8/9/2005 -- This afternoon, Cisco Systems Inc. will announce both its Q4 2005 and fiscal year 2005 financial results.

It’s been a banner year for Cisco, and -- after strong performances by many technology players -- no one is expecting any unpleasant surprises when the networking giant recaps its financials later on today.

In May, Cisco announced third-quarter earnings that exceeded Wall Street’s expectations. The networking giant posted net income of $1.4 billion on revenue of $6.19 billion. Both numbers were up sharply from their year-ago totals.

At the time, Cisco’s strong Q3 performance provided a reassuring counterweight to the dismal quarterly performances notched by IBM Corp. and several other technology players.

This quarter, of course, is a different story. IBM rebounded to post strong revenue and earnings results, and several key technology bellwethers, such as Microsoft Corp. and Oracle Corp., have also recorded very strong recent performances.

Cisco’s earnings conference call, scheduled for 4:30 p.m. EDT today, will be broadcasted over the Web. -Stephen Swoyer