LISBON, PORTUGAL--(Marketwire - November 6, 2008) - Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) today announced a
$100 million global strategic initiative focused on small business
networking and communications solutions for companies with fewer than 100
employees.
Cisco aims to help small businesses gain greater agility and efficiency in
working with customers who are increasingly expecting to do business on the
move, on the Internet and via video.
A new Cisco® Small Business Technology Group (SBTG) will develop
technologies focused on six areas consistently highlighted as top
priorities by small businesses for enabling business growth: connectivity,
security, remote access, productivity, customer interaction and customer
support.
The SBTG is part of a companywide initiative composed of sales, marketing,
services and technology groups that will focus solely on the small-business
segment.
Announcement Highlights/Key Facts:
The creation of the Cisco Small Business Technology Group and Cisco
Small Business portfolio are part of a new 360-degree focus on small
businesses with fewer than 100 employees.
The initiative includes a dedicated sales unit, marketing programs, and
customized service and support, for which a new worldwide contact center
operation is a central pillar.
The Cisco Small Business Technology Group will develop strategy and
facilitate collaboration across Cisco's existing business units to create
solutions for businesses with 100 to 250 employees. Senior Vice President
Ian Pennell will lead the group.
All new small-business offerings will be named 'Cisco Small Business'
or 'Cisco Small Business Pro,' with 'Pro' solutions designed for customers
with more sophisticated technology needs.
The first Cisco Small Business products are scheduled to be available
in December and will be focused on video surveillance, data storage and
wireless office communications.
Cisco values the total addressable market for small-business networking
and communications products and services at $16 billion in 2009, with $10
billion of this value derived from companies with fewer than 100
employees.
New Services and Programs Provide Dedicated Support to Small
Businesses
Additionally, the announced $100 million investment will enable substantial
new small-business service initiatives that provide dedicated support via
both online and in-person channels. These include:
Small Business Support Center. Dedicated contact center
operations in South Carolina, the Philippines, China and sites in Europe
will provide small-business customers with technical assistance
and expertise around the clock and support customers in Dutch, French,
German, Spanish, English, Italian, Russian, Polish, Korean, Mandarin,
Portuguese and Arabic.
Small Business Support Community. Modeled on the
Cisco Learning Network, this online community is a new collaborative
space for partners and customers to share their knowledge and expertise on
small-business networking and communications.
New Cisco Small Business Web site at
www.cisco.com/smallbusiness. The new site features new tools powered by
Cisco WebEx® that enable customers to find and chat live with local sales
partners who can assist in customizing, installing and supporting
solutions.
Small Businesses Gain Access to More Cisco Partners Who Can Help
Them
Cisco Vice President Andrew Sage will lead a new global small-business
sales unit dedicated to supporting Cisco partners that focus on small
businesses.
Following the August 2008 unification of
Cisco and Linksys partner programs the number of Cisco partners able to
support small businesses totals almost 60,000. Included in this number are
more than 9,000 partners in the Cisco Select Certification Program for
small-business specialists.
Cisco Forms Council to Oversee $10 Billion Segment Strategy
The newly created Cisco Small Business Council will oversee Cisco's
small-business strategy. The Council is co-led by Sue Bostrom, chief
marketing officer and executive vice president; Keith Goodwin, senior vice
president of worldwide channels; and Ian Pennell, senior vice president of
the Small Business Technology Group.
Quotes:Ian Pennell, senior vice president, Small Business Technology Group,
Cisco:
"Small businesses are the lifeblood of today's economy and in today's
environment, it's critical that small-business owners have a technology
partner they trust to help them find and deploy the right solutions to grow
their businesses. With the widest range of solutions, from value-driven
point products to expandable and upgradeable solutions to grow on, Cisco
can meet any small business' communications needs."
Rick Moran, vice president, small business solutions marketing,
Cisco:
"The No. 1 priority for small-business owners is growing their companies,
not becoming technology experts. Small businesses learn about and implement
technology in very different ways than do large enterprises. In
recognition, Cisco has transformed the way we communicate with
small-business customers with a customized SMB-specific Website and
marketing campaigns that focus increasingly on business capabilities and
benefits of complete solutions rather than on products and technologies."
Andrew Sage, vice president, worldwide small business sales, Cisco:
"Small businesses have very specific needs in virtually every aspect of how
Cisco does business with them. Taking a 'one size fits all' approach that
might work in other markets simply won't work with small business. That's
why we have more than 9,000 Select Certified sales partners that can help
create tailored solutions for small businesses worldwide, making it easy to
find the right technology for your unique business needs."
About Cisco Systems
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, the Cisco logo, Cisco Systems and Cisco WebEx 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 or Website 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.
Tags/Keywords:
Cisco Small Business, Small Business Council, Linksys
Links/URLS:
Cisco Small Business Web site www.cisco.com/smallbusiness
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