Key to Telecom Italia’s success is their partnership with Cisco. Over the past several years, Cisco has helped Telecom Italia design and implement their “Impresa Semplice” managed service portfolio that provides SMBs with services including: managed LAN, managed VPN, managed firewall, and managed unified communications. In this video, Telecom Italia shares their perspective on the market, key success factors, and the power of partnerships to accelerate innovation.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Telecom Italia: Profile of Innovating and Leading in Managed Services
Successfully navigating through the economic downturn requires the right strategies, the right investments, and the right partnerships. During a recent visit to Cisco’s San Jose Executive Briefing Center, Telecom Italia‘s senior leadership team shares how they are using this downturn to introduce new managed services and new business models to better serve the Small and Medium business segment and win market share.
Key to Telecom Italia’s success is their partnership with Cisco. Over the past several years, Cisco has helped Telecom Italia design and implement their “Impresa Semplice” managed service portfolio that provides SMBs with services including: managed LAN, managed VPN, managed firewall, and managed unified communications. In this video, Telecom Italia shares their perspective on the market, key success factors, and the power of partnerships to accelerate innovation.
Key to Telecom Italia’s success is their partnership with Cisco. Over the past several years, Cisco has helped Telecom Italia design and implement their “Impresa Semplice” managed service portfolio that provides SMBs with services including: managed LAN, managed VPN, managed firewall, and managed unified communications. In this video, Telecom Italia shares their perspective on the market, key success factors, and the power of partnerships to accelerate innovation.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
A bigger sail for partners to navigate the "Perfect Storm"
Cisco has added to its "Navigate to Accelerate" partner enablement arsenal with a series of announcements this week in Boston; less than an hour's drive from Gloucester, MA (where the Andrea Gail and Billy Tyne's ill-fated crew departed for the final time in 1991, inspiring 2007's "Perfect Storm").
The "Perfect Storm" for managed services adoption is well underway (fueled by technology enabling "clouds", the worst economy in 25 years keeping business "underwater", and many providers trying to offer their customers a "lifeboat" with new service pricing models). At the eye of this storm is Data Center Virtualization and the business benefits it will bring (efficiency, scaling, reliability, and new service time to market).
Among the announcements Cisco has made this week are new channel programs to expand its expanding data center partner channel:
Key Take-aways:
* To motivate channel partners to invest in building a unified data center practice, Cisco has expanded its existing Value Incentive Program (VIP) offering for all of Cisco's data center technologies, including unified computing, storage networking, and WAN optimization, as well as for its existing offering for data center switching. VIP is Cisco's flagship profitability program that rewards partners for investing in architecture practices around collaboration, data center virtualization and borderless networks.
* Cisco also announced the new Data Center Channel Solutions Program, designed to help enable and accelerate the sale of tested, validated reference IT solution designs that incorporate products from industry-leading data center vendors, including EMC, Microsoft, NetApp, Red Hat, and VMware.
* Cisco today announced it is opening the Unified Computing opportunity to a broader range of its channel partner community. Cisco is announcing an Authorized Partner Program (APP) to support the new Unified Computing C-Series Rack-Mount Servers. All Cisco DCNI Specialized Partners will be able to sell the new rack-mount servers after completing online training and exam from Cisco.
* The Cisco Advanced Data Center Network Infrastructure Specialization (DCNI) is the fastest-ramping specialization in Cisco's history. Despite the economic downturn, partners have rapidly invested in the specialization since its launch a year ago because of its strategic significance to their business.
More good things to come...
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Sunday, May 10, 2009
Prepare for the upturn, focus on Talent Development
With the latest Federal employment report just in, The U.S. is inching it's way toward 9% unemployment and 6 million jobs lost since November 2007. And while Fed Chairman Bernanke says that we should see improvement in the economy by the end of this year, he also said that job losses will continue. Estimates have the U.S. inching past 10% unemployment by the end of 2009.
Business is down, but most business leaders plan to lead a recovery that is powered by improved employee productivity coming from increased use of technology, collaboration solutions, training, and talent management tools. I've spoken with several business leaders who are expecting revenues in calendar 2009 to be flat to modestly higher than 2008; this after they've laid off 6-10% of their workforce. This mandate for increased employee productivity has proved to be a boon for solutions vendors selling web conferencing & collaboration solutions, teleworking solutions, and training & talent management solutions.
