Let’s face it: Providing quantifiable value and cost savings while convincing customers of their return on investment, can often make or break a deal. However, the advent of architecture-based solutions and the increasing need for consultative services are helping drive partners’ success and growth. But in the negotiation phase, how can partners think creatively to help provide analysis and assessments to customers?

As you look for new revenue opportunities, what helps propel you ahead of the pack and helps differentiate you from the competition?

Cisco Gold partner Presidio completed an RFP for Tyler Independent School District in Texas and was competing for the business with another solutions provider. What helped to win Tyler’s trust was the ROI analysis they shared with the district’s superintendent.

Tyler Independent School District has 18,000 students, but only had a 4:1 student to desktop ratio. Additionally, thousands of the district’s PCs were seven, eight, or nine years old – completely incapable of running Windows 7 or new applications. IT was struggling to keep up with management and maintenance issues, as well as security challenges. Additionally, the district wanted to enable a BYOPC (bring your own PC) policy but lacked the equipment, tools, and bandwidth to do so.

So how did Presidio solve the district’s IT problems and save the schools money, too? Read More »

Tags: Cisco, IT, partner, presidio networks, school, UCS, virtualization

It seems like you can’t open an IT magazine these days without being bombarded by cloud, cloud, cloud. Going to tradeshows you see traditional vendors that have taken their existing solution packages and rebranded them as cloud.  For Cisco partners and customers this can be confusing; especially since cloud comes in so many types/flavors: IaaS, SaaS, PaaS, and however people are positioning themselves.  When I think of cloud I think it fundamentally boils down to an industrialization/simplification of IT.  You focus and clearly define what you as a solution provider are providing, and by doing so, drive out the cost.  Look at MS office for email etc. has literally thousands of options or ways to use it, but has a high cost/user/month.  Gmail limits those options and by offering it free to everyone, it costs Google an ever decreasing fraction of a dollar/month.  The economics are compelling.  Customers like economics in their favor and partners get excited when customers want to make a transition.

On Dec 6^th Cisco announced CloudVerse – an integrated set of capabilities combining Unified Data Center with Cloud Intelligent Network to deliver Cloud Applications and Services.  The beauty of this position is that we aren’t telling our partners, “Thanks, we’ll take it from here!” We’re looking to them to offer this integrated Cisco vision to their customers.

“We’re putting our partners in the position to offer CloudVerse as a portfolio and new cloud capabilities.” As Ralph Nimmergood, VP of WW Channels at Cisco, stated in a CRN article published last week.

Partners are key to our cloud strategy and we’re excited to be on this journey with them.

Click here to read the entire CRN article.

Tags: Cisco, Cisco CloudVerse, cloud, cloud services, IT, partners, services, Unified Data Center

I realized a few years ago that all Data Center challenges can be solved with the sufficient application of money.

Need more computing capability?  Buy new hardware.  Struggling with hot spots?  Purchase supplemental cooling infrastructure.  Don’t have enough physical space?  Pay to expand the Data Center or lease additional space.

More performance means greater cost, though.  Some energy saving technologies buck that trend when compared to conventional facilities, but generally the more capability you want from a Data Center the more it will cost to build and operate.

Read More »

Tags: capital costs, Cisco, coc-data-center, cost per square foot, data center, datacenterdeconstructed, design, IT

I’m here in Las Vegas and aside from enjoying a frosty beverage or two by the pool and betting my next paycheck at the Black Jack tables, I’m attending Cisco Live 2011. This annual education and training event is like the World Cup of networking events, where IT, networking, and communications professionals join Cisco experts and partners to learn, connect, and collaborate.

There are so many different sessions and keynotes taking place at Cisco Live this week, but don’t worry if you can’t attend every event. I’ll be posting daily recaps here on the Channels blog, talking to partners at the conference, covering the big news, as well as sending out live tweets.

Cisco Live 2011 officially kicks off tomorrow with a keynote and welcome address from Chairman and CEO John Chambers. John is slated to discuss the future of networking and communication technology, and the ways it will transform business practices, education, and social relationships.

What else is taking place at Cisco Live this week? Read More »

Tags: carlos dominguez, Cisco, Cisco Live 2011, Cloud Partner Pavilion, Collaboration Partner Pavilion, communications, education, IT, john chambers, las vegas, networking, padmasree warrior, partners, Rebecca Jacoby, training, William Shatner

Guest Post by Contributing Author Ken Presti

There are times when budgets are relatively flush, and the decision to invest in the business comes relatively easily. Then there are times like we’ve seen recently. “Do we really need to buy this box of paper clips? Hmm. Better call a meeting.”

And with plenty of speculation about the direction of economic things to come, IT purchase decisions are being made as carefully as ever. To a certain extent, pent-up demand has loosened the flood gates. But sales and refresh cycles are still a bit long in certain circles, and the emphasis is constantly upon how the recommended investments will either pump up the revenues or trim back the expenses. That’s not a bad thing. That’s just good business in the post-bubble world.

Read More »

Tags: Cisco, investment, IT, small business