VITAL NETWORK SERVICES ACHIEVES SILVER CERTIFICATION FROM CISCO SYSTEMS

TAMPA, Florida -- June 2, 2003 -- VITAL Network Services, Inc., a multivendor provider of worldwide network lifecycle services, announced today it has achieved Silver Certification from Cisco Systems, Inc. The Cisco Channel Partner Program provides VITAL with the resource framework to develop an expertise to sell, plan, design, implement and operate Cisco networking solutions. To earn Silver Certification VITAL had to meet or surpass the stringent personnel, training, customer satisfaction, specialization and post sales support requirements set forth by Cisco.

"The purpose of our Channel Partner Program is to help channel partners succeed in the next market evolution of value-based business models," said Surinder Brar, senior director of Worldwide Channels Marketing for Cisco Systems. "With specializations in VPN security and wireless LAN, VITAL has secured the training, skills and knowledge to play a key role in accelerating the adoption of Cisco solutions."

"Achieving Cisco Silver Certification reinforces our commitment to providing world-class support for our customers," said John Koehler, president and CEO of VITAL. "With Cisco's recognition of our technical support capabilities and in-house networking talent, our customers can feel confident in our ability to install, maintain, and manage their Cisco products."

The Cisco Channel Partner Program offers its certified partners state-of-the-art technical as well as sales training. Silver Certified Partners are recognized and rewarded for having some of the industry's best trained network technicians who are capable of achieving and demonstrating high level of expertise in planning, designing, implementing and supporting Cisco network solutions. This well trained team of network technicians is audited annually to make sure they are consistently delivering industry-leading support and maintaining the rigorous Cisco standards for network expertise and support capabilities.

As a Cisco Silver Certified Channel Partner, VITAL enjoys several benefits, most notably, access to the latest Cisco customer satisfaction tool, PAL (Partner Access On-Line). The new PAL tool is based on the same technology Cisco uses to monitor and improve its own customer satisfaction. Other benefits include, increased access to the Cisco technical support teams as well as access to password protected Web sites with real-time product and training information.

Cisco Silver Certified Partners provide 8x5 technical service with one-hour call back for problem resolution and twenty-four-hour onsite response capabilities. These rigorous support requirements highlight VITAL's commitment to ensuring its customers that its strategic business network is supported.

About VITAL Network Services
VITAL Network Services, a global multivendor, multitechnology support provider, delivers world-class network support services to large enterprise customers, network equipment manufacturers, integrators, value-added resellers, distributors, and carriers around the world. VITAL's comprehensive portfolio of data, voice, and video network services helps customers realize the full value of their network by addressing all facets of the network lifecycle including network design and planning, integration, training, maintenance, and proactive monitoring. With its own technical staff and over 3000 authorized service provider technicans located throughout the world, VITAL provides on-site service in more than 60 countries across six continents.

VITAL provides round-the-clock support for over 2000 customers from its operations centers in the US and England. Corporate headquarters are located in Tampa, Florida with sales and field support organizations throughout the world. More information about VITAL and its services is available at www.vital-ns.com, or by calling 1-888-248-4825 (U.S. and Canada) or +1-813-818-5100 worldwide.

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