Cisco Systems (Nasdaq: CSCO) has updated its small to medium-sized business (SMB) portfolio by today announcing new entry-level Ethernet switches, a network security firewall and a backup service for storage products.
Todd Madgett, director of small and medium business and distribution at Cisco Canada, said SMB customers typically relate to three pillars: communicate, secure and connect.
The new solutions from Cisco fit into the connect and secure pillars, Madgett said, and provide plenty of partner opportunities. To back this up, he cites research from IDC, saying that there are roughly 1.2 million SMB customers in Canada. Cisco defines an SMB by an employee count of 250 or fewer.
In the connect portfolio, Cisco introduces its entry-level managed switches, better known as the Cisco 200 Series Smart Switches to aid SMB customers with fast or Gigabit Ethernet connectivity. In this series, there are nine new models that come with between 24 to 50 ports. The energy-efficient switches also support the new Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) standard while are also able support previous standards, Madgett said.
“Partners can sell this as a service by leasing the switch to a customer, or they can sell it as an outright sale,” Madgett said. “This series is really our entry point into the managed services space in terms of a switch. Partners can do remote support, access and configurations on behalf of the customer with the 200 Series.”
The Cisco RV220W Network Security Firewall is a network security platform that supports firewall, remote access, wireless access point and Web security, Madgett said.
“Cisco RV220W provides more productivity tools for the client and more profitability for our partners because it’s a simple installation and is easy to use,” Madgett said. “Because it’s a browser-based setup, the client can plug it into wall and the partner can help with set up remotely.”
Lastly, Cisco has announced it will offer an optional, fully integrated online Mozy backup service to its NSS300 Series Smart Storage product line. This offers SMB customers flexible onsite and online data backup and also provides a centralized storage and backup management interface.
“This is great for partners who are looking at cloud-based solutions,” Madgett said. “This is our first introduction into the SMB environment for smart storage and provides our partners with more value-added services offerings.”
To help make these new solutions affordable to its SMB customers, Cisco Capital is offering zero-per cent financing in Canada and Europe and is offering three-year, three per cent financing in the U.S.
“We’ll continue to build small business solutions for our customers and partners,” Madgett said. “Partners are looking for more products that are profitable and easier to sell. We have a 100 per cent partner-led model when it comes to SMB.”
The Cisco 200 Series Smart Switches start at a list price of $287 and are now available worldwide. The Cisco RV220W has a list price of $363 and is currently available in Canada and the U.S. and is planned for release this quarter in Australia, Europe and New Zealand. Lastly, the Cisco Smart Storage products list price starts at $913. Customers can also activate or add Mozy online backup plans starting at $145 for 25GB for one year.
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