Cisco Small Business Solutions Focus on Business Essentials
New products are designed to meet small businesses’ fundamental needs of security, productivity, and connectivity.
Building on its November 2008 announcement of a $100 million global strategic initiative to provide dedicated products, services, and support for small businesses, Cisco announced three new products that focus on security, connectivity, and productivity in small companies.
The new products include the Cisco Spam and Virus Blocker, a security appliance that protects a company’s network and data from viruses and malicious email attacks while mitigating spam; the Cisco NSS2000 and NSS3000 network-attached storage systems; and the Smart Business Communications System (SBCS) 1.4, a collaboration and communication system.
“We understand that small businesses need to see the immediate business benefits from their technology investment, especially during these tough economic times,” says Ian Pennell, senior vice president, Small Business technology group, Cisco. “That’s why we’ve built these new products to address their essential business needs of security, connectivity and productivity.”
The NAS systems enable businesses to store and archive digital files such as video from IP surveillance cameras, encrypt files to comply with regulatory and security requirements, and store up to 2 TB or 4 TB of data (depending on model).
Release 1.4 of SBCS has enhanced wireless capabilities, including a wireless desktop IP phone with Bluetooth and the Cisco SPA525G wireless IP phone that enables businesses to add phones in places where traditional phone lines or network cables are not present or can’t be added. Other new features include the Cisco 520 Secure Router, which provides secure access to the Internet and business data by employees in the office and working remotely, and the Cisco Configuration Assistant v.1.9 for easier setup and deployment.
Pricing for the spam and virus product ranges from $2,599 to $5,399 depending on number of users (50, 100 or 250) and subscription length (one or three years).
SBCS Release 1.4 varies in price depending on the needs of the business; the Cisco SPA525G wireless IP phone is listed at $430. The NAS devices start at $595.
