Channels Your Voice Within the Cisco Channel Partner Community

New NOW Vans Hit the Road

I have to admit to being caught up in TV shows like “West Coast Customs”  and “Wheeler Dealer” that take ordinary cars and transform them into sleek, customized, speedy machines.

So when I saw that the Cisco NOW Vans had been revamped—though you won’t catch any of them drag racing through the streets—I was intrigued. (NOW stands for Network on Wheels and vans are filled to the brim with Cisco solutions and offer a way to easily show off Cisco technologies to customers without having to be at a Cisco office.) The newly refreshed vans may not sport chrome wheels or hydraulic action (yet!), but new EnergyWise and SMB solutions are bound to cause quite a stir.

This video details the rebuilding process, shows off the interior of these new vans, and offers some tips for partners on running a smooth and successful customer event.

Read on to find out details of what’s new inside the new NOW Vans…

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Posted by Alexandra Krasne at 08:58AM PST

B2B Social Media Videos to Watch

Over at the Social Media B2B site, they’ve compiled a list of videos with a B2B perspective on social media. For consumers and those using social media for personal purposes there are lots of best practices out there, but the B2B perspective isn’t as widely discussed. So it was great to see this useful B2B blog post today—and exciting to see one of the Channels blog’s videos listed there.

Whether you’re just learning the basics of social media or have been doing it for awhile, these 10 videos offer a variety of perspectives on Twitter, branding, and business blogging—and how these tools are being used in B2B.

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Posted by Alexandra Krasne at 10:53AM PST

VIP Enrollment Starts Today (January 29)

Cisco’s Value Incentive Program (VIP) is now in its fifteenth consecutive period. For those who haven’t yet gotten involved, it’s a program designed to help increase margins and differentiation for customer-focused partners. In short, VIP rewards partners that focus their practices on technologies that are part of Cisco architectures like collaboration, virtualization, or borderless networks. And who doesn’t like rewards?

Of course, there is a catch: You must enroll in VIP15 by February 19, 2010 to be eligible. To do that, just head on over to the VIP page where you’ll find information about the program, eligibility, and all the info you need to get started. Once enrolled, you can view daily bookings for all enrolled architectures via the Partner Program View.

If you aren’t familiar with VIP, here is Cisco Senior Director of WW Channels Strategy Surinder Brar speaking about the last iteration, VIP 14.

Keep track of those important upcoming VIP15 dates…

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Posted by Alexandra Krasne at 10:43AM PST

Tweeting Is Good for Business: Six Twitter Tips and Results From Informal Survey

With everyone from Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates to Queen of Jordan Rania Al Abdullah to outspoken Virgin chairman and businessman Richard Branson now active on Twitter, the popular social-networking site can certainly help you keep up with the latest musings from actors, politicians, and business people.

Cisco partners and execs alike have said they find Twitter to be a useful business tool to help stay in touch with colleagues and customers, even amid rumors of Twitter’s growth slowing down. (The site still had its busiest usage day on January 12, 2010, so there’s no reason to quit tweeting anytime soon.)

Keep reading for our informal survey results and helpful Twitter tips.

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Posted by Kalpana Ettenson at 03:34PM PST

Cisco Capital News: Three Year, Zero-Percent Financing for US Partners

Last week, I promised a big announcement on this blog. True to my word, I’ve got big news from Cisco Capital and a bit of sun on this otherwise gloomy winter day: a three-year, zero-percent financing offer for small and medium-sized businesses in the United States. The financing offer applies to all Cisco products and services from $1,000 up to $250,000.

“There are a lot of zero-percents out there,” said Maryann Von Seggern, Director of WW Channel Development. “This is true zero percent, same as cash.” I interviewed Von Seggern over TelePresence so she could walk through the announcement:

Check out more highlights and info…

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Posted by Alexandra Krasne at 10:26AM PST

Friday Fun: Links and Videos for Your Entertainment

Here at the Channels blog it’s been a rather quiet week, but that’s only because we’re prepping for big stuff coming up—on tap is an interview with Cisco’s CTO Padmasree Warrior, announcements for partners, innovative talent recruiting, and some useful how-to posts on Web 2.0. And that’s just a taste of what you can expect here on the blog in the coming weeks.

It’s Friday, so some entertainment for the weekend is in order. Here are a few links and videos I gathered together to keep things interesting:

Dentist Takes Anxiety out of Visits with Cisco Area Network Storage

Check out some articles, too:

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Posted by Alexandra Krasne at 04:30PM PST

Cisco Internet Routing…in Space

Some folks never thought they’d see a human in space during their lifetime, let alone a router. Yet here it is!

In the news today, an article on Fortune’s site details the first deployment of a Cisco IP router aboard a commercial GEO satellite.

The router and software will support network services for voice, video, and data communications so that government agencies and the military can communicate and data can be routed to ground receivers in a single step, saving valuable time and resources. Router and modem can even be upgraded in orbit. Now I’ve seen it all.

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Posted by Alexandra Krasne at 05:52PM PST

Creating Your Videos, Part 1: Scripting

Now that a new year is upon us, you may be thinking about that resolution you set to create more videos. And since the Channels blog is all about helping you keep those New Year’s resolutions, here are some of our patented video secrets.

