<SUBMISSION>
<ACCESSION-NUMBER>0001199683-03-000056
<TYPE>4
<PUBLIC-DOCUMENT-COUNT>2
<PERIOD>20030902
<FILING-DATE>20030904
<REPORTING-OWNER>
<OWNER-DATA>
<CONFORMED-NAME>POND RANDALL E
<CIK>0001198051
</OWNER-DATA>
<FILING-VALUES>
<FORM-TYPE>4
<ACT>34
<FILE-NUMBER>000-18225
<FILM-NUMBER>03882303
</FILING-VALUES>
<BUSINESS-ADDRESS>
<STREET1>CISCO SYSTEMS INC
<CITY>SAN JOSE
<STATE>CA
<ZIP>95134-1706
</BUSINESS-ADDRESS>
</REPORTING-OWNER>
<ISSUER>
<COMPANY-DATA>
<CONFORMED-NAME>CISCO SYSTEMS INC
<CIK>0000858877
<ASSIGNED-SIC>3576
<IRS-NUMBER>770059951
<STATE-OF-INCORPORATION>CA
<FISCAL-YEAR-END>0731
</COMPANY-DATA>
<BUSINESS-ADDRESS>
<STREET1>170 WEST TASMAN DR
<CITY>SAN JOSE
<STATE>CA
<ZIP>95134-1706
<PHONE>4085264000
</BUSINESS-ADDRESS>
<MAIL-ADDRESS>
<STREET1>225 WEST TASMAN DR
<CITY>SAN JOSE
<STATE>CA
<ZIP>95134-1706
</MAIL-ADDRESS>
</ISSUER>
<DOCUMENT>
<TYPE>4
<SEQUENCE>1
<FILENAME>edgardoc.xml
<DESCRIPTION>PRIMARY DOCUMENT
<TEXT>
<XML>
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<ownershipDocument>

    <schemaVersion>X0201</schemaVersion>

    <documentType>4</documentType>

    <periodOfReport>2003-09-02</periodOfReport>

    <notSubjectToSection16>0</notSubjectToSection16>

    <issuer>
        <issuerCik>0000858877</issuerCik>
        <issuerName>CISCO SYSTEMS INC</issuerName>
        <issuerTradingSymbol>CSCO</issuerTradingSymbol>
    </issuer>

    <reportingOwner>
        <reportingOwnerId>
            <rptOwnerCik>0001198051</rptOwnerCik>
            <rptOwnerName>POND RANDALL E</rptOwnerName>
        </reportingOwnerId>
        <reportingOwnerAddress>
            <rptOwnerStreet1></rptOwnerStreet1>
            <rptOwnerStreet2></rptOwnerStreet2>
            <rptOwnerCity></rptOwnerCity>
            <rptOwnerState></rptOwnerState>
            <rptOwnerZipCode></rptOwnerZipCode>
            <rptOwnerStateDescription></rptOwnerStateDescription>
        </reportingOwnerAddress>
            <reportingOwnerRelationship>
            <isDirector>0</isDirector>
            <isOfficer>1</isOfficer>
            <isTenPercentOwner>0</isTenPercentOwner>
            <isOther>0</isOther>
            <officerTitle>SVP,WW Mfg, Ops &amp; Logistics</officerTitle>
        </reportingOwnerRelationship>
    </reportingOwner>

