Cisco Systems Says Order Backlog Is Up

Tech industry bellwether Cisco Systems Inc. said in a regulatory filing that its order backlog was up 14% from last year, boosting hopes that business is recovering.

The San Jose company said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that its backlog as of Sept. 8 was about $1.6 billion, up from about $1.4 billion as of Sept. 9, 2002. Backlog includes orders for products to be shipped within 90 days and is used by analysts to gauge future sales.

Cisco shares closed at $20.46, down 32 cents on Nasdaq.