Cisco and NISG Present Shared Vision of Transformational Change With e-Governance at India Public Sector Summit

NEW DELHI, INDIA--(Marketwire - October 29, 2007) - Cisco® (NASDAQ: CSCO) and the National Institute for Smart Government (NISG) came together to host the 3rd Annual India Public Sector Summit on e-Governance. The theme of this year's summit is Networked Nations: Transformational Change with e-Governance. The summit was inaugurated by Shri. R. Chandrashekhar, additional secretary (e-Governance), Department of Information Technology, Government of India, with a keynote address by John Chambers, chairman and CEO of Cisco, on the first day of his three-day visit to India.

"Governments worldwide have made significant progress in moving services online by implementing a network-based approach to increase access for citizens and improve productivity in national and local government," said Chambers. "Effective collaboration with government and the development of universal broadband access lies at the heart of Cisco's strategy to support transformation of public services and drive socio-economic change across nations. The network truly can provide the platform for leading this transformation."

Speaking at the summit, Chandrashekhar said, "This forum provides an excellent opportunity with a backdrop of international experience for the Department of Information Technology to share and discuss its plans with leaders from the states and union territories who are responsible for implementing these plans in their respective jurisdictions. This forum helps us to design and evolve approaches and solutions that take into account both the specific circumstances prevailing in states and international best practices in order to address felt needs optimally."

The summit focused on key priorities of the National e-Governance Plan, including e-districts, unique identification, capacity building and leading transformational change. The summit provided a platform for government decision-makers, those responsible for leading implementation, and international experts to exchange views.

J Satyanarayana, CEO of NISG, said, "A concerted effort is needed for the successful implementation of the National e-Governance Plan. The Public Sector Summit 2007 will enable sharing of knowledge and experience on the various facets of e-governance, which will go a long way in increasing the pace of implementation and realizing the goals of providing better public services in the country."

The two-day summit, to be held on October 29 - 30 in New Delhi, will see participation from various senior officials from the central and state governments in India and experts from around the world. International speakers include Datuk Azizan bin Ayob, CEO of Commerce Dot Com, Malaysia; D. Scott Campbell, former CIO and strategic consultant, eGovernance, Canada; and Simon Willis, Global Vice President and Head eGovernment, Internet Business Solutions Group, Cisco.

About National Institute for Smart Government (NISG)

National Institute for Smart Government (NISG), Hyderabad is a not-for-profit company incorporated in 2002 with NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Service Companies), Central and State governments being the principal promoters. NISG is being shaped as an institution of excellence in the area of e-Governance with focus on Strategic Planning, developing appropriate architectures and standards, providing high-level consultancy services and capacity building at the national level. The goal of NISG is to lead the nation to a preeminent position in providing integrated online services to the citizens and businesses. Cisco has partnered with the NISG in 2005 and 2006 on previous Public Sector Summits.

About Cisco

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com. Cisco equipment in India is supplied by Cisco Systems International BV, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cisco Systems, Inc.

Cisco, the Cisco logo, and Cisco Systems 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 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.

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Contact Information: Varghese M Thomas/ Vishak Gopinath Cisco Systems India Pvt. Ltd. +91 9886605670/ 09820162235 vmthomas@cisco.com/ vigopina@cisco.com Tarun Nagrani/ Deepika Bansal Text 100 India 09810118234/ 09811292247 tarunn@text100.co.in/ deepikab@text100.co.in