Packet™ Magazine Archives, Fourth Quarter 1998 Table of Contents Cisco NetWorks Program Ensures High-Quality, Reliable Internet Access Products Q&A -- The TAC Answers Cisco Users' Top Questions Cisco NetWorks Program Ensures High-Quality, Reliable Internet Access Products A new generation of Internet access devices is making purchase decisions more and more difficult for customers seeking new connectivity and enhanced Internet services. From cable modems to IP phones, an increasingly wide range of products are becoming Internet-enabled. Enterprise customers want to know that they're obtaining high-quality products, while service providers need assurance that the customer premise equipment they deploy is compatible with existing network infrastructures. The Cisco NetWorks program helps manufacturers make use of Cisco's fundamental network technologies and verify that Internet access products take advantage of key industry standards. When a product carries the Cisco NetWorks logo, users are guaranteed that it's network-ready and enabled by proven Cisco software technologies. "Customers that buy Internet access devices based on Cisco software are assured that these devices will operate on any IP network and will take advantage of future generations of enhanced network services," says Wayne Surdam, Cisco's Director of Marketing for Software Initiatives. The Samsung and Sony corporations are two of the first companies to join the Cisco NetWorks program. "The coming generation of high-bandwidth consumer devices, such as Sony's new cable modems, make possible a wide range of exciting new services for consumers," says Dick Peters, General Manager of the Value-Added Products Division of Sony Electronics' Computer Components and Peripherals Group. "The Cisco NetWorks program ensures the interoperability of these products." "Cisco anticipates the proliferation of many types of devices by scores of manufacturers in the years ahead, including Internet phones and fax machines, cable modems, set-top boxes, and residential gateways. "Licensees will incorporate proven Cisco networking technology into their products, as well as specific product-enabling technologies to incorporate IP voice, fax, and multimedia services, Surdam concludes. "Our goal is to avoid the slow market adoption that can occur when new products do not comply with universally accepted standards." Table of Contents Posted: Thu Feb 4 17:09:46 PST 1999 Copyright © 1998 Cisco Systems, Inc.