SAN JOSE, Calif., May 30, 2001 - Cisco Systems, Inc, the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, today announced a complete e-learning service based on its enterprise content delivery network (ECDN) products. Working with leading e-learning content, application and service providers and systems integrators, Cisco is providing an integrated solution for delivering rich live and on-demand learning using enterprise data networks.

Cisco has increased the effectiveness of employee learning and communications and positively affected business results by implementing its own e-learning architecture. "Cisco has the expertise, ecosystem, and architecture to help enterprises take advantage of the unprecedented opportunities of e-learning," said John Chambers, president and CEO of Cisco Systems. "Together with our ecosystem partners, Cisco is providing the industry's first complete e-learning infrastructure solution."

Corporate and education customers deploying Cisco's live or on-demand ECDN solutions include Express Personnel, Cisco Global Learning Network, Fort Hays State University and Safeway.

"Express Personnel shares Cisco's commitment to e-learning," says Art Atkinson, vice president of franchise development at Express Personnel Services' Oklahoma City-based headquarters. "Cisco's ECDN solution will enable Express to effectively train franchisees and their staff, which will better prepare them to service clients. E-learning will allow us to train employees quickly, increase their productivity and job satisfaction."

Service providers offering comprehensive managed e-learning services include Convergent Media Systems, Digital Island, Digital Pipe, RELERA and Verado.

"Digital Island's participation with Cisco on the e-learning initiative will help customers control their Internet infrastructure costs as well as create new market opportunities worldwide," said Ruann Ernst, chairman and CEO of Digital Island (NASDAQ: ISLD). "The combination of managed hosting and content delivery services that Digital Island brings to the table provides an excellent distributed computing infrastructure to help e-learning customers monetize their existing content and generate new revenue streams."

"Enterprises are migrating to Cisco's ECDN solution as a foundation for e-learning initiatives because it provides them with a simple solution for providing high-bandwidth content to remote employees with low-bandwidth Internet connections," said Cheng Wu, vice president and general manager of Cisco's content networking business unit. "Finally enterprises can richen the online learning experience without congesting the network."

Cisco today also announced an E-Learning Ecosystem comprised of leading application and content providers and systems integrators that will provide an integrated solution for delivering learning online. Members include:

• Centra, a provider of software and ASP services for live e-learning and collaboration

• gForce, a provider of enterprise e-learning systems for knowledge exchange

• iXL provides comprehensive implementation, deployment, strategy and web-based training services for the e-learning ecosystem and global clients.

• Ninth House, a provider of online, interactive business skills training

• Saba, a provider of human capital development and management solutions, including learning management systems and ASP services

Cisco also is working with content providers that are ECDN-certified including Cosmic Blender, Global Knowledge, PRIMEDIA Workplace Learning and WatchIT.

Cisco ECDN products for e-learning include:

• Cisco Content Distribution Manager, an administrative tool that provides complete control over the learning content and delivery.

• Cisco Content Engine, a remote delivery node that streams content to the user.

• Cisco IP/TV Broadcast Server, a multicast server that captures and delivers live, TV-quality video to a desktop PC.

• Cisco IP/TV Control Server, a multicast server that schedules and controls video on the network.

All solution components are available immediately.