HomeCisco Cisco to Invest $100M to Boost Small Business Sales
security
Surprising Security Shortcomings After nearly a decade of threat warnings, evolving threats and billions of dollars in technology investments, you’d think that businesses have at least a baseline of IT security protections. Recent reports reveal some surprising security shortcomings in the business community.
Cisco announced plans to invest $100 million to help SMB sales by creating dedicated call centers to assist small businesses. Cisco also said it would create a dedicated sales group and work more closely with its routing unit Linksys to focus on small business needs.
NEW YORK, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Cisco Systems Inc (CSCO.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) will invest $100 million to bolster sales to small businesses, even as the U.S. network equipment maker struggles with a weaker global economy.
Cisco said on Thursday it sees an opportunity to expand sales of routers, switches, and other equipment to companies with less than 100 employees.
Resource Library:
The announcement came a day after Cisco forecast revenue to fall 5 percent to 10 percent in the current quarter from a year earlier, reversing its previous expectation for growth. Its shares fell 1.3 percent on Thursday.
Many of Cisco's customers are telecommunications companies and big companies with large networks, but Cisco said it saw a $10 billion sales opportunity in the small-business segment.
Chief Marketing Officer Susan Bostrom said a growing number of small firms were using the Internet. "Their technological needs are going to increase," she said.
The $100 million investment will be used to set up dedicated call centers to assist small businesses, the company said, adding that it will also create a dedicated sales group and work more closely with its routing unit Linksys to focus on small business needs. (Reporting by Ritsuko Ando; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)
Xeon Assessment Tool
When comparing 4-year old server technology to servers based on the Intel Xeon 5500 series, you can experience a ROI in under 12 months. Intel offers an easy to use tool to determine how replacing older server technology can provide a positive return on your technology investment. Learn More
Top 10 Most Profitable Vendor Certifications
Solution providers that invest in vendor technical certifications are more profitable, sell more complex systems and have better relationships with their customers, according to the new Channel Insider/Amazon Consulting certification study. But not all vendor certifications have the same ROI. The following vendors have the best certifications for return on their partners’ investment. View Slideshow
The IT industry is in the midst of a mass metamorphosis. Lines are blurring between networking technologies, storage, servers, software and telephony. Vendors that represent the tried and true establishment in one discipline are now making hard-right turns into new, largely unfamiliar and often competitive markets. Read on to see just a few of the major convergence plays of the last year. View Slideshow
(Sponsor)
(Sponsor)
(Sponsor)
