Aricent Achieves Cisco Learning Solutions Partner Status

Enables Aricent to Deliver Cutting Edge Training for Cisco Certifications and Technology Solutions in Asia Pacific

Gurgaon, Haryana, March 17, 2010 - Aricent®, a global innovation, technology and services company focused exclusively on communications, today announced that it has been authorized as a Cisco Learning Solutions Partner (CLSP) for the Asia Pacific region. CLSP is Cisco’s highest level Learning Partner status.

Benefiting from the long standing relationship with Cisco, Aricent offers several unique advantages that enable the company to deliver the best possible training to its customers:

• A state of the art Cisco Testing & Training Lab;
• Deep expertise in advanced Cisco technologies;
• Certified Cisco Systems Instructors (CCSIs) with many years of industry experience;
• Teams of experts and mentors – Aricent employs over 10% of all Cisco Certified Internetwork Engineers (CCIEs) in India;

A CLSP is authorized by Cisco to offer official certification and training on technical solutions. CLSPs provide the following benefits:

• Close alignment with Cisco Partner Development and Education (PDE), Learning@Cisco and product teams;
• Access to Cisco intellectual property;
• Uniquely qualified to create, customize and deliver market-leading training using Certified Cisco Systems Instructors (CCSI);

As a CLSP, Aricent is authorized to provide Cisco training and certification on a broad spectrum of Cisco's latest technologies and can customize training to support customers’ particular requirements.

“Cisco is pleased to award our highest training level to Aricent, broadening customer access to Cisco certification and product training”, explained Andres Sintes, global director of Cisco’s Worldwide Learning Partner Channel. “We look forward to this expanded partnership with Aricent, which now includes authorization as a Cisco Learning Solutions Partner.”

Aricent has established deep domain experience on Cisco technologies over the past several years, including extensive knowledge of Cisco products, architecture, hardware and software.

“We are extremely honored to have achieved the CLSP level – bestowed to Cisco’s elite technology training partners”, said Ajay Gupta, sr. vice president, Service Provider Strategic Business Unit. “Our mutual communications focus has driven a strong relationship between Cisco and Aricent, cemented further by this new cooperation.”

Keywords: CLSP, Training, Cisco, Aricent, CCSI

Aricent is a trademark of Aricent Inc. in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About Aricent

Aricent is a global innovation, technology and services company focused exclusively on communications. Aricent combines the leading innovation capabilities of frog design with unparalleled domain expertise in communications as a strategic supplier to the world's foremost infrastructure, application and service providers. The company’s investors include Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., Sequoia Capital, The Family Office and The Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board. For more information, visit http://www.aricent.com

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.

About CCIE

Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE®) is the highest level of technical networking certification offered by Cisco and is aimed at senior level networking professionals who design, build, implement, maintain, or troubleshoot complex enterprise networking infrastructures. CCIE recipients can specialize in routing and switching, communications and services, security, or voice systems and technologies.

For further information, contact:

Varun Dubey

Manager: Corporate Marketing, APAC

Aricent

Tel: +91 9711367093

Email: [email protected]

Sarmishtha Sinha / Tanvi Maheshwary

Text 100

Tel: +91 9899699484 / +91 9654022951

Email: [email protected]/ [email protected]