Cisco gives SMBs 'Start', to triple customer base in 3 yrs

Cisco gets about 35-40% of its commercial business from the SMB segment

Technology giant Cisco is rolling out a new set of solutions under 'Start' that will help the company triple its small and medium business (SMB) customer base in India to about 90,000 over the next three years.

The US-based company serves nearly 30,000 customers through its distribution and partner network in India.

"We have been broad-basing our sales in India and a bulk of the growth for us is now coming from non-metros. We developed Cisco Start that allows SMBs to go digital with wireless, secure connectivity for as less as $70 per user per year (about Rs 4,600)," Nalinikanth Gollagunta (Nal), MD, Commercial Sales, Cisco India and SAARC, told PTI.

He added that the solution will help Cisco triple its customer base by 2020.

"Cisco Start is a portfolio of solutions, specifically designed for SMBs. It is easy to understand, install and use and allows the business to manage connectivity, collaboration (video and audio end points), compute and security," he said.

Cisco's centre in Bengaluru has played a critical role in developing some of the products in the portfolio, Nal said, adding that the company will target small businesses and sellers that are increasingly using e-commerce to expand their business.

"The e-commerce sector has grown at a massive scale in the country and has introduced many small businesses to technology and its benefits. We are looking at bringing many more such sellers into the fold and 'Start' will help in that direction," he said.

Cisco gets about 35-40 per cent of its commercial business from the SMB segment and the segment has been growing at over 25 per cent.