It’s tax time here in the United States and after handing Uncle Sam a check with way more dollar signs than I had hoped, I decided that I should leave next year’s tax preparation to the professionals. But with so many options out there, who can I trust to maximize my refund and help me avoid the dreaded audit? I could go with a retail tax franchise that handles most tax situations. Or I could hire a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), a seasoned tax professional that passed the rigorous CPA exam and is certified to handle any tax situations. You can probably guess which one I’m leaning towards.
Whether you’re looking for someone to help with your taxes or your networking issues, we all have choices when it comes to selecting a service provider. We want to be ensured that the company we hire has the appropriate level of certification, first hand experience with our issue, and not only gets the job done but gets the job done right.
Which is exactly why Axa Technology Services selected Cisco Master UC and Security Specialized Partner Dimension Data to help with their IP Telephony program.
Find out why Axa Technology Services selected Dimension Data over other service providers.
We use them in the office, in the car, at the café. They help us close deals, build relationships, and access resources. What are they? Devices, of course.
Currently, over three out of every four employees have multiple devices, according to the Cisco Connected world Technology Report. What’s more, one in three employees globally use at least three devices for work.
For our partners, though, this trend isn’t really about devices. It’s about how to provide your customers’ Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) employees seamless access regardless of device or connection point. It’s also about how to ensure security, simplification, and high performance.
The answer is easy. Let me introduce the brand new Cisco BYOD+ solution—a game changer in Enterprise mobility.
This end-to-end solution empowers your customers to go beyond simply connecting user-owned devices to scaling the experience of many users with multiple devices, anytime, anywhere. Plus, Cisco BYOD+ delivers a unified security policy across the entire organization—a relief to any organization. It also optimizes and manages the experience to meet the needs of many types of users with diverse devices, security, and business requirements.
The bottom line: your customers can safely extend the right level of access and performance in every situation.
Let me guess? You’re ready to load up on devices, make appointments with customers, and share the BYOD+ story. Read More »
With the proliferation of iPads and other consumer devices, the Cius is quickly becoming a hot commodity for customers. With the device’s support for a diverse set of third-party endpoints and Unified Computing System (UCS) integration, unique applications, and video, the Cius is truly a business-focused tablet that fits right into the network.
And the key to selling the Cius? According to Tech2000 CEO George Churchwell it’s all about “appifying” the environment.
Appify? Huh? What does this Learning Solutions Partner know that we don’t?
Well, let’s start with a definition. You won’t find this in the dictionary:
appify [ap-uh-fahy]
verb: To apply mobile solutions that allow the Cius developer’s kit to be implemented, thereby letting the Cius apps and functionality lead the sale. With apps, UCS solutions and WebEx solutions can be integrated right into the Cius platform and help solve customer problems.
This strategy has been wildly successful for Tech2000, which has helped a number of Cisco partners sell UCS solutions by creating apps. Unlike an iPad, the Cius offers the ability to integrate wireless and WebEx solutions right into apps and into the platform while solving a customer problem.
Watch this video as George offers advice and examples of successful Cius apps and tips to help partners get training on the go.
What else did George have to say? Keep reading for his advice, tips, and experiences with apps and the Cius. Read More »
Did you know that 72 percent of the top 50 cloud providers rely on the Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS)?
It’s true. And now the data center community is abuzz with excitement over new Cisco UCS innovations—the largest product refresh since its 2009 launch. Based on the Intel Xeon E5-2600 processor, the new UCS servers deliver the superior application performance, design flexibility, and investment protection you need to capitalize on the build-out in private and public clouds. (For a complete tour of all new technology being showcased in Cisco UCS, visit our sister blog, Data Center and Cloud.)
So, why should you care? The benefits of course!
Check it out:
Easier migration from your customers’ legacy applications to Cisco’s latest technology
Customers gain a competitive advantage by deploying new business models to meet changing business demands
Data Center Architecture (DCA) Specialized partners differentiate themselves by selling across the portfolio—and bringing the benefits of Cisco’s architecture to their customers
Want to know more? Back away from your browser. There’s no need to search. All of the new UCS launch resources can be found in the UCS Partner Briefing Package.
What is the UCS Partner Briefing Package and what does it contain? Read More »
This was just one piece of business wisdom we heard from Jeffrey Hayzlett, former Chief Marketing Officer at Kodak and author of the book Running the Gauntlet.
Jeffrey spoke at Partner Velocity, Cisco’s biggest partner marketing event of the year. We’ll share more words of wisdom, interviews, and tips we recently brought home from the event in this episode of Partner Update.
