BOSTON, Mass., April 12, 2000 - HarvardNet, the leading provider of business-speed DSL, advanced Web hosting and broadband VPN services, announced today it has selected Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) equipment for its next-generation broadband services infrastructure. In addition, the company received its certification as a Cisco Powered Network (CPN) service provider and has secured $120 million in financing from Cisco Systems Capital.
To provide business-class premium service, HarvardNet has built one of the nation's most advanced network backbones. Stretching from Maine to Virginia, HarvardNet's backbone provides direct optical connectivity to the Internet's major peering points and to the nation's largest backbone carriers. As a Cisco Powered Network, 95% of the HarvardNet network infrastructure is Cisco equipment. The largest provider of high-speed DSL Internet access in New England, HarvardNet has worked closely with Cisco to design and implement a robust MPLS-based (multi-protocol label switching) ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) backbone, further enabling the company to offer reliable, secure and high-performance Internet services to its enterprise customers.
"This additional financing will further enable HarvardNet to continue its aggressive expansion of business-class DSL and advanced Web hosting services down the East Coast," stated Mark Washburn, President and CEO at HarvardNet. "We are currently constructing a 55,000 square foot Web Operations Center in New York City and have plans to open similar Web hosting facilities in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. to support our customers' growing needs to outsource their Web hosting services."
HarvardNet's participation in the Cisco Powered Network program demonstrates its ability to provide industry-leading technology solutions and services that are based predominantly on Cisco solutions. Through its deployment of Cisco BPX 8650-IP IP+ATM multiservice switch and the Cisco 12000 GSR series carrier-class routing platform, HarvardNet benefits from unmatched ATM and IP scalability.
"HarvardNet is experiencing phenomenal demand for its BusinessSpeed DSL and Web hosting services. To support future growth, we are proud to work with Cisco to strengthen our existing network infrastructure, allowing us to better support our enterprise customers," said Larry Jarvis, CTO at HarvardNet. "Less than 1% of service providers worldwide are CPN certified and we believe the benefits of our business partnership with Cisco will have a positive impact on our customers - especially in terms of the strength of our network and the end-to-end quality of service we offer them."
"HarvardNet's customers realize their service provider's network is based on the same equipment that they deploy in their Cisco-based backbone, resulting in high-reliability and security while eliminating interoperability concerns," said Kevin Outcalt, senior director of service provider marketing for Cisco. "As a certified Cisco Powered Network provider, enterprise customers can continue to expect a high level of performance and reliability from HarvardNet."
HarvardNet provides the following Internet services to enterprise customers:
BusinessSpeed DSL Internet Access: Using DSL technology, HarvardNet delivers high-speed Internet connections through existing copper phone lines. As a value-added service, HarvardNet's BusinessBackup service provides online backup and recovery for all desktop and laptop PCs via a customer's DSL line.
RemoteConnect Broadband Network: Combining the speed, reliability and flexibility of BusinessSpeed DSL with best-in-class VPN equipment from Cisco, RemoteConnect offers secure, high-speed connections to the corporate network and the Internet for telecommuters, branch offices, mobile workers and business partners.
Web hosting and E-Commerce Services: Delivering world-class Web hosting services designed to provide high-performance and maximum flexibility, HarvardNet offers VirtualWeb, DedicatedWeb and CollocatedWeb hosting services within its state-of-the-art Web Operations Center.
About HarvardNet
A super-regional data CLEC offering business-class DSL, broadband VPN and advanced Web hosting services, HarvardNet serves businesses located in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States using its East Coast IP-based backbone network that connects markets from Maine to Virginia. For more information about HarvardNet, please visit http://www.HarvardNet.com.
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