Cisco Unified Communications 500 Series, powered by Cisco Unified
Communications Manager Express and Cisco Unity Express. This platform
supports the portfolio of Cisco Unified IP Phones, including the softphone
Cisco IP Communicator, Internet connectivity with firewall protection,
virtual private networks (VPNs), and wireless LAN access for reliable,
highly secure communications. Combined with its optional desktop
application support, Cisco Unified Communications 500 enables more
effective collaboration by using simple yet powerful capabilities such as
instant messaging, single-number reach, and desktop control of all calls
and messages to help enrich the total communications experience.
Cisco Catalyst® Express 520. This Power over Ethernet (PoE) switch easily
expands the Smart Business Communications System's Cisco Unified IP Phone
and wireless LAN access point capacity to provide a security-enabled LAN
optimized for highly secure access to information and collaboration
applications.
Cisco Mobility Express Solution: Cisco 521 Wireless Express Access Point
and Cisco 526 Wireless Express Mobility Controller. These additional key
components of the Smart Business Communications System create a wireless
network that dynamically optimize the radio coverage and help enable
anytime, anywhere services.
Cisco Configuration Assistant, a component of the powerful system-
management tools for the Smart Business Communications System. It takes
advantage of the embedded Cisco Smart Assist technology to provide plug-and-
play functionality for the system, reducing setup time and optimizing
network settings. With its easy-to-use graphical user interface, this tool
provides the breadth and depth to configure telephony, messaging,
switching, wireless LAN, firewall, and security services, allowing partners
and customers to quickly set up a small business network.
Cisco Monitor Director, a centralized proactive solutions-management tool
for Cisco channel partners to offer multicustomer outsourced 24-hour
network management services. It communicates with the Cisco Monitor Manager
residing on a customer's premises to provide comprehensive, real-time
monitoring, alerting and reporting to help troubleshoot and fix issues
remotely. Combining these management tools helps enable Cisco channel
partners become trusted advisers to their customers.
The Cisco Smart Business Communications System integrates with existing
desktop applications such as calendaring, e-mail, customer relationship
management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) to help improve
customer service and business agility, which are hallmarks of competitive
differentiation for SMBs. IPcelerate, a Dallas-based Cisco Technology
Developer Program Partner, is the first to offer customized business
productivity applications for the Smart Business Communications System.
IPcelerate's IPsmartsuite™ solutions provide a packaged suite of
cost-effective, time-saving business-productivity applications that are
vertically focused for healthcare, legal, retail and manufacturing office
environments. The customized applications help enable users to take
advantage of features such as time, task, and staff management alerts,
client-appointment management, and user-profile-defined displays.
"As a small business, we welcome Cisco's innovation and technology,
previously available only to larger businesses, in an economical and
flexible package that allows for customization to fit our current needs and
allow for future growth," said Kaliste Saloom III, CEO of the law firm
Saloom & Saloom, in Lafayette, La. "The enhanced communications and
collaboration capabilities of the Cisco Smart Business Communications
System have already strengthened our business through improved efficiency.
In fact, we are projecting significant productivity gains from this
investment and that's a huge competitive advantage in our market."
Channel Partner Program Evolution: Introducing Select Certification and SMB
Specialization
In addition to announcing it first new certification in more than 10 years,
Cisco unveiled its first market segment specialization -- SMB
Specialization. These program enhancements will help accelerate growth and
foster differentiation in the channel, by providing the tools, training and
incentives that meet the needs of today's SMB-focused partners.
The Select Certification is an entry point into the award-winning Cisco
Channel Partner Program. Partners qualify for the Select Certification by
meeting the training and exam requirements of the new SMB Specialization,
which are designed to equip them with the sales and technical skills needed
to deliver integrated network solutions to the SMB market. Benefits of the
Select Certification include use of the Cisco Certified mark to validate
SMB expertise; access to partner-development funds to assist them in
generating demand, acquiring demonstration equipment and training; access
to the new SMB OIP (Opportunity Incentive Program) that rewards partners
who secure incremental business; specialized business and technical
training built from the ground up for SMB, and a listing in the Cisco
Partner Locator.
In the SMB market, customer financing is critical in fostering accelerated
growth. Therefore, another certified partner benefit includes access to
Cisco Capital's Easy Lease program. Cisco channel partners in 19 countries
have already taken advantage of Easy Lease and today Cisco confirmed the
expansion of Easy Lease into 23 new countries including Austria, China,
India, Ireland, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
"The introduction of the Select Certification will help us capitalize on a
tremendous growth opportunity for our company," said Erik Thiele, CEO of
GES Gesellschaft für elektronische Systeme GmbH, a Cisco Registered
Partner. "Not only can we provide our small-business customers with
world-class communication solutions, but we now have access to an entirely
new revenue stream, including a managed-service offering and access to
specialized resources including training and marketing."
Pricing and Availability
Cisco Smart Business Communications System is scheduled to be available to
partners through standard Cisco worldwide channels in June 2007. The U.S.
list price for the system will start at $699 per seat, which includes the
network with complete Cisco Unified Communications system capabilities and
a Cisco Unified IP Phone. The U.S. list price for the Cisco Catalyst
Express 520 is $1,395. The U.S. list price of the Cisco 521 Wireless
Express Access Point is $499 and the U.S. list price for the Cisco 526
Wireless Express Mobility Controller is $1,799. The U.S. list price for the
Cisco Monitor Director and Cisco Monitor Manager limited startup package is
$2,900. Cisco Configuration Assistant will be available at no cost. For
more information on the Cisco Smart Business Communications System, visit
http://www.cisco.com/go/sbcs.
About Cisco Systems
Cisco (Contact Information: Press Relations: Ray Hadulco Cisco Systems, Inc. 408 853-6054 rayh@cisco.com Analyst Relations: Timberly Morrison Cisco Systems, Inc. 408 853-3167 timmorri@cisco.com Investor Relations: Liz Lemon Cisco Systems, Inc. 408 527-8452 lemon@cisco.com