We’ll also cover a number of cloud-related stories, including cloud marketing resources, Light Reading’s Cloud Mega Test results, the Cloud Partner program, and how to ease cloud deployment of the Microsoft Private Cloud solutions. We’ve also got a host of new partner resources and templates, plus our Tweet of the Week.
Have five minutes to spare? Tune in now and get all your Cisco partner news.
Need more info? Keep reading for links, descriptions, and details on each item covered in our newscast.
When it came time to build a 370,000-square-foot, 72-bed healthcare facility featuring state-of-the-art services, the Chickasaw Nation had a number of important decisions to make. Among those were how to deliver excellence in medicine, tranquility, and healing to Chickasaws and other Native Americans.
Also important, according to Chuck Dougherty, CIO for the Chickasaw Nation, was providing reliable, seamless, and secure communications across its healthcare community. But technology wasn’t at the center of his decision.
In the video below, Dougherty explains how selecting to work with Presidio—a Cisco Master Security and UC Specialized Partner based in Greenbelt, Maryland—was less about technology and more about relationship building.
So what can you learn from Presidio about its commitment to customers? Read More »
In this special edition of Partner Update, we bring you the top partner news from Cisco’s annual partner marketing conference Partner Velocity 2012, in Las Vegas.
During the three-day event, partners learned how to make marketing innovation happen from marketing experts, attended workshops, and even got some one-on-one time with Cisco executives. Oh yeah, there was even a little bit of time for some Las Vegas fun and entertainment.
Watch this video to catch up on all of the news from the first two days of Partner Velocity 2012.
Check back next week for full interviews with all of the speakers mentioned in this video and we’ll be adding speaker interviews to the Partner Velocity 2012 playlist on YouTube.
Keep reading to get key links—and a full transcript and links to everything we covered in Partner Update. Read More »
The Vegas strip is alight with slot machines, neon lights, and…Cisco partners attending Partner Velocity, Cisco’s annual partner marketing conference.
The event kicks off tonight at The Palazzo in Las Vegas, where partners from around the globe will spend the next few days making marketing innovation happen.
Attendees will learn from an all-star lineup of speakers—from best-selling authors Daniel Pink and Sally Hogshead to social media superstar Chris Brogan—who will share insights around cloud marketing, motivation, fascinating customers, crafting, and standing out. (Full Velocity event agenda here.)
And speaking of cloud marketing, whether you’re in Las Vegas or not, the Cisco Cloud Marketing Kit is now available to help you position and market your cloud-based solutions to customers and prospects. It’s completely free and is packed full of resources: collateral, presentations, sales tools, campaign/program links, and more.
Are you ready to make marketing innovation happen?
This morning NetApp and Cisco announced how the companies are helping channel partners sell and deploy their FlexPod design architecture with Microsoft Windows Server Hyper-V. This is a major expansion of our partnership with Microsoft, so I picked up the phone and called Rick Snyder, vice president of Global Strategic Partner Organization here at Cisco to ask him a few questions.
Q: What’s the deal with this FlexPod solution with Microsoft? And what do our channel partners need to know about it?
A: So, Alex, today Cisco release a new Cisco Validated Design for the FlexPod shared infrastructure with Microsoft Private Cloud solutions to help ease deployments of the Microsoft Private Cloud solutions built on our shared infrastructure with NetApp. Also, FlexPods can be purchased pre-integrated for our US and Canada Channel partners through our work with Avnet. As part of its FlexPod Services, Avnet offers many different applications preloaded on the FlexPod.
Q: Shared infrastructure? Is that like a timeshare?
A: (laughs) Well in a way yes, but rather than a room in a Caribbean, we are the data center hardware in the data center. We’ve furnished the data center with the necessary hardware to house many different applications from VMware, Citrix, and now for our Microsoft Private Cloud customers. We feed these applications with data center resources like computing, industry leading memory, network bandwidth, and storage capacity to offer end users an enjoyable experience.
In less than a week, partners from around the globe will join Cisco executives and marketing thought leaders in Las Vegas for Cisco Partner Velocity 2012. This exclusive three-day event is all about you—helping partners “amp up” their marketing efforts. Don’t worry if you can’t attend in person: there will be lots of coverage from the event and replays so you won’t miss a thing.
Next week, we’ll host the very best and brightest marketing experts and they will share their insights on a range of topics such as:
How to scale your business through integrated campaigns
Creating distinction using social media
Understanding and leveraging marketing techniques
Marketing best practices to accelerate your business
And much more!
