Cisco Expands Talent-Development Initiative in Russia

MOSCOW--(Marketwire - October 7, 2008) - Furthering its goals to enhance the development of information technology (IT) talent in Russia, Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) today announced a series of country-specific initiatives aimed at expanding Russia's capacity to train, employ and retain highly qualified networking and systems engineers. As part of its continuing emphasis on talent development, the Cisco Learning Credits program is now available in Russia as well as localized versions of the curriculum and exams for its popular CCNA® and CCENT® certification programs.

Cisco Learning Credit Program

The Cisco Learning Credits program helps customers purchase, review, redeem and administrate training. The program enables customers to buy training at the same time they purchase Cisco hardware, software or services. Cisco Learning Credits also reduce the ad hoc costs of administering separate budgets, purchase orders and expense reimbursements associated with the purchase of training. Redeemable for US$100 of training at participating Russian Cisco Learning Partners, learning credits are an economically streamlined way to integrate learning and training into a new network installation to maximize network efficiency and overall productivity.

"The market for Cisco's technology in Russia is expected to grow from $1.5B in 2007 to $5.5B, making the need for networking talent to support the growth of the Russian economy very important," said Robert Agee, vice president, Cisco Russia. "This launch underscores Cisco's commitment to expand access to the IT training and certification resources that will support the country's continued economic growth. With these initiatives in place, we are able to ensure that our customers and partners have the resources available to train and equip the thousands of motivated students in Russia with the knowledge and skills necessary to shape the country's burgeoning information economy."

Translated Training Materials and Exams

Russian versions of the curricula and exams for Cisco's CCNA and CCENT certification programs are now available. Helping employers around the globe to validate a candidate's skills, both the entry-level CCENT and associate-level CCNA certifications focus on the foundational skills that IT workers need to install, operate and support today's converged networks.

In addition, 34 Cisco Press titles are available in the Russian language. By providing entry- and associate-level learning materials, Cisco is opening up opportunities for aspiring networking professionals in Russia to develop their skill sets and prepare for challenging and dynamic careers in IT.

"Addressing the IT skills gap and the looming shortage of qualified networking professionals will require a truly global effort to tap the talent resources in emerging and established markets," said Fred Weiller, director of marketing, Learning@Cisco. "By providing entry- and associate-level training in native languages and locations around the world, Cisco is opening the doors for aspiring network engineers to launch promising careers and fill the great demand for IT talent."

A complete list of Cisco Press titles in Cyrillic can be found by visiting www.ciscopress.ru/books.html.

For additional information about the Cisco career certification program, please visit: www.cisco.com/go/learnnetspace.

About Cisco Press

Cisco Press, a partnership between Cisco Systems® (NASDAQ: CSCO) and the Pearson Education division of Pearson plc (NYSE: PSO), is the official publisher of Cisco® networking technology and Cisco certification self-study materials for networking students and professionals. Cisco Press resources are the only print companions reviewed and approved by Cisco Systems for use in the Cisco Networking Academy program. For more information, please visit www.ciscopress.com.

About Cisco Systems

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com.

Cisco, the Cisco logo, Cisco Systems, CCENT, CCIE, CCNA, Cisco IOS, IOS, Networking Academy, and PIX are registered trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. in the United States and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partnership does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. This document is Cisco Public Information.

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Contact Information: Press & Analyst Relations: Alexander Palladin Cisco Russia 7 495 604 4767 apalladin@cisco.com Cara Sloman Cisco 831-440-2411 csloman@cisco.com