-- Zero-touch setup of the new Cisco 881w Series Internet Services Router
(ISR) and Cisco 7970G IP phone with color display. Once the Cisco 881w ISR
is connected to the Internet, it "calls home" and automatically downloads a
pre-defined configuration that syncs with headquarters. From there,
employees can benefit from efficient, automated delivery of collaborative
business applications and services. For example, wireless LAN connectivity
is offered as an option to provide such features as mobile intelligent
roaming.
Headquarters site
-- A Cisco 7200 Series router serves as a converged platform for virtual
private networking, offering easy-to-manage encryption and security. It
utilizes Cisco Dynamic Multipoint Virtual Private Networking (DMVPN), which
secures the exchange of data between two locations without traversing the
head office, improving network performance and data delivery by offloading
traffic demands from headquarters. This infrastructure also supports SSL
and L2TP over IPsec VPNs, serving as a single point of convergence for
multiple secure access technologies, such as mobile users with laptops or
PDAs.
-- Management servers for policy, identity and configuration, which
include the Cisco Configuration Engine for image distribution to as many as
10,000 Cisco Integrated Services Routers; Cisco Security Manager for
management of security policies; and Cisco Secure Access Control Server
(ACS), which provides access policy control to meet regulatory and
corporate compliance requirements. This centralized management architecture
allows control of all the services that Cisco Virtual Office enables,
including security, mobility, collaboration and unified communications.
Services
-- Cisco and its approved partners provide services for Cisco Virtual
Office planning, design and implementation. Services include deployment and
integration at the head-end site, consultative guidance for automating the
deployment and management of remote sites, and ongoing operational support.
These services help reduce customers' operating costs and continually
assess, tune and evolve Cisco Virtual Office components to keep pace with
customers' business needs and security threats.
"The Cisco Virtual Office is ultimately about helping extend secure
mobility and empowering the collaborative workforce wherever and whenever
it connects," said Marie Hattar, vice president of network systems and
security solutions for Cisco. "It enhances the benefits of remote working
by providing office-caliber technology wrapped in a security blanket. It
allows businesses to stay agile, and in some cases, it can provide an
environmentally friendly alternative to commuting while managing
operational expenses at corporate sites."
According to Hattar, as the number of distributed workers increases and the
way they access corporate networks and information multiplies, both in
terms of device and location, businesses need an increasingly flexible IT
infrastructure that extends the same protection found within a corporate
office to remote locations where employees connect. Because of the
solution's security capabilities, businesses can safely establish highly
secure mobility, collaborate with their constituents and adopt distributed
employee work models that can be more efficient than relying exclusively on
centralized corporate sites for conducting operations.
American Century Investments, a leading investment management company based
in Kansas City, Missouri, is harnessing the value of remote working and
distributed -- yet collaborative -- enterprises through the Cisco Virtual
Office. To date, American Century Investments has rolled out the Cisco
Virtual Office solution to more than 110 of its sales agents and remote
workers.
"Our remote worker implementation of the Cisco Virtual Office is designed
to provide our employees with flexibility and to allow them to be as
functional working from home as they are in the office," said Keith Little,
network services manager for American Century Investments. "As our
intermediary sales staff grows, we will continue to broaden our adoption of
this solution so we can provide our employees with easy remote access to
network resources. The Cisco Virtual Office provides us with the benefits
of greater employee productivity and operational efficiency. Simply put,
we've adopted the Cisco Virtual Office as our own virtual office."
Cisco's Internal Deployment: 12,000 Employees in 70 Countries
In addition to American Century Investments, Cisco is an active user of the
solution. More than 12,000 employees in 70 countries use Cisco Virtual
Office, and in 2009 the company plans to increase adoption to 20,000 users.
By 2010, Cisco plans to have deployed the solution to 30,000 of its
employees globally. To find out more on Cisco's rollout strategy and
benefits, please view these videos from the company's vice president of
information technology Chuck Trent and two U.S.-based users:
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxhFgKHYjwc
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoYd3zWwuY0
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDteqoaRaHA
Pricing & Availability
The Cisco Virtual Office solution is available today and starts at $700 per
seat.
About Cisco
Cisco (Contact Information: Media Relations: Neil Wu Becker Cisco Systems, Inc. 408 525-7415 nebecker@cisco.com Industry Analyst Relations: Todd Hanson Cisco Systems, Inc. 408 853-8255 todhanso@cisco.com Investor Relations: Marilyn Mora Cisco Systems, Inc. 408 527-7452 marilmor@cisco.com