Cisco, the networking equipment vendor, has announced that it is to lay-off 6,500 workers worldwide, in a bid to revive its fortunes. In a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said that the move would reduce its regular full-time staff by nine per cent and that approximately 2,100 of the employees would be leaving through a voluntary early retirement program. The remaining job losses will be announced in the first week of August.