Cisco aims to energise small business productivity with $100 Million Investment
New solutions will enable businesses to gain greater agility and efficiency
Cisco 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
