ATLANTA, Sept. 14, 1999 — Today at Networld+Interop 99, Cisco Systems Inc. and Microsoft Corp. will demonstrate a new quality of service (QoS) solution supporting mySAP.com TM . The powerful combination of the Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Server operating system and Cisco Catalyst™ switches, which utilizes policy-based networking, gives enterprise applications like SAP the capabilities to enhance performance. Cisco and Microsoft have collaborated on a new standards-based technology that will enable customers to easily and effectively prioritize traffic on their networks and guarantee performance for their business-critical applications.
As network use increases with more demanding applications, the need for network administrators to set business priorities for application traffic becomes critical. The collaborative development of new QoS technologies by Microsoft and Cisco allows improved management of network resources through more detailed application recognition, which in turn allows the network infrastructure to define and enforce policies necessary for optimal business performance.
“The Cisco and Microsoft combination will raise the bar for QoS solutions,”
said Deborah Willingham, vice president of marketing of the Business and Enterprise Division at Microsoft.
“With enterprise application providers like SAP developing their applications to take advantage of this solution, our mutual customers will have a mechanism to more effectively manage network congestion.”
“The newly developed Microsoft and Cisco QoS platform will enhance the performance of mySAP.com solutions,”
said Harold Rostoker, director of technology at SAP America Inc.
“Our customers benefit from an enhanced network infrastructure that would allow network administrators to differentiate and prioritize application transactions and optimize their SAP solutions.”
“Through a shared vision of enabling applications with an intelligent networking infrastructure, Cisco and Microsoft have developed the richest QoS solution available to enterprise customers,”
said Peter Alexander, vice president of Enterprise Marketing at Cisco.
“This is the first solution in which the network and the application communicate, fully integrating the QoS solution and fulfilling a major objective set by Cisco’s policy-networking initiative.”
This first implementation of the new QoS technology will enable applications to communicate their different transaction types to the network. This is achieved using standard protocols,
including RSVP,
published in various Internet drafts. For example, an SAP payroll transaction type could be prioritized over an SAP print job. Support for the new mechanism will ship with the initial release of Windows 2000, scheduled for the fourth quarter of 1999, and will be supported by the Cisco Catalyst 6000 Family switches by the end of the year. The Cisco QoS Policy Manager will support the solution in the first half of 2000. SAP TM solutions will be ready to support the newly developed QoS solution when Microsoft ships Windows 2000.
About Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq
“CSCO”
) is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. News and information are available at http://www.cisco.com/ .
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
Cisco, Cisco Systems and the Cisco Systems logo are registered trademarks and Cisco Catalyst is a trademark of Cisco Systems Inc. in the United States and certain other countries.
SAP, mySAP.com and all SAP product and service names mentioned herein are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAP AG.
Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
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