Contact Information: For more information, press only: Janis Langley Cisco Media Relations (512) 402-9635 jalangle@cisco.com Jennifer Dreyer EMC Media Relations (508) 293-7238 dreyer_jennifer@emc.com Keith Hodson Microsoft Media Relations (202) 274-1485 khodson@microsoft.com
Cisco, EMC, Microsoft Align to Offer Comprehensive Technology Architecture for Helping Protect and Share Sensitive Government Information
SISA Alliance Unites Industry Leaders to Produce a Breakthrough in Sensitive Information Exchange for Government and Private Sector
| Source: Cisco Systems, Inc.
WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwire - July 10, 2007) - Cisco® (NASDAQ : CSCO ), EMC® Corp. and
Microsoft Corp. today announced the formation of an alliance of technology
vendors that will offer one of the most comprehensive, security-enhanced,
commercial, multi-vendor, end-to-end information-sharing technology
architectures for helping protect and share sensitive government
information. The Secure Information Sharing Architecture (SISA) combines
industry-leading applications, information infrastructure, and networking
technologies to help protect customers' existing information technology
(IT) investments. This architecture offers a consistent approach for
breaking down the barriers across traditional organizational and
jurisdictional IT infrastructure boundaries, so sensitive human resources,
financial and other information that is critical to mission accomplishment
can have increased protection and be shared among authorized communities
more effectively than if they were not to deploy SISA.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, U.S. governmental agencies have increased their focus
on protecting sensitive content from being lost or stolen, while
simultaneously working to create a more connected government. Better and
more secure connectivity will enable sharing sensitive content across
government agencies. Cisco, EMC and Microsoft, with support from other
industry leaders, founded the SISA Alliance to develop IT architectures
that permit only authorized personnel access to specific information while
easing the management of shared, protected information across trusted
communities.
"While government is attempting to break down the barriers between
organizations to enable information sharing, it is also struggling with
numerous high-profile data loss incidents. Breaking down barriers between
government and partner organizations will require better confidence in the
ability to keep information in the hands of only the appropriate users,"
said Steve Cooper, former chief information officer for the U.S. Department
of Homeland Security. "I applaud Cisco, EMC and Microsoft for coming
together to provide us with a multivendor architecture for sharing
information across different agencies so government agencies can
collaborate better and respond more effectively where and when they are
needed."
Historically, information protection technologies have been enforced
system-by-system, creating islands of protected data. Some government
agencies are having trouble providing role-based access to sensitive
content within their own organizations, and the problems become much more
difficult when sharing sensitive content across different agencies. By
utilizing SISA, government agencies can more easily set up
security-enhanced, virtual networks for different authorized users and
communities to access sensitive files stored in different information
protection systems. SISA will enable new scenarios for cross-government
information sharing. For example, in the future SISA could be deployed to
allow public health officials to monitor confidential data on pandemics
found in different government agencies and private sector databases, and
coordinate necessary response efforts with both government agencies and
critical private sector partners.
Cisco, EMC and Microsoft are providing the core commercial off-the-shelf
technology that makes up SISA to ease the sharing of information contained
in disparate IT infrastructures. Through its industry-leading networking
solutions, Cisco provides network protection, security-enhanced virtualized
network links, and data protection features for sharing sensitive
information across the network platform. EMC's networked storage systems,
information management and security software provides a flexible
information infrastructure for storing, managing and helping protect
critical and sensitive data. Microsoft provides identity management, client
and network operating systems, and a collaboration framework that helps
keep content in the hands of authorized users.
The SISA Alliance also includes technology vendors that bring innovative
approaches to fulfill specific requirements. Liquid Machines in Waltham,
Mass., provides solutions that enhance the SISA content-protection
capabilities by extending the Microsoft® Digital Rights Management
technology. Swan Island Networks, Inc. in Portland, Ore., designs and
operates sensitive information-sharing systems. Titus Labs in Ottawa,
Canada, offers information labeling and classification solutions that
determine how content protection should be applied. As customers' needs
evolve, the alliance will incorporate additional technology vendors to
bring innovative approaches to fulfill other specific requirements.
Six companies are working together to deliver a technology architecture for
helping to protect and share sensitive information for governments. This
working relationship highlights the complexity of SISA and showcases the
need for a well-defined go-to-market strategy. The companies have agreed to
employ a partner-led go-to-market strategy, complete with a three-tier
certification program, allowing potential SISA customers to select from a
range of delivery partners offering a variety of strategy, technology and
business services. SISA delivery partners will receive SISA training as
part of the certification program that will validate the capabilities of
systems integrators and other professional service firms to provide
implementation, administration and analysis support to SISA customers.
The formalized business alliance will be managed by Addx Corp., a principal
provider of information and management sciences services. With the goal of
providing the full range of technical and program services to all
customers, Addx established the SISA Joint Program Office to manage both
the solution architecture and the systems integrator certification process.
For more information on SISA and the Alliance, go to:
http://www.SISAalliance.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.
About EMC
EMC Corporation (NYSE : EMC ) is the world's leading developer and provider
of information infrastructure technology and solutions that enable
organizations of all sizes to transform the way they compete and create
value from their information. Information about EMC's products and services
can be found at www.EMC.com.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ : MSFT ) is the worldwide leader in
software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize
their full potential.
Cisco, Cisco Systems, and the Cisco Systems logo are registered trademarks
or trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United
States and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this
document or Website are the property of their respective owners. The use of
the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco
and any other company. This document is Cisco Public Information.
EMC is a registered trademark of EMC Corporation. All other trademarks are
property of their respective owners.
This release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined under the
Federal Securities Laws. Actual results could differ materially from those
projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of certain risk
factors, including but not limited to: (i) adverse changes in general
economic or market conditions; (ii) delays or reductions in information
technology spending; (iii) risks associated with acquisitions and
investments, including the challenges and costs of integration,
restructuring and achieving anticipated synergies; (iv) competitive
factors, including but not limited to pricing pressures and new product
introductions; (v) the relative and varying rates of product price and
component cost declines and the volume and mixture of product and services
revenues; (vi) component and product quality and availability; (vii) the
transition to new products, the uncertainty of customer acceptance of new
product offerings and rapid technological and market change; (viii)
insufficient, excess or obsolete inventory; (ix) war or acts of terrorism;
(x) the ability to attract and retain highly qualified employees; (xi)
fluctuating currency exchange rates; and (xii) other one-time events and
other important factors disclosed previously and from time to time in EMC's
filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. EMC disclaims
any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements after the date
of this release.
Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on
Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft's corporate information
pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of
publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance,
journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft's Rapid Response Team or
other appropriate contacts listed at
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.mspx.
For direct RSS Feeds of all Cisco news, please visit "News@Cisco" at the
following link:
http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/podcasts/rss.html