Cisco lifts the lid on female-recruitment drive

Cisco was also keen to explain the investment it has made in real estate in Second Life, the online virtual world.

Cisco has 400 employees regularly involved in developing and maintaining its Second Life presence, which it launched a year ago. The intention is to provide interested parties with a means to network to discuss Cisco's technologies.

Cisco's highest footfall comes when it hosts virtual events, which are timed to coincide with real-world webcasts. The intention is that those who are attending can ask questions either over the web, in the case of the webcast, or through Second Life, if they are logged on.

"This is about the individual's preference in how they want to communicate. Some people see Second Life as a higher level, allowing them to build peer-to-peer relationships," said Dannette Veale, new media program manager for Cisco, whose avatar is pictured here at the entrance to the company's property.

ZDNet.co.uk asked Veale if Cisco was winning business as a result of its Second Life investment. "We're forming relationships," she answered.