SAN JOSE, Calif., August 3, 2004 - Cisco Systems, Inc., today announced the launch of its Cisco® Learning Credits Program to countries in Americas International (Canada, Central and South America) and Asia Pacific (Asia, Australia and New Zealand) geographical regions. The program enables customers to integrate training at the start of a product or support/services introduction and benefit from an increased competitive advantage and faster productivity gains on their network investments. The Cisco Learning Credits program is now available to customers in the United States; Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA); Americas International; and Asia Pacific.

With the Cisco Learning Credits Program launch in Americas International and Asia Pacific, customers and partners worldwide can now buy training and Cisco Systems® hardware, software or support/services concurrently. By including training at the time of products or support/services purchase, Cisco Learning Credits save the customer time and resources by reducing the costs of administering separate budgets, purchase orders and expense reimbursements associated with the purchase of training on an ad hoc basis.

"Corporate networks are only as powerful as the technical competencies of the professionals that design, install and manage them," said Keith Goodwin, vice president of Americas International at Cisco. "As an easy method of payment for Cisco authorized training, Cisco Learning Credits enable customers to achieve the knowledge and skills necessary for optimizing productivity and network performance."

The Cisco Learning Credits Program, in conjunction with the Learning Credits Management Tool (LCMT), provides customers with an unrivaled ability to register, debit, manage and track the purchased Cisco Learning Credits. The LCMT tracks all account transactions, validates redemptions and automatically e-mails transaction confirmations along with monthly statements of activity and expiration status. Each Cisco Learning Credit can be exchanged for $100 USD of high-quality authorized training, delivered by participating Cisco Learning Solutions Partners worldwide. Cisco Learning Credits are valid for one year from purchase date and may be applied toward instructor-led training courses, e-learning, labs, simulations and customized education programs. Cisco Learning Credits are also available to Cisco Channel Partners for resale and for their own training needs.

"A trained, skilled IT staff is able to gain the most value out of the purchase of new equipment," said Robert Singleton, vice president, Customer Advocacy, Americas International at Cisco. "The Cisco Learning Credits Program enables our customers to define their network and training needs concurrently to achieve the knowledge and skills necessary for optimizing productivity and maximizing return on investment."

Cisco Learning Credits are immediately available for purchase in Americas International in Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico and Panama. In Asia Pacific, Cisco Learning Credits are currently available in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Korea, India, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia. The launch schedule for additional countries in Americas International and Asia Pacific will be announced shortly.

For pricing and program information, visit www.cisco.com/go/learningcredits.