SINGAPORE--(Marketwire - February 12, 2008) - Continuing its commitment to the small and
medium-sized business (SMB) marketplace, Cisco® (
NASDAQ:
CSCO) has made
available a suite of new solution bundles for the Cisco Smart Business
Communications System specifically designed for the Asia Pacific market.
Recognizing the importance of resellers in reaching out to SMBs, Cisco also
announced the addition of two partner profitability incentives: Opportunity
Incentive Program (OIP) and Partner Development Fund (PDF). In addition,
Cisco announced that its SMB channel initiative, Select Certification, has
grown to more than 500 channel partners across the region.
The final piece in today's announcements is a new interactive environment
called Cisco Partner Space. The collaborative platform uses Web 2.0
technology to facilitate dynamic interaction between customers and
partners. This is an ideal environment for companies of all sizes,
particularly SMBs, to develop tighter relationships with their partners.
"The SMB market is Cisco's fastest-growing segment around the world, and we
are seeing that here in Asia Pacific as well. SMBs are also the backbone
for any economy, so energizing them with technology will lead to an
indirect benefit to national wealth," said Stuart Hendry, Cisco's director
for commercial operations in Asia Pacific. "One of the key technologies
that Cisco feels will benefit SMBs is unified communications, which is why
we are introducing a new suite of bundles for the Cisco Smart Business
Communications System."
The simple, complete and highly secure Smart Business Communications System
was designed ground up to help SMBs enable access to information anytime
and anywhere. The system thus provides an efficient method of communicating
with customers and employees to help improve service and increase business
agility. It employs hardware products, integrated unified communications
applications and system-management tools designed to complement each other
and provide communication building blocks for small businesses.
At the heart of the system is the 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 Unified IP Communicator, Internet
connectivity with firewall protection, virtual private networks (VPNs), and
wireless LAN access for reliable, highly secure communications.
Cisco has introduced five special bundles with special pricing for the
Smart Business Communications System for SMBs in Asia Pacific. See below
for more details on the bundles.
Partner Enablement
To better serve the unique attributes of the SMB market, Cisco is building
and enabling a new class of SMB channel partners with training, tools and
programs. Cisco is therefore introducing two partner profitability programs
to help its regional SMB Specialized Partners. The SMB Opportunity
Incentive Program (OIP) rewards partners who secure incremental business.
The Partner Development Fund (PDF), available in Asia Pacific from Feb. 15,
provides Cisco channel partners with access to market development funds to
build their SMB practices.
These programs supplement the Cisco Select Certification, a recent addition
to the industry-leading Cisco Channel Partner Program. Channel partners
qualify for the Select Certification by meeting training and exam
requirements, which are designed to equip them with the sales and technical
skills needed to deliver integrated network solutions to the SMB market.
Cisco has 500 new Select Partners in Asia Pacific and is aiming to double
this number in six months.
"Cisco's channel partner model is recognized as among the best in the
industry, but it was always more difficult for a smaller reseller to gain
entry. These smaller resellers, however, are the preferred IT trusted
advisors for most SMBs when acquiring technology solutions. With the
introduction of Select Certification, we can now provide these resellers
with the tools and training to bring solutions such as the Cisco Smart
Business Communications System to SMB customers," said Mike Allen, Cisco's
director for channel operations, Asia Pacific.
In addition to these programs, Cisco has also unveiled Cisco Partner Space,
a virtual collaborative environment that enables connections and
facilitates collaboration between customers and partners, among partners,
and between Cisco and partners. The innovative concept starts with a booth,
or Partner Space, that a partner builds to promote its company and
collaborate with visitors. This booth is accessible from Partner Locator
on Cisco's Website.
Cisco Partner Space offers a new platform for virtual events that can be
hosted by Cisco and partners who have booths. It's a place where users
create dynamic online environments or communities of interest. Visitors can
engage in business discussions within each Partner Space booth, network
with other visitors, participate in forums, and attend live and on-demand
web events, all conveniently from their desktops. For more information,
visit
www.ciscopartnerspace.com.
Cisco Smart Business Communications System Bundles
8-User Bundle
-- Unified Communications 520 System (8 user)
-- Up to 8 phones (any model)
-- 2 Nokia licenses
16-User Bundle
-- Unified Communications 520 System (16 user)
-- Catalyst® Express 520 Series 8U Switch (x1)
-- Up to 16 phones (any model)
-- 2 Nokia licenses
24-User Bundle
-- Unified Communications 520 System (24 user)
-- Catalyst Express 520 Series 24U Switch (x1)
-- Up to 24 phones (any model)
-- 2 Nokia licenses
32-User Bundle
-- Unified Communications 520 System (32 user)
-- Catalyst Express 520 Series 24U Switch (x1)
-- Up to 32 phones (any model)
-- 2 Nokia licenses
48-User Bundle
-- Unified Communications 520 System (48 user)
-- Catalyst Express 520 Series 24U Switch (x2)
-- Up to 48 phones (any model)
-- 2 Nokia licenses
About Cisco
Cisco (
NASDAQ:
CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms
how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco
can be found at
http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to
http://newsroom.cisco.com. Cisco products are supplied in Singapore by
Cisco Systems International, BV.
Cisco, the Cisco logo, Cisco Systems and Catalyst are registered trademarks
or trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United
States and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this
document are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word
partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any
other company. This document is Cisco Public Information.
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Contact Information: Media Relations:
William Oei
Cisco
+65-63175555
loei@cisco.com
Analyst Relations:
Huey Miin Leong
Cisco
+65-63175650
hmleong@cisco.com