Company Name: Cisco

Co - Sponsor

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 Internet Protocol (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.

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. In the Middle East, Cisco has two management hubs in Cairo and Dubai, covering the North Africa, Egypt and Levant and GCC regions respectively. It has further offices in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Morocco and Pakistan.
Cisco is committed to delivering differentiated value to customers and partners through its unique product and service offerings, while closely mapping products and services to its customers' needs and priorities-such as productivity, cost savings, return on investment, and standard of living improvements.

In addition to hardware and software products, Cisco provides a broad range of service offerings to its clients, including award-winning technical support and advanced services. Cisco sells its products and services-directly through its own sales force and indirectly through a network of channel partners-to large enterprises, small and medium-sized businesses, service providers, and consumers. Cisco focuses on three broad areas to guide its business growth: core technologies, routing and switching; the service provider market; and Advanced Technology markets.

Cisco has long been recognized as a pioneer in using the Internet for its own business practices, offering consulting services to help other organizations around the world through its Internet Business Solutions Group. In the 2003 fiscal year, Cisco saved US$2.1 billion by relying on the Internet to provide customer support, offer employee services, sell products, provide training, and manage finances and manufacturing processes. Each year, Cisco introduces new applications, enhances existing applications, and increases adoption of these applications across the company, which results in an incremental return on investment year-after-year.

Cisco was founded on a culture based on the principles of open communication, empowerment, trust, integrity, and giving back to the community, and these same values thrive at Cisco today.

The company focuses on three areas of corporate philanthropy: providing basic human needs, access to education, and responsible citizenship. This past year, Cisco supported important community efforts such as the American Red Cross and the Second Harvest Food Bank, as well as global initiatives, including co-sponsorship of the Jordan Education Initiative. Cisco employees also continued to be active in the community through the Cisco Foundation, Civic Councils and the Cisco Leadership Fellows Program.

To help foster access to education and professional opportunities around the world, the company has founded the Cisco Networking Academy Program, dedicated to providing students with the education and resources they need to design, build, and maintain computer networks. By combining education and the Internet, Cisco Networking Academies help students around the world acquire the necessary skills for IT-related jobs and for higher education in engineering, computer science, and related fields-and ultimately, aid in the development of their countries and their local economies. Now in its sixth year, the program has more than 10,000 academies in 152 countries.

Learn more about Cisco Systems, Inc. at http://www.cisco.com