ASIANET: Cisco Systems and Datacraft Asia Announce Major Agreement Targeting the Telecommunications Industry

Telecommunications Industry

SINGAPORE, Sept. 7 /HK PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Cisco Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:CSCO), the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, and Datacraft Asia, the region's leading network systems integrator and e-business enabler, have strengthened their relationship through a new joint agreement to focus on the burgeoning telecommunications industry in Asia.

This agreement combines the technology leadership of Cisco with the integration capabilities of Datacraft, to provide regional Service Providers with a compelling end-to-end solution for their networks. By transitioning to a multi-service Internet-based infrastructure, Service Providers can leverage their existing customer base and compete head-on with their emerging rivals in the New Internet Economy.

Under the agreement, Cisco will appoint Datacraft as a prime, region-wide systems integrator for the Service Provider market while Cisco's product range become Datacraft's platforms of choice to meet Service Providers' New World Network requirements. These include Cisco's remote access and broadband concentration systems, as well as core infrastructure such as Internet Protocol (IP), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Frame Relay, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), wireless and cable solutions.

Datacraft will also work closely with Cisco's network of ecosystem partners

- such as NetSpeak, Portal, Micromuse and Concord - to enhance its solutions particularly in the OSS/BSS (operation and business support systems) area. Cisco will, in turn, invest in training and laboratory facilities for Datacraft's support of these solutions. This meets the growing demand for Internet-based technologies and solutions among the Service Providers in Asia.

"Datacraft has been one of our strongest channels in the region especially in the corporate networking arena. They also have a proven track record in implementing large new world telco systems with successes such as Hanaro Telecom of Korea and Globe Telecom of Philippines. The Service Provider market is Cisco's fastest growing vertical industry and it makes perfect sense to extend our relationship with Datacraft to this arena," said Mr Gary Jackson, Vice President of Cisco Systems' Asia Operations.

"With telecommunications deregulation taking place at the same time as the explosive growth of the Internet, Service Providers in the region are facing pressures from not only new competitors but also demands from their corporate and retail customers for services that take advantage of the Internet. This is leading to a re-architecting of the communications infrastructure in the region. The combination of Cisco and Datacraft, two leading proponents in the Internet industry, one in technology and the other in integration, will help these Service Providers through this process, " he added.

Datacraft's commitment to deliver world-class internetworking service and support is underlined by the fact that it has an extensive geographic footprint in the region and more Cisco Certified Internetwork Experts than any other Cisco Certified systems integrator in the Asia Pacific. In recognition of its outstanding market performance, Datacraft has also been named "Asia's Best Systems Integrator" for the third consecutive year by Telecom Asia, the region's leading magazine for telecom professionals.

"We are extremely committed to providing the best technologies to our customers, which is why we are deepening our involvement with Cisco Systems," said Ron Cattell, Chief Executive Officer, Datacraft Asia. "We are already investing heavily to enhance our value-added services to our Service Provider customers, including managed network services, security offerings, as well as operation and business support systems.

"This new agreement with Cisco is key to providing our Service Provider customers with the best combination of technology and value-add services to enable them to take the competitive lead in this deregulated environment."

Datacraft Asia has achieved Gold Partner Certification from Cisco Systems in more countries than any other systems integrator in Asia. Representing the highest level of service and support accreditation by Cisco, the Gold Partner status reflects the quality of Datacraft's support operations and highly sophisticated 24-hour network management centre, STARtrac.

About Datacraft Asia

Datacraft Asia is the region's leading independent network systems integrator and e-business enabler. Listed on the main board of the Singapore Exchange, Datacraft is in the business of building and managing Internet infrastructure, implementing online business solutions and delivering value-add networking services for service providers and corporate customers across Asia Pacific.

The company offers unparalleled regional coverage and specialist support with its extensive network of 61 offices throughout Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, India, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, New Zealand, Vietnam, Philippines, Japan and Korea. Datacraft is a member of the Dimension Data Group. Listed on London Stock Exchange, Dimension Data is a leading global network services and i-Commerce solutions provider. More information about Datacraft Asia can be found on the Web at www.datacraft-asia.com.

About Cisco Systems Cisco Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. Cisco news and information are available at http://www.cisco.com. Asia Pacific news and information are available at http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/146/asia_pr/.

Cisco, Cisco Systems and the Cisco Systems logo are registered trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.

Press Contacts:

William Oei

Cisco Systems

Tel: +65-833-5555

[email protected]

Esther Quah

Datacraft Asia

Tel: +65-323-7988

[email protected]

SOURCE: Cisco Systems Inc.

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