SAN JOSE, Calif., October 22, 2002 - Cisco Systems, Inc., the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet today announced this year's winners of the Cisco Growing with Technology Awards. The award program recognizes small and medium-sized businesses with up to 1,000 employees that demonstrate how innovative use of networking solutions can improve customer satisfaction, drive growth and profitability, increase business efficiency and gain competitive edge.

Cisco announced 12 winners across four categories: Customer Relationship, E-Commerce, Operational Excellence, and Sales and Marketing. Peter Alexander, vice president of Worldwide Commercial Market Segment, Cisco Systems, and members of the program's panel of judges presented the awards Monday, October 21 at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco.

"The winners have proven that there is a direct correlation between a company's networking technology and ongoing business success," said Alexander. Each winning company has ventured into new technology territories and gained significant payback."

Twelve Winners Utilize Networking Technology to Grow

Cisco and a diverse panel of industry experts selected the winning companies from more than 300 entries. Though all the winning companies demonstrated a distinct level of excellence in the development of their solutions, the panel chose one winner and two runners-up for each of the four categories listed:

Innovators in Customer Relationship
Winners in this category were recognized for the creative ways in which they use networking technologies to provide more value to customers and increase customer loyalty and retention through better customer service.

• Grand prize: Constructware (80 employees), based in Alpharetta, Ga.
• Runners-up: SupportSoft (168 employees), based in Redwood City, Calif.; and Telluride Group (27 employees), based in Newton, Mass.

Innovators in E-Commerce
Winners in this category were recognized for the creative ways they have developed new models for interacting with customers and competing with businesses by capitalizing on networking technology.

• Grand prize: Brown & Joseph, Ltd. (100 employees), based in Schaumburg, Ill.
• Runners-up: Dexma (85 employees), based in Edina, Minn.; and Newspaper Direct (30 employees), based in New York, N.Y.

Innovators in Operational Excellence
Winners in this category are recognized for the creative ways in which they use networking technologies to enhance, simplify and improve internal operations and business-to-business relations, to improve business processes.

• Grand prize: inChord Communications (500 employees), based in Westerville, Ohio
• Runners-up: Shorewood Realtors (168 employees), based in Manhattan Beach, Calif.; and Quay Corp. (100 employees), based in Eatontown, N.J.

Innovators in Sales & Marketing
Winners in this category are recognized for the creative ways in which they use networking technologies in their marketing and sales efforts.

• Grand prize: ScubaToys.com (under 10 employees), based in Dallas, Texas
• Runners-up: 21 Century Group (10 employees), based in Kihei, Hawaii; and BondDesk Group (90 employees), based in Rochester Hills, Mich.

Judges evaluated the online entry forms to determine companies that best use networking technology to:

• Increase revenues, enter new markets, introduce new products, or reach new prospects
• Adopt a new business model or reengineer operations to cut costs or spark growth
• Give new meaning to the terms "customer support," "customer feedback," "supplier relations," or "strategic partnership"
• Move from a local or regional market into a national or international market.

Judges included individuals from a diverse cross-section of industry leaders in the small to medium-sized business market: Joe Diodati, director of market development of commercial marketing at Cisco; Josh Hyatt, executive editor of Fortune Small Business Magazine; Geri Spieler, research director at Gartner G2; Ray Boggs, vice president of IDC; Heather Alter, editor-in-chief of iQ Magazine; Dr. Christian Dussart, senior lecturer and marketing/co-director at the Sloan School of Management at MIT; and Mark Quinn, district director of the U.S. Small Business Administration;"We are proud to recognize the achievements of outstanding small and medium-sized businesses," said Quinn. "The 12 companies that are selected will serve as trailblazers for other small and medium businesses looking to expand their business."

For further details on the Cisco Growing with Technology Awards, please visit www.cisco.com/go/technology_awards.