 "Cisco's 'Network On Wheels' Drives Into Mumbai")
As part of its thrust and focus on the SME market in India, Cisco has 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 SME/ 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 easy-to-use solutions that are designed to provide the basis of a small business’ network. The products are designed to integrate easily to provide a complete data, voice, video, and wireless networking solution for businesses, and deliver advanced features at an affordable price.
The NOW Van is a mobile showcase of Cisco’s networking solutions for small and medium enterprises (SME) 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 SME 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 SMEs 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 SME strategy. Our commitment to the SME sector is that our solutions will be for them, an effective driver for increased business efficiencies, and as Maharashtra continues to be at the forefront of India’s continuing industrial and financial revolution, we believe that SMEs within this region would be able to utilise technology as a stepping-stone to greater success.”
The ‘Network on Wheels’ van is a 25 foot mobile showcase equipped with the latest SME-customised Cisco networking solutions including advanced technologies such as security, wireless and unified IP communications aimed at helping Indian SMEs 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 SMEs interactive technology solutions designed to enhance their competitive advantage, maximise 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 3,500 SMEs across the country.
According to industry sources, there exist over 6 million SMEs 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 SME 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.