Cisco NOW comes to AP

Aimed at tapping the fast growing sectors like IT, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, auto components and textiles, Cisco Systems, a leader in networking for the Internet, on Tuesday unveiled its 'Network On Wheels' (NOW) initiative in the Andhra Pradesh market.

NOW, a 25-ft van with a live network environment on board equipped with the latest Cisco networking solutions, is part of the company's plans to address the IT needs of the burgeoning small and medium business (SMB) segment.

"Network infrastructure investments are closely aligned with business strategies, but SMBs are yet to realise the implication of technology as a strategic business tool. The NOW initiative would bridge this gap and provide SMBs with domain-specific 'single point' products that start with basic functionalities and later add more functions as the organisations grow," Jagdish Mahapatra, vice-president (commercial), Cisco India and Saarc, said.

As per an Access Markets International (AMI) study, there are an estimated 7.6 million SMBs in India. These SMBs are set to spend $8 billion to beef up their IT infrastructure and solutions, up 24 per cent over last year, he added.

Cisco has lined up a separate portfolio of products for the SMB segment including advanced technologies such as security, wireless and unified IP communications.

"Our idea is to take this initiative to the doorsteps of the SMBs, give them the proof-of-concept and create awareness on how technology can be an effective driver of increasing operating efficiencies. We would also provide them with soft investments through Cisco Capital's 'Easy Lease' programme," Mahapatra said.

NOW is expected to visit strategic industrial locations across key tier-I, II and III cities in the state like Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Guntur, before moving on to the neighbouring states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

The company plans to cover 50 key cities in the country within the next eight months, hosting live demonstrations for more than 100 customers per city.

It has so far covered cities including Delhi, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Karnal (Haryana), Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Pune and Mumbai.