[June 02, 2005]

VF Asia Selects Cisco Systems for IP Telephony Rollout

HONG KONG --(Business Wire)-- June 2, 2005 -- Cisco Systems(R) (NASDAQ: CSCO) today announced that VF Asia, the Asian headquarters of the world's largest fashion distributor and apparel company, has selected a Cisco(R) Internet Protocol (IP) communications system for its new office expansion in Hong Kong. By deploying Cisco IP phones and converging its voice and data networks onto a single IP network, VF Asia expects to achieve productivity gains of more than 10 percent and operational cost savings of approximately 15 percent.

"We had been expanding rapidly, and the traditional PBX system could no longer accommodate our business growth. On the other hand, we see the growing trend towards IP infrastructure that boasts mobility and caters for converged voice, data and video applications. Cisco IP communications delivers just that," said Desmond Chan, IT support manager of VF Asia.

The solution includes Cisco 2800 Series integrated services routers, Cisco Unity(TM) Unified Messaging software and Cisco IP phones. More than 400 IP phones have been deployed in VF Asia's new Hong Kong office to replace its private branch exchange (PBX) system, doubling the capacity from 200 to 400 users. The company is expected to further scale up the number of phones to 600 users in the next 12 months. Day-to-day operation has been simplified, even though the phone system offers many new features. Users can relocate their phones themselves within seconds, and administrators can easily add tens of extensions in minutes at no additional cost.

Cisco 2800 Series integrated services routers enable VF Asia to meet both performance and density requirements for highly secure, wire-speed delivery of concurrent data, voice and video services, and add high-density interfaces that enhance system performance, availability and reliability. As multiple services are integrated in the router, it acts as a voice gateway between the system's Cisco CallManager and the IP infrastructure, and activates embedded firewall security services. This has contributed to delivering a cost-effective, optimized security solution for VF Asia's mission-critical business applications.

"With reference to the growing multimedia contents, we strongly believe that IP convergence is the way to go. We opted for the Cisco IP solution because it is scalable, simple to deploy and easy to maintain, which best matches our requirements in the most cost-effective way," continued Chan.

The Cisco solution empowers VF Asia to enhance staff productivity, reduce operational cost, while paving the way for further application deployment.

Chan indicated that the company may consider extending its IP phone applications to include IP softphone, which is a phone application for use on computers, as well as IP videoconferencing and IP Contact Centre (IPCC).

"It is our great pleasure to work with a forward-looking company like VF Asia. With the IP infrastructure in place, VF Asia can easily scale its operations and add new applications at minimal cost. The company is building a solid foundation for a converged network, which will help increase its business agility and market competitiveness in the long run," said Fredy Cheung, managing director, Cisco Systems (HK) Limited.

About Cisco Systems

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