In November, I led a workshop at Cisco Partner Velocity to help partners bring their marketing to life with video. Rather than make you watch my entire presentation from start to finish (though it’s available on the Velocity site here to registered Cisco partners who are so inclined), I’ve broken my talk down into five components that comprise the typical steps I take when creating a video.

There are obviously many ways to go about creating a video and I don’t always stick to my own formula, but these are the steps that work for me.

The five steps I’ve identified are…

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Posted by Alexandra Krasne at 05:01PM PST

Be Ready for Real-Time Unified Communications

If you’re a partner pondering whether to make the move into managed services, you’re probably scratching your head with all sorts of questions of your own, not to mention tough questions you may be getting from customers.

You may be wondering: What network management discussions need to take place? How do we enable end customers to be ready for real-time communications via voice and video? Is my network ready? Is my team ready?

Before you make a move, watch this video with Cisco’s Todd Roth and NetiQ’s Erik Rudin as they tackle some tough questions around managed services and unified communications.

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Posted by Alexandra Krasne at 12:52PM PST

9 Tips to Capturing Great Video

Creating compelling video is part art and part science (and, yes, a bit of luck). I’ve learned, mostly through trial and error—lots of errors!—that following these 9 tips will go a long way toward capturing great, usable video footage. Hopefully this will help spare you the pain of making the same mistakes I have.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, just a few tips and tricks I’ve picked up. And why 9 and not 10? Well, I’m hoping those of you who’ve done some video work can offer up a tenth tip.

Read on for 9 tips to capturing great video…

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Posted by Alexandra Krasne at 04:53PM PST

Changing Lives with Webcams

Webcams let us travel across the world or across town, without having to leave the comfort of our desks. Sometimes it’s hard to imagine life before them…

I use a webcam during WebEx meetings, to view traffic, to watch what’s happening in the Panama Canal (why not?), to check out New York’s Times Square, and even have a bird’s eye view of The Elephant Sanctuary via the “EleCam.”

In this edition of BizWiseTV, we take a look at the aforementioned elephant sanctuary in Tennessee and learn how the operation is run almost entirely by webcam. The sanctuary itself not accessible to the public so the only way the public can interact with these graceful giants is through webcams.

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Posted by Alexandra Krasne at 01:55PM PST

How Cisco Capital Helps You Keep New Years Resolutions

It’s still New Years Eve in California, though many around the world have already bid goodbye to 2009 and said hello to 2010. Before throwing confetti in the air, sipping champagne, popping 12 grapes into our mouths, or partaking in any number of traditions to ring in the new year, many of us make resolutions—be it losing weight, starting an exercise plan, eating healthier, or getting up and running on Twitter.

If your 2010 resolutions include business goals like growth, placing more orders, and increasing profitability, Cisco Capital is one resource to tap. To find answers to frequently asked questions about Cisco Capital, I interviewed Maryann Von Seggern who shared ways Capital can help customers obtain much-need equipment and help partners increase profitability.

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Posted by Alexandra Krasne at 01:21PM PST

IT Rocks: Inspiring a Future Generation and Filling Your Talent Pipeline

When Cisco Gold partner Red River moved its headquarters to Claremont, a small rural mill town in New Hampshire, it immediately began exploring ways to give back to the community while also scouting talent for the growing company.

After finding out about Cisco’s IT Rocks program, which raises awareness among high school and college-age students in the US and Canada about careers in IT, Red River determined that it wanted to put on an IT Rocks event to let local students know that IT isn’t just for nerds with pocket protectors, but can be a cool and rewarding job.

“[River Valley Community College] approached us, saying, ‘we’re doing an event for area students, it would be valuable to provide industry perspective,’” said Red River Account Executive Gary Smith. “That’s when Jeff and I decided we were going to do the event together.”

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Posted by Alexandra Krasne at 01:45PM PST

Cisco and Avnet, Uniquely Positioned in Data Center and Virtualization

CRN recently reported that Cisco will be adding Avnet as a specialty distributor focusing on the data center market in the US and Canada. The Channels blog caught up with Dave O’Callaghan—head of Distribution at Cisco—and asked him a couple of questions to provide some context around this announcement and how it fits into Cisco’s overall distribution strategy.

Cisco Channels blog: So first, why Avnet?

Dave O’Callaghan: Avnet is uniquely positioned in high-value distribution. They have a partner base that’s ready to go on our servers and virtualization architectures, they have an integration center that’s second-to-none, and they have unique capabilities in marketing around verticals and sub-segments.

Cisco Channels blog: Now why is this a fit for Cisco?

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Posted by Alexandra Krasne at 08:27AM PST

Top 10 Cisco Stories of 2009

As 2009 comes to a close, most bloggers feel it necessary to post that “year in review” blog entry. Myself included. I have to admit, I’ve been wracking my brain the past few days trying to figure out what to write as I finish my holiday shopping, prepare to visit relatives, and do my best to avoid packing on end-of-the-year pounds with so many holiday cookies and treats in my midst.

So when I saw ChannelWeb’s The 10 Biggest Cisco Stories of 2009 slideshow today, I realized that my holiday wish had come true! Not that I’m lazy, mind you, but there were so many events this year that it’s difficult to narrow them down to a mere top 10 list.

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Posted by Alexandra Krasne at 12:29PM PST