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.
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.”
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?
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.
Cisco’s new ISR G2 routers may not sound like a big deal. That is, until you look a little deeper…
With Cisco’s nearly 80% market share and $10 billion ($US) install base of legacy routers that are ripe for refresh, this is an ideal way for you to upgrade customers’ older technology and bundle additional managed services in the process.
Add to that the new router’s capabilities: up five times faster “speeds and feeds” than the current platform, virtualization, video, and operational cost reductions. (No, it doesn’t make coffee, but hopefully that will be a feature next time.)
To get the insider information about the new router and services, watch this video interview featuring Cisco’s Todd Roth and Brian Ryder filmed a week after the ISR G2 launch:
hen Cisco Gold partner 
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. 