Cisco on Tuesday said that it is commitment to the partner-led strategy, a scalable go-to-market model designed to address the growing small business and mid-market segments in India. 

Cisco said that its partner-led strategy will focus on increasing geographical reach, building partner capability and drive business for products, solutions and services specifically for the India market.

“Over the past years, we have experienced remarkable growth in the partner led segment. Today, this segment is a major contributor to Cisco’s revenue in the country; with significant headroom for market development and expansion, particularly in tier II and upcountry markets. With the right mix of solutions and strategy, we are focused on opportunities to grow the business for our partners and will make the investments needed to accelerate growth and effectively address this market”, said Pramodh Menon, President of the Partner Business Group, Cisco India & South Asia while addressing the media.

Partner Business Group is the fastest growing business unit for Cisco in India and accounts of one third of Cisco’s India revenue.  Over the past few quarters, Cisco has significantly increased investments to accelerate the partner led model in India and has introduced several new channel engagement and enablement programs to help its partners fuel sales to mid-market and SMB customers. 

To further cement its position as the market leader and to enhance its presence in the country, Cisco will focus on expanding and strengthening its base across the top 14 non-metro cities through focused market development programs, over the coming quarters. As a part of its ‘go-to-market’ strategy, Cisco will also develop joint business plans along with partners and allocate funding and resources to tap this major growth market.

On the occasion, Cisco also shared details of the Cisco Unified Communications Manager Business Edition 3000 (UCM BE 3000), designed and developed for India by the company’s engineering team based here. A value-priced unified communications solution purpose-built for SMB organisations, the UCM BE 3000 supports 300 users across 10 sites and offers essential features like voice mail, conferencing and mobility features like extension mobility and tele-worker support to connect business calls and voice mail messages to employees anywhere they choose to work.

Commenting on the product, Mr Menon said, “There has been a clear change in the mindset of small businesses who now view IT investments as a strategic decision critical to fulfill their business needs.  Adoption of technology among SMBs is directly dependent on bringing down the total cost of ownership and increasing ease of use.  Cisco’s Small business product line is designed to address these specific issues and is ideally suited for the India market.”