As part of its thrust and focus on the SMB market in India, Cisco announced the roll out of the ‘Network on Wheels’ (NOW Van) program in Mumbai and Maharashtra, starting today. The NOW Van program is part of Cisco’s larger strategy to tap into the SMB/Commercial market in Western India.
Cisco’s strategy, of which the NOW Van is an integral part, is focused on helping organisations solve business problems with a suite of cost-effective, easy-to-use solutions that are designed to provide the basis of a small businesses network. The products are designed to integrate easily to provide a complete data, voice, video, and wireless networking solution for businesses, and deliver excellent performance and advanced features at an affordable price.
The NOW Van is a mobile showcase of Cisco’s networking solutions for small and medium businesses (SMB) and features demonstrations of advanced technologies like security, wireless connectivity, mobility, and unified communications. Cisco unveiled this initiative in 2006, and since then the NOW van has been an integral part of Cisco’s outreach to the SMB market, its fastest-growing segment.
Patrick Mathias, Vice President, Sales – West, Cisco India & SAARC, said, “Cisco’s NOW van is fast becoming an easily-recognisable technology showcase for SMBs across India, having covered a number of key cities and towns on its way. It is amongst our largest marketing initiatives in India and is a key pillar of our SMB strategy. Our commitment to the SMB sector is that our solutions will be for them, an effective driver for increased business efficiencies, and as Maharashtra continues at the forefront of India’s continuing industrial and financial revolution, we believe that SMBs within this region would be able to utilize technology as a stepping-stone to greater success.”
The ‘Network on Wheels’ van is a 25 foot mobile showcase equipped with the latest SMB customised Cisco networking Solutions including advanced technologies such as Security, Wireless and Unified IP Communications aimed at helping Indian SMBs leverage the power of networking technology for business growth. The mobile van will visit strategic industrial locations across key tier I, II and III cities and host live demonstrations for more than 100 customers per city in the country. The Cisco NOW van will demonstrate for SMBs exciting interactive technology solutions designed to enhance their competitive advantage, maximize productivity and ROI, enhance customer care and loyalty, increase user satisfaction and reduce operation costs – ultimately driving business growth.
During the first phase of the program, the NOW van successfully reached out to over 3500 SMBs across the country.
According to industry sources, there exist over 6 million SMBs in India, with a large percentage of these businesses on the threshold of globalisation. Cisco offers a range of products and solutions designed ground-up for the SMB market, and the NOW van primarily features technology of interest to this segment. In Maharashtra and the extended Western region of India, Cisco aims to reach out to fast-growing sectors like IT, education, stock-broking, automotive and textiles, amongst others.
About NOW Van
The demonstrations on-board the van – technology solutions and supporting hardware – include:
— Unified Communications applications, including powerful productivity tools and integrated voice, Web and videoconferencing capabilities that help control costs, increase productivity and boost competitiveness.
— Cisco SMB Class Secure Network Foundation, a cost-effective networking solution that delivers the connectivity, simplicity, security, and scalability required to optimize business operations
— Cisco Business Communication Solution, apart from converging voice and data technologies onto a single network, features simplified products, applications and management tools, a lifecycle services approach, financing options, and comprehensive, built-in security for the entire business.
