Cisco expands small business portfolio as mobile devices proliferate

Driven by trends such as the consumerization of IT and the increasing proliferation of mobile devices, Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) has expanded its small and medium-sized business (SMB) portfolio.

With more and more smartphones and tablets, as well as laptops, all seeking connectivity in the workplace the demands on the wireless networks of small businesses are changing, said Kerry McDonough, director of U.S. small business sales for Cisco. Accordingly, Cisco wanted to expand its SMB product suite to help its partners and customers address those changing demands with new wireless access points, routers, switches and other offerings.

(ALSO READ: Cisco SMB solutions aimed at partner profitability)

There’s two new wireless access points, the WAP121 and WAP321 for US$173 and US$310, respectively. They feature power over Ethernet and multiple mounting options to simplify placement. The devices will fit under the AP541N in Cisco’s SMB wireless access point portfolio.

Cisco also has two new routers, the RV180 and RV180W Wireless-N for US$182 and US$246, respectively. The switches feature browser-based configuration, Gigabit Ethernet WAN and 4-port Gigabit Ethernet, and up to 10 concurrent VPN connections. Also, the RV180W Wireless-N router can be deployed as a router, wireless access point, bridge or repeater.

McDonough said connectivity between the traditional office and a home office is key with the increasing prevalence of teleworking, and the VPN capabilities of these new routers make that easier and more secure. The new routers will fit above the RV110W and below the RV200W in Cisco’s SMB router portfolio.

On the switches front, McDonough said traffic and the influx of voice and video is driving the need for more capable core switches and more bandwidth from SMB devices. That’s why Cisco is launching 12 new models of switches as the 500/500X series of managed and stackable switches.

The new switches offer 5GbE or 10GbE stacking and device connectivity with models ranging from 24 to 52 ports, as well as automated management of redundant broadband connections through Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol. List price ranges from US$590 to US$5,556.

“Being stackable gives you the ability to support more devices in a core network. Before, our 300 series and below weren’t stackable, and you had to move into the Catalyst line to get that,” said McDonough.

Cisco has also expanded its IP voice and IC portfolio with a new UC system, new IP phones and telephone adapters, and a Wireless-N bridge. There’s also some new features in Cisco OnPlus, a network advisory solution that partners can plug into a customer data centre to enable remote monitoring and management, including support for wireless environments.

All the new offerings will arm Cisco partners with more robust offerings to meet changing customer needs, said McDonough.

“We’re working with our solution providers to make sure the right network is proposed for their clients, not just the products but the whole solution,” said McDonough. “SMBs just want the products to work, and they want to work with VARs to outsource IT, provide security, handle more information and more traffic, and connect more devices.”

Follow Jeff Jedras on Twitter: @JeffJedrasCDN.

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Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada

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Jeff Jedras
Jeff Jedras
A veteran technology and business journalist, Jeff Jedras began his career in technology journalism in the late 1990s, covering the booming (and later busting) Ottawa technology sector for Silicon Valley North and the Ottawa Business Journal, as well as everything from municipal politics to real estate. He later covered the technology scene in Vancouver before joining IT World Canada in Toronto in 2005, covering enterprise IT for ComputerWorld Canada. He would go on to cover the channel as an assistant editor with CDN. His writing has appeared in the Vancouver Sun, the Ottawa Citizen and a wide range of industry trade publications.

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