Cisco Calls for 2007 Growing with Technology Award Nominations of SMBs using Network for Strategic Business Advantage

Prizes Valued at up to $250,000 to Be Awarded to SMBs and Growing Organizations Demonstrating Network Innovation and Creativity.

SAN JOSE, Calif.,- With its continued strong commitment to help SMBs grow their business with networking technology, Cisco® today announced it is accepting entries for the Eighth Annual Cisco Growing with Technology Awards contest. The competition recognizes small and midsize organizations that use networking technology in creative ways to promote products and services, deliver superior value to customers, improve internal business operations, conduct online transactions and provide a broader geographical reach of services.

Cisco’s annual contest is open to for profit, nonprofit and public sector organizations within the United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding the province of Quebec). To be eligible to win, organizations must employ no more than 999 employees.

A panel of judges from a cross-section of industry leaders will review contest applications and select the winners. They will be looking for organizations that have demonstrated how networking technology has changed the way it communicates, collaborates and does business to effectively address business challenges and expanded services to help drive growth and profitability.

Contestants in the Cisco Growing with Technology Awards 2007 contest vie for recognition and prizes in the following five categories: Sales and Marketing, Customer Relationship, Operational Excellence, Public Sector, and Nonprofit. Judges will select one grand-prize winner, two runners-up, and one honorable mention in each category.

Each grand-prize winner receives up to $25,000 worth of Cisco networking equipment. Each first runner-up receives up to $15,000 worth of Cisco networking equipment. Second runners-up receive up to $10,000 worth of Cisco networking equipment. Honorable mentions will be recognized during the awards ceremony. The grand-prize winners, runners-up, and honorable mentions will be announced and honored at an awards ceremony in October 2007.

Members of this year’s Cisco Growing with Technology Award panel of judges include:

* Ken Bast, vice president of networking, Ingram Micro

* Ray Boggs, vice president of small and medium business research, IDC

* Lisa Buksbaum, CEO and founder, Soaringwords (2006 Growing with Technology Award winner)

* Mika Krammer, director of Windows Client Mobility Marketing, Microsoft Corp.

* Deb Mielke, president and managing director, Treillage Network Strategies

* David Morgan, president, D.W. Morgan (2003 Growing with Technology Award winner)

* Elspeth Jane Murray, assistant professor, Queen’s University (Canada)

* Joni Podolsky, director of community programs, Entrepreneurs Foundation

* Joe Diodati, senior director of small and midsize business marketing, Cisco

Applications Accepted Now

Entries for the Cisco Growing with Technology Awards 2007 program are being accepted online. The deadline to submit applications is June 22. For more information on the awards, directions on how to enter, and the complete contest rules, visit www.cisco.com/go/tellusyourstory.