As seen in the Jan. 19, 2004, COMPTEL Connection

Cisco Systems Inc.
Headquarters: San Jose, Calif.
www.cisco.com

Q: Describe your organization
A: Cisco Systems Inc. is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. Today, networks are an essential part of business, education, government and home communications, and Cisco Internet Protocol-based (IP) networking solutions are the foundation of these networks. Cisco hardware, software, and service offerings are used to create Internet solutions that allow individuals, companies, and countries to increase productivity, improve customer satisfaction and strengthen competitive advantage. The Cisco name has become synonymous with the Internet, as well as with the productivity improvements that Internet business solutions provide. At Cisco, our vision is to change the way people work, live, play and learn.

Cisco was founded in 1984 by a small group of computer scientists from Stanford University. Since the company's inception, Cisco engineers have been leaders in the development of IP-based networking technologies. This tradition of IP innovation continues with industry-leading products in the core areas of routing and switching, as well as advanced technologies in areas such as home networking, optical, storage networking, IP telephony, network security and wireless LAN.

Today, with more than 34,000 employees worldwide, Cisco remains committed to creating networks that are smarter, thanks to built-in intelligent network services; faster, in their ability to perform at ever-increasing speeds; and more durable, with a generational approach to an evolutionary infrastructure.

Q: What do you attribute to your organization's longevity in the industry?
A: Cisco has enjoyed both financial health and longevity in the volatile world of telecom and high-technology for several reasons:

• Serving diverse markets and market segments. Cisco is fortunate to have customers in the service provider segment, as well as in the enterprise, small/medium business, and federal market segments. Cisco has customers in the U.S. and virtually every country around the globe. Cisco's overall business is diversified as individual customer segments and geographies go through their individual economic cycles.
• A truly open, empowered culture. Cisco's greatest asset is its culture and value system of open communication, integrity, and trust. Thus, Cisco attracts and retains the best individuals in the industry, and was recently named one of the Top 100 'Best Companies to Work For" by Fortune Magazine.
• No technology religion. Cisco has invested in a wide portfolio of technology. IP vs. ATM. FTTH vs. PON vs. VoDSL. Being technology agnostic lessens risk and diversifies our product line.

Q: Discuss some of your company's most recent achievements.
A: A full list of recent Cisco achievements can be found at http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/index.html. Cisco works with a variety of COMPTEL members including Looking Glass Networks Inc., which was the first service providers to install the Cisco ONS 15600 Multiservice Switching Platform. Looking Glass deployed the platform in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C.

Q: Why is it important for your company to be a COMPTEL member?
A: Cisco believes strongly in supporting the telecommunications industry and its representative associations. Via COMPTEL, Cisco can effectively reach the competitive telecom constituents, and participate in this vital, vibrant community.