Cisco wants to replace SMBs' EPBXs

After courting the enterprise segment for its communication product suite, networking major Cisco is wooing SMBs with its new family of IP communication products, including the Call Manager Express, IP telephones, IP Video and audio conferencing solutions. 

Mathew Varghese, Principal Consultant, Cisco Systems, said, “We are targeting
SMBs, small branch offices and our solutions can support up to 240 users.” 

He added that SMBS, which are looking at scaling operations, are limited by the capacity of the traditional PBX boxes. This is where Cisco hopes to step in with its solutions. “When a company grows as a business, the need for data and voice increases. Our communication products have not looked at the SMB space until now.”

He also said that additional features and applications such as call center support, web access and others could be ported on to the products. The cost of implementing IP products would vary depending on the number of users. The higher the number of users, lower would be the cost. A 24-phone set-up would cost $678 per user while a 96-phone system would cost $517 per user. 

“There are both tangible and intangible benefits to the solution. Besides cost savings in terms of operational expenses and management costs, there are a lot of benefits like improved remote office productivity and ease of use,” Mathew said. He reckons that there needs to be a change in the mindset of
SMBs, which are used to traditional PBX users. 

The Call Manager Express software allows Cisco access routers to deliver the call-processing features for local IP phones. It does away with the need for an external database or file server. Besides these solutions, the company is also introducing the Integrated Service Router-an all-in-one solution that combines IP communications, security, routing and switching in a single box.

CYBERMEDIA NEWS 

BANGALORE