    <derivativeTable>

        <derivativeTransaction>
            <securityTitle>
                <value>Non-Qualified Stock Option (right to buy)</value>
            </securityTitle>
            <conversionOrExercisePrice>
                <value>19.59</value>
            </conversionOrExercisePrice>
            <transactionDate>
                <value>2003-09-02</value>
            </transactionDate>
            <transactionCoding>
                <transactionFormType>4</transactionFormType>
                <transactionCode>A</transactionCode>
                <equitySwapInvolved>0</equitySwapInvolved>
            </transactionCoding>
            <transactionAmounts>
                <transactionShares>
                    <value>600000</value>
                </transactionShares>
                <transactionPricePerShare>
                    <value>0</value>
                </transactionPricePerShare>
                <transactionAcquiredDisposedCode>
                    <value>A</value>
                </transactionAcquiredDisposedCode>
            </transactionAmounts>
            <exerciseDate>
                <footnoteId id="F1"/>
            </exerciseDate>
            <expirationDate>
                <value>2012-09-02</value>
            </expirationDate>
            <underlyingSecurity>
                <underlyingSecurityTitle>
                    <value>Common Stock</value>
                </underlyingSecurityTitle>
                <underlyingSecurityShares>
                    <value>600000</value>
                </underlyingSecurityShares>
            </underlyingSecurity>
            <postTransactionAmounts>
                <sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
                    <value>600000</value>
                </sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
            </postTransactionAmounts>
            <ownershipNature>
                <directOrIndirectOwnership>
                    <value>D</value>
                </directOrIndirectOwnership>
            </ownershipNature>
        </derivativeTransaction>

    </derivativeTable>

    <footnotes>
        <footnote id="F1">The option shall vest as to twenty percent (20%) of the shares on the one (1) year anniversary of the date of grant, and as to the remaining eighty percent (80%) of the shares thereafter in forty eight (48) successive equal monthly installments.</footnote>
    </footnotes>

    <ownerSignature>
        <signatureName>By: Mark Chandler, Attorney-in-fact  For: Randy Pond</signatureName>
        <signatureDate>2003-09-02</signatureDate>
    </ownerSignature>

</ownershipDocument>

</XML>
</TEXT>
</DOCUMENT>
<DOCUMENT>
<TYPE>EX-24
<SEQUENCE>3
<FILENAME>poa_pond.txt
<DESCRIPTION>EDGAR SUPPORTING DOCUMENT
<TEXT>
POWER OF ATTORNEY

        KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that the undersigned hereby
constitutes and appoints Larry Carter, Dennis Powell and Mark Chandler,
and each of them, his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact to:

	(1)	execute for and on behalf of the undersigned, in the
undersigned's capacity as an officer and/or director of Cisco Systems, Inc.
(the "Company"), any and all Form 4  reports required to be filed by the
undersigned in accordance with Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934 and the rules thereunder with respect to transactions in Cisco
securities;

	(2)	do and perform any and all acts for and on behalf of the
undersigned which may be necessary or desirable to complete and execute
any such Form 4 report and timely file such report with the United
States Securities and Exchange Commission and any stock exchange or
similar authority; and

	(3)	take any other action of any type whatsoever in connection
with the foregoing which, in the opinion of such attorney-in-fact, may be
of benefit to, in the best interest of, or legally required by, the
undersigned, it being understood that the documents executed by such
attorney-in-fact on behalf of the undersigned, pursuant to this Power
of Attorney, shall be in such form and shall contain such terms and
conditions as such attorney-in-fact may approve in his discretion.

	The undersigned hereby grants to each such attorney-in-fact
full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing
whatsoever requisite, necessary, and proper to be done in the exercise
of any of the rights and powers herein granted, as fully to all intents
and purposes as the undersigned might or could do if personally present,
with full power of substitution or revocation, hereby ratifying and
confirming all that such attorney-in-fact, or his or her substitute
or substitutes, shall lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue of
this Power of Attorney and the rights and powers herein granted.
The undersigned acknowledges that no such attorney-in-fact, in
serving in such capacity at the request of the undersigned, is
hereby assuming, nor is the Company hereby assuming, any of the
undersigned's responsibilities to comply with Section 16 of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

	This Power of Attorney shall remain in full force and effect
until the undersigned is no longer required to file Form 4 reports with
respect to the undersigned's holdings of and transactions in securities
issued by the Company, unless earlier revoked by the undersigned in a
signed writing delivered to the foregoing attorneys-in-fact.

	IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has caused this Power
of Attorney to be executed as of this 17th day of September, 2002.


            			Signature:	s/ Randall E. Pond
            			Printed Name:	Randall E. Pond









</TEXT>
</DOCUMENT>
</SUBMISSION>
