SMBs in APac moving to primary-vendor networking solutions: Frost & Sullivan

A recent study by Frost & Sullivan found that SMBs in Asia-Pacific are moving away from multi-vendor networking solutions to primary-vendor suites. The main drivers for this trend are considerations for consolidation, convenience and cost at a time when growing network complexity is posing a challenge in terms of management, integration and cost. The study, commissioned by Cisco Systems, surveyed over 100 SMBs in Australia, New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, India, and Singapore. 

"Network complexity is no longer an issue for just the large enterprises, but also a growing concern for
SMBs," said Manoj Menon, Partner, Frost & Sullivan. "SMBs are today forging ahead in the adoption of newer networking technologies, having realized the business benefits behind new generation networks that offer converged data, voice and multimedia," he added. 

One example of a primary-vendor solution is from Cisco, which delivers advanced networking technology, expert local support, scalable solutions suites and lower total cost of ownership
(TCO) to SMBs in Asia Pacific. Cisco offers SMB customers simplicity, integration, control, performance and cost advantages by its ability to integrate voice, data and video over a single device, the Cisco integrated services router
(ISR). The ISR also fits into Cisco's concept of self-defending networks, with its embedded security applications.

Frost & Sullivan's analysis on the TCO of a suite of four solutions (IP telephony, switching, routing and network security) from Cisco versus best-of-breed products reveals benefits for
SMBs. They are overall cost savings of 49% over a period of three years; 0% hidden costs compared to 19% hidden costs in best-of-breed solutions; savings across all the TCO components, with the exception of upfront costs.

By embedding and integrating security, voice, and video services inside the router, customers gain modularity and adaptability. Because these services are built right into the router's motherboard, the router's real estate is increased by freeing up the network modules and interface cards that were formerly used for those services. The ISR provides up to five times the service density, seven times the performance, and four times the memory over the previous generation of products. This is to ensure that customers will have the networking capacity and capabilities they need as their businesses grow. 

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