BANGALORE, INDIA: The growing SMB market has enticed more and more networking companies to focus on this segment as a main revenue generator and are targeting customized products/solutions to have a strong foothold in the global market. In an interaction with Ambika Prakash of CIOL, Amit Malik, Head-SMB, Cisco India & SAARC briefs about Cisco's products and market strategy to reach the SMB customers.

Excerpts:

CIOL: Cisco has been aggressively targeting the SMB market. What are the new products you have released for the SMBs?

Amit Malik: SMB is the fastest growing segment for Cisco in India and worldwide. Since 2004, Cisco's R&D has developed and customised SMB products and solutions that are affordable and easy to use. In the next 12 months, Cisco plans to launch 30 new products for SMBs. In this regard, Cisco continues to innovate, design and develop products and solutions for the growing needs of SMB globally and in India.  

Cisco will also leverage its Webex acquisition to penetrate the SMB market further through its on-demand collaboration applications, and network-based solutions for delivering business-to-business collaboration. This extends Cisco's vision for Unified Communications, particularly within the SMB segment. 

Special Class Products for SMB space

Cisco has designed SMB Class Solutions considering requirements of the SMBs and has been educating the SMB customer with its benefits. Cisco's Integrated Services Router (ISR), is a typical example of an SMB class product -- combining the benefits of voice, data and video -- and the product does away with diverse sets of hardware. 

Some of the solutions gaining prominence both globally and in the Indian SMB sector are as follows:

 • Security Solutions: Designed with the aim of safeguarding business with integrated network security.

• Unified Communications: Solutions that lower costs for SMBs and expand their business capabilities by adding voice and video to the companies' data network.

• Mobility Solutions: Increase organizational productivity and reduce expenses while in the office, on the road, or at home.

• Network Foundation Solutions: Provides strong infrastructure to support the evolution of SMB business by ensuring network security, reliability, and flexibility for business applications.

• Management Applications: Simplify the network and enhance productivity by making your network easy to use and manage.

CIOL: The network is always associated with non-interruption and security threats? How does your products address these issues?

AM: With the SMB's IT requirements getting more complex, Cisco has recently launched the simple, complete and highly secure Smart Business Communications System. The system enables anytime, anywhere access to information for SMBs. It also employs new hardware products, integrated unified communications applications and system-management tools, designed to complement each other and provide communication building blocks for small businesses. The larger enterprises rely on technology to improve efficiency and ensure future profitability, SMBs rely on IT as a matter of survival, in other words to stay competitive. Cisco has understood and addressed the networking technology needs of SMBs and will continue to develop end-to-end networking solutions.