The annual Cisco® contest is open to companies and nonprofit 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.

"The Cisco Growing with Technology Awards highlight examples in different industries of how organizations have improved their operations through the investment in information technology," said Ray Boggs, vice president of small and medium business research, IDC. "Winners often use networking technology in innovative ways to extend the reach and presence of otherwise inaccessible resources. The most successful are not just more efficient; they have altered their business models and operations to shift the competitive landscape in their favor."
Cisco Growing with Technology Award Categories and Prizes

Contestants in the Cisco Growing with Technology Awards contest compete 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 2006.

"These awards have special meaning at Cisco, especially since we are committed to helping small and med-sized businesses succeed by solving their business challenges with technology. Last year, we received more than 600 entries from companies and organizations demonstrating technical innovation and entrepreneurship. As a result, we saw that there was a direct correlation between a company's investment in networking technology and success," said Peter Alexander, vice president for small and midsize business marketing at Cisco Systems.
Cisco Growing with Technology Awards 2006 Panel of Judges

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 solutions and the Internet have effectively addressed business challenges, expanded services and driven growth and profitability.

Members of this year's panel of judges include: Ray Boggs, vice president of small and medium business research, IDC; Andy Bose, chief executive officer, AMI-Partners; Mika Krammer, director of Windows Client Mobility Marketing, Microsoft Corp.; David Morgan, president, D.W. Morgan; Elspeth Jane Murray, assistant professor, Queen's University (Canada); Joni Podolsky, director of community programs, Entrepreneurs Foundation; Mark Quinn, district director, U.S. Small Business Administration; and Joe Diodati, senior director of small and midsize business marketing, Cisco Systems.
Applications Accepted Now

Entries for the Cisco Growing with Technology Awards 2006 program are now being accepted online. The deadline to submit applications is June 25. For more information on the awards, directions on how to enter, and the complete contest rules, visit http://www.cisco.com/go/technology_awards/.

About Cisco Systems

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. Cisco news and information are available at http://www.cisco.com.

Source: Cisco Systems

Source: Wired News