Cisco also announced new partner-led offers to enable more rapid implementation of collaboration solutions for midsized customers and includes new innovations to help partners grow their midmarket business and offer more services to take advantage of the major revenue opportunities this market segment presents.
Cisco is offering all BE6000 models with an option for preconfigured settings, reducing the amount of time partners need to install the BE6000 and BE6000S by as much as 30 percent. Cisco will configure core unified communications services before shipping to the partner – enabling partners to get more customers up and running in less time with less manpower. By simplifying the deployment process, Cisco is helping partners be more competitive and profitable. Because of the ease of adding additional applications, customers can then turn on and "test drive" new applications – from video to contact center and beyond – creating more revenue opportunities for partners.
In addition, selected Cisco Distributors will now be able to offer a distributor-led implementation service for partners, called "Cisco Config to Order Portal." Authorized Distributors such as ComStor, Ingram Micro, KBZ, and ScanSource will be able to provide configuration and customized implementation of the BE6000 and BE6000S, based on a customer's specific requirements, at their company site, before shipping to the partner or directly to the customer. This new distributor offer for Cisco partners can reduce a partner's installation time and labor costs at a customer site by up to two days, enabling partners to be even more efficient and competitive. With this offer, Cisco's ecosystem of distributors and partners are finding new ways to make buying and delivering collaboration even easier and faster for midsized companies.
Midsized companies are leading the economy in growth, talent investments and innovation. According to a 2014 Deloitte study, midsized companies see investment in technology as the best way to sustain rapid growth. The midmarket – roughly defined by Cisco as organizations up to 1000 employees – is the fastest growing segment in the market today. But midsized companies often have been underserved when it comes to technology. From "dumbed down" versions of enterprise platforms to piecemeal and complex multi-vendor solutions that IT must cobble together, midsized companies have felt the pain of a lack of understanding about what they need.
Pat Romzek, Vice President, Collaboration Sales, Cisco said "When Cisco talks about no-compromises collaboration, we mean we are lowering the complexity of collaboration without compromising on features and capabilities, providing the best user experience possible. Collaboration technology can be a major catalyst for growth for midsized companies. Cisco today is underlining our commitment to provide the midmarket with feature-rich, collaboration technology that is right-sized for the right price, giving customers the best in class technology regardless of their size."