider of 3600 e-customer relationship management (eCRM) solutions for the Internet and Microsoft platforms. Now with ebaseOne and Pivotal joining the Cisco Hosted Applications Initiative, Cisco is broadening the categories of applications and customers that are supported through the initiative.
Cisco is also working with vendors such as Epicon and Xevo to provide technology support to ASPs. Epicon provides an innovative software platform enabling ASPs to manage the desktop side of hosted applications. Xevo, Corp., a private, venture-funded company is focusing on providing an enabling infrastructure of technology and services to the ASP industry.
About SMS
SMS (NYSE: SMS), the health industry's network computing leader, supplies information systems and professional services to over 5,000 health enterprises and health providers in North America, Europe, and New Zealand. Media and investor information and contacts are available at http://www.smed.com.Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) is theworldwide leader in networking for the Internet.Cisco, Cisco Systems and the Cisco Systems logo 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.