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Cisco Integrates Linksys Small-Business Channel Partner Program and Reinforces Commitment to the Small and Medium-Sized Business Market
Unified Channel Partner Program Offers Broader Solution Choices and Increased Revenue Opportunities
| Source: Cisco Systems, Inc.
SAN JOSE, CA--(Marketwire - August 12, 2008) - As a natural evolution of the Cisco® small
and medium-sized business (SMB) go-to-market strategy, Cisco (NASDAQ : CSCO )
today announced that it is incorporating the Linksys® Small-Business
Channel Partner Program services and assets into the award-winning Cisco
Channel Partner Program. This process includes bringing the Linksys
Business Series products into the Cisco SMB portfolio and providing Cisco
channel partners with access to a more diverse solution set to allow for
more choice and increased revenue potential.
"We have been hoping that Cisco would merge the two channel partner
programs into a unified SMB partner program that would span products,
services and support," said Dan Schwab, president of D&H Distributing, a
Cisco distribution partner that specializes on the SMB market in the United
States and Canada. "A single Cisco relationship will definitely mitigate
challenges and simplify how we do business with our channel partner
community. Quite simply, the whole is more than the sum of the parts for
Cisco and Linksys."
"The SMB market continues to present tremendous growth potential for Cisco
and our channel partners, and we have been successfully serving the sector
with solutions from both Cisco and Linksys," said Andrew Sage, vice
president of Small Business Sales, Worldwide Channels at Cisco. "We
believe that taking a coordinated approach across technology and
go-to-market strategies is a natural evolution that brings greater
synergies to our customers and channel partners alike. This includes an
array of channel program benefits to meet the broad requirements presented
by our partners' customer base, all designed to increase revenue potential
and enable us to focus collectively on serving the SMB customer."
The SMB channel and technology integration represents a broader company
focus on the SMB opportunity with an increased focus on the small-business
segment of the SMB market. Earlier this summer, Cisco established a Small
Business Council to align the company's small-business strategy and
go-to-market across all functions globally. The council was created to
ensure that our small business customers and channel partners have access
to the most comprehensive and innovative range of technology solutions in
the communications industry. The Small Business Council is led by three
Cisco veterans: Sue Bostrom, chief marketing officer and executive vice
president; Keith Goodwin, the senior vice president of Worldwide Channels
and Ian Pennell, the senior vice president of the Small Business Technology
Group.
The Linksys Partner Connection Transition
More than 20,000 Linksys global channel partners will have the opportunity
to become part of the Cisco Channel Partner Program. To help ensure
continuous access to resources and tools, Linksys Partner Connection (LPC)
members have until September 16, 2008, to become Cisco Registered Channel
Partners. Cisco channel partner benefits include, but are not limited to,
access to demo equipment, financial incentives, sales support via Small
Business Market Managers, lead generation via the SMB website on Cisco.com,
and access to marketing resources such as Cisco Campaign Builder, and Cisco
Partner Central.
Cisco and Linksys are committed to making this a seamless transition for
channel partners and have developed a phased approach to support the
integration. Linksys channel partners have been provided with the steps
needed to ensure a smooth entrance into the Cisco Channel Partner Program,
which includes obtaining a user identification number and password for
program access and a registration form that takes less than 30 minutes to
complete. Related channel partner approvals will be granted within 48
hours of submission. Additional details and more information can be found
at: www.cisco.com/go/linksyspartner.
This SMB channel partner program expansion does not affect the Linksys
consumer sales efforts. Linksys will remain focused as a Cisco division
charged with developing consumer-focused solutions found through retail and
online storefronts.
About Cisco Systems
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how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco
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