SINGAPORE -- 18 February 2000 -- Cisco Systems, Inc. and Microsoft Corp. have joined forces to deliver Internet Business Solutions based on the Windows 2000 platform. Cisco will also play a major role in Microsoft's Asia Pacific Windows 2000 launches, including being the Platinum and Network Sponsor in 25 cities around the region.
With the demand for Internet business solutions increasing, companies are seeing the need for greater integration between application platforms and network infrastructures. Successful companies are using products and services from Cisco and Microsoft to expand their Internet-enabled business, allowing them to deploy solutions faster and less costly and to achieve mission-critical system availability and reliability.
"With Microsoft Windows 2000, Cisco can extend intelligent network services from the server to the desktop, enterprise-wide, allowing enterprise systems to manage resources according to business needs. Customers will receive unprecedented levels of service through our joint technical collaborations on security, quality of service and directory services. With Cisco Internet applications on the Windows 2000 Server operating system, customers will achieve greater levels of scalability and reliability, meeting the demands of new Internet business environments," said Chong Pow Min, Enterprise Solutions Marketing Manager, Asia Pacific, Cisco Systems.
"Cisco is the first networking vendor to offer a full breadth of support for Active Directory," said David Gardner, Regional Partner, Business Group Director, Microsoft Asia. "Cisco's policy management solutions, that span both enterprise and service provider markets, provide the most comprehensive support for our Windows 2000-based system today."
In addition to being a Windows 2000 beta site and producing solutions based on Windows 2000, such as the recently announced User Registration Tool (URT) version 1.2.1, Cisco has been working with Microsoft to enhance Active Directory by simplifying the provisioning and management of network devices and services, and to offer advanced personalized networking services to customers. Cisco Networking Services for Active Directory (CNS/AD) integrates the knowledge of network services, identity, security, policies and user profiles so applications can easily interact with Active Directory and access powerful Cisco IOS® software networking services.
One customer who is benefiting from the combination of Microsoft and Cisco is Singapore Police Force who are running Windows 2000 together with URT 1.2.1 in its network. URT provides logical network access in a campus environment for controlled mobility of end users based on their user id or group association within Microsoft Active Directory Services.
Other scheduled Active Directory-enabled products are Cisco Network Registrar (CNR), Cisco Networking Services for Active Directory (CNS/AD), Cisco Access Registrar (AR) and Cisco QoS Policy Manager (QPM).
As Platinum Sponsor and Network Sponsor of Microsoft's Asia Pacific Windows 2000 launches, Cisco will provide all the networking equipment for the show networks, with students from Cisco Networking Academies actively involved in the deployment and maintenance operations of the networks.
The Cisco Networking Academy program is a partnership of government, educational and business groups designed to teach a range of computer networking skills. Students from Networking Academies in Singapore and Thailand successfully built the network for CommunicAsia '99 and SAPPHIRE '99.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software -- any time, any place and on any device. For more information visit http://www.microsoft.com.
About Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. Cisco news and information are available at http://www.cisco.com.
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