Some of Partner Velocity’s guest speakers include:
Dr. Martha Rogers, recognized for her one-to-one marketing
Daniel Pink, bestselling author and journalist
Chris Brogan, bestselling co-author and columnist
What else can partners expect to learn? Read More »
Overnight sensations, right? If only it were that easy. The truth is these international pop stars spent their early years perfecting their craft before hitting it big. The same can be said about World Wide Technology (WWT), Cisco’s largest reseller to the United States Federal Government.
Founded in 1990, WWT has grown from a mere startup to a $4 billion+ organization with more than 1,700 employees. Their success secret? A relentless focus on their people, processes, and partnerships—including their close partnership with Cisco. Also of note is their ability to look ahead, anticipating profitable market shifts.
One of those is occurring now in the energy sector. Utilities around the world are eager to modernize energy grids with intelligent infrastructure. While Cisco is ready to help partners meet those needs with its recently introduced Connected Grid portfolio, WWT is also fully on board to generate new sources of revenue.
John Rohde, WWT’s energy and utility practice manager, recently shared his thoughts on what’s required for partners to thrive in the energy sector. Read More »
Over the next several years, worldwide consumer Internet traffic is expected to increase fivefold, reaching a compound annual growth rate of 36 percent.
I’m no mathematician, but I’m guessing that amounts to a whole lot of traffic. It also means that your service provider customers will need to keep pace to ensure they have enough network capacity to support the accelerated demand.
Leverage this new specialization to help your service provider customers create, enable, and integrate a variety of high-quality video, mobility, and cloud solutions for businesses and consumers alike—all on a single IP-based network.
Want to find out how you can benefit from this architecture specialization, and how it can help you differentiate? Read More »
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Think cloud isn’t the next big thing in the evolution of IT? By 2015, experts predict cloud traffic will grow 12 times to reach 1.6 zettabytes—yes, zettabytes. That’s more than four days of business-class video for every single person on the planet.
So listen up, partners. Cisco is backing cloud 100 percent, and they’re ready to work with you to help enable the world of many clouds. Whether it’s planning, building, or running clouds, the opportunities are enormous. There’s also a great deal of complexity.
But not to worry. Cisco has you covered.
As part of its Cloud Partner Program, Cisco is offering Collaborative Professional Services (CPS) for Cloud. This Cisco Services offering shares intellectual capital, smart service innovation, demand generation, and a global delivery infrastructure with partners—all to help you develop profitable cloud solutions that will put a smile on every customer’s face.
Believe me. Your enterprise, service provider, small business, and government customers want a trusted cloud advisor. By transitioning to cloud, they’re likely to reduce costs, increase efficiency, and gain strategic advantage. Wonder who they’ll thank for the help? Read More »
Imagine running a call center where all of your phones rang for a single call and your operators had to roshambo to decide who would answer. Pure chaos, right? Well, that describes the situation Wayfair (formerly CSN Stores) was in before INX (recently acquired by Presidio) stepped in to upgrade and enhance their networking capabilities. (Okay, maybe without the roshambo part, but still chaotic nonetheless.)
Wayfair is the largest online retailer in the home goods space. As they grew from a two-person company to one with 800 employees, they looked to INX to provide various network solutions—from expanding their older VoIP-based telephony solution to designing and implementing a scalable Cisco Unified Communications/Collaboration Solution.
Wayfair Co-founder and Chairman Steve Conine says, “We really needed to upgrade to a system that had much more sophisticated routing and better tie-in with our call order system. Having the ability to take advantage of some of the Cisco wireless phone technology for the operators on the floor and the warehouse has been pretty neat.”
Steve also gives glowing reviews of INX. “Over the years, working with INX, they’ve really become a trusted advisor to our IT operations group.”
But INX didn’t become Wayfair’s trusted advisor overnight. Watch as Steve shares why INX continues to be a group he relies on when it comes to providing network solutions.
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Know it, use it, sell it. That’s going to be my new motto this year. The idea behind this credo is that before you sell a product, you have to know the product inside out and use it day-to-day--only then can you truly understand what your customers need and want.
In this episode of Partner Update, we learn how one Cisco partner fully embraces this motto in its hosted UCS practice and how this is impacting their sales.
We also cover Cisco switching innovations, a new ad campaign to reach customers, a pop quiz, partner tools for success in 2012, powering up connected grids, building a bulletproof networks for gamers, how to rock the Cius, and more.
Tune in and get all of your Cisco partner news, in less than five short minutes.
For a full transcript of what we covered, including links and time stamps so you can easily find information, keep reading. Read More »
Did you know that 72 percent of the top 50 cloud providers rely on the Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS)?
This morning 
