2003-02-10.22

Posted on Monday, February 10, 2003 11:38 AM -0500

Cisco and Yahoo! Team to Offer Networking Solutions to Small and Medium Businesses

SAN JOSE, Calif., February 10, 2003 - Cisco Systems, Inc., today unveiled the Cisco Solution Center on Yahoo!® Small Business (http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com). The Cisco Solution Center delivers Cisco's vertical expertise and solutions to help small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) accelerate their business progress by offering industry-specific insight into new technology solutions that help maintain security, raise productivity, improve customer satisfaction, and lower costs
( http://ciscosolutioncenter.com ).

"SMBs have a desperate need for information and resources, but they just don't know where to start. The irony is that while nearly 75 percent of them have Internet access, few are using online resources to get the help they need when they need it," said Raymond Boggs, vice president for small/medium business research, IDC. "The visibility of the Yahoo! Small Business name and the vertical market focus of the Cisco Solution Center will make the site not only useful initially, but a natural place for SMBs to return to regularly."

The Cisco Solution Center provides business decision makers insight into how peers in their industry are using networking technologies to accelerate their business progress with Internet business solutions. Industry backgrounds, networking solutions, business challenges, growth benefits and case studies are highlighted to help SMBs understand the playing field in different vertical industries.

"Cisco and Yahoo! share a common vision of helping growing businesses succeed," said Peter Alexander, vice president of worldwide commercial marketing, Cisco Systems. "The Cisco Solution Center provides vertical-specific information through Yahoo! Small Business and features industry focused solutions from our partners such as IBM and Expanets. The website aggregates and organizes valuable content and resources, making them available to SMBs in one comprehensive, easy-to-use destination."

The featured solutions and offers from IBM and Expanets are delivered using Cisco best-in-class networking solutions and innovative services. As a result, these industry focused solutions address some of the most pressing dilemmas faced by businesses today; the need to expand and upgrade communications technology to stay competitive, while at the same time, conserving scarce financial resources.

"Yahoo! Small Business is committed to being the only place a small business needs to go to be successful online," said Rich Riley, vice president and general manager, Yahoo! Small Business. "We are working with leaders like Cisco to integrate essential business solutions with relevant content and resources to enable small businesses to establish and develop a successful business presence on the Web."

The Cisco Solution Center on Yahoo! Small Business offers specific content and solutions to help SMBs accelerate their business progress in vertical-specific industries, including:

Financial Services
Healthcare
Public Sector
Professional Services
Education
Hospitality
Manufacturing
Retail
Transportation
Wholesale

The Cisco Solution Center also houses the Cisco Internet Business Roadmap tool which helps growing businesses develop an individualized roadmap of e-business technology solutions. This unique and comprehensive planning tool helps growing businesses generate customized Internet solutions adoption and suggested rollout plans. Users complete a simple online business and technology assessment in as little as 15 minutes. With this tool, businesses of any size, and within any industry, can quickly and easily identify the combined networking solutions that best fit the needs of their company.

"The Cisco Solution Center on Yahoo! Small Business is another vehicle that amplifies Cisco's continued commitment to the SMB market. We understand the challenges that SMBs face, so we continue to deliver Cisco's expertise, solutions, brand and partnerships to help customers realize strategic value that will accelerate their business progress," said Alexander.

About Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. Cisco news and information are available at http://www.cisco.com.

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