As we all know, in a recession, people managers are tested. Employees are disillusioned, demotivated, and scared. One strategy to ensuring your employees stay engaged and committed, is to invest in your people and their professional development. So, how do you do this in a tough economy with increasingly slim budgets?
You buy training and talent management solutions "on-demand" from companies such as Taleo, SuccessFactors, or Cisco/WebEx.
Some good perspectives on Taleo's blogsite
Business is down, but most business leaders plan to lead a recovery that is powered by improved employee productivity coming from increased use of technology, collaboration solutions, training, and talent management tools. I've spoken with several business leaders who are expecting revenues in calendar 2009 to be flat to modestly higher than 2008; this after they've laid off 6-10% of their workforce. This mandate for increased employee productivity has proved to be a boon for solutions vendors selling web conferencing & collaboration solutions, teleworking solutions, and training & talent management solutions.
As we all know, in a recession, people managers are tested. Employees are disillusioned, demotivated, and scared. One strategy to ensuring your employees stay engaged and committed, is to invest in your people and their professional development. So, how do you do this in a tough economy with increasingly slim budgets?
You buy training and talent management solutions "on-demand" from companies such as Taleo, SuccessFactors, or Cisco/WebEx.
Some good perspectives on Taleo's blogsite
Friday, May 8, 2009
CIO Top of Mind: 1) Virtualization, 2) Collaboration, 3) How am I going to get #1 and #2 done?
According to a recent study by Network Instruments, three quarters of companies will have invested in virtualization and unified communications by the end of the year, despite the worst economic downturn since World War II. The biggest drivers behind this projection are the perceived cost savings and quick return on investments.
Susan Campbell of TMCNet summarizes saying: While this news is positive for this industry, the study also determined that some companies are not adequately prepared. In fact, 75 percent of the organizations that are rushing to roll out new network technologies do not have the tools and visibility necessary to monitor and troubleshoot performance problems.
This comprehensive study included nearly 450 CIOs, network engineers and IT managers throughout the world. It also explored the economy’s impact on virtualization and unified communications in addition to primary challenges in managing these technologies.
Key findings from the study highlight that more than half of all applications will run on virtual machines by 2011; companies deploying video conferencing solutions will double by 2010; 65 percent of network teams have not experienced layoffs and do not expect to in the near future; more than half of the surveyed companies lacked the appropriate tools or visibility into virtual environments; 80 percent struggle with identifying the problem source as their primary troubleshooting challenge; and 45 percent view virtualization as the greatest emerging monitoring challenge.
"While organizations have the right idea investing in technologies that reduce corporate expenses and improve productivity, they're failing to invest in appropriate monitoring tools," said Charles Thompson, product manager of Network Instruments, in a Monday statement. "This will actually create larger problems that can halt business processes and cause network teams to waste countless hours troubleshooting."
This is where partnering with a trusted managed service provider comes in. To get the job done, companies both large and small are turning to managed service providers to purchase: unified communications and collaboration "as a service" as well as virtualized infrastructure (virtual data center, virtual private clouds, storage as a service, compute as a service). I had an opportunity to participate on a webcast with the Kirk Laughlin of Information Week "Catching the Managed Collaboration Services Wave" where we discuss the business drivers fueling adoption of managed and hosted collaboration services. We also discuss how Cisco is uniquely enabling its managed service providers to "envision, build, market, and sell" managed services. To find a global list of the industry's leading "Cisco Powered" managed service providers, see the Cisco Powered Search tool: www.cisco.com/go/cpn. View the webcast and let me know your thoughts.
With regard to virtualization, as 75 percent of organizations have virtual network environments, the majority are running less than 25 percent of applications on virtual machines. This is expected to rapidly increase over the next two years. Yet as the majority of companies still cite monitoring in such an environment as a critical challenge, vendors will need to address this challenge and turn it into a market opportunity.
The study also found that the majority of companies will implement some form of unified communications within the next 12 months. More than half will have deployed video conferencing and unified messaging by 2010.
The Managed Collaboration and Virtualization Gold Rush is on!
Susan Campbell of TMCNet summarizes saying: While this news is positive for this industry, the study also determined that some companies are not adequately prepared. In fact, 75 percent of the organizations that are rushing to roll out new network technologies do not have the tools and visibility necessary to monitor and troubleshoot performance problems.
This comprehensive study included nearly 450 CIOs, network engineers and IT managers throughout the world. It also explored the economy’s impact on virtualization and unified communications in addition to primary challenges in managing these technologies.
Key findings from the study highlight that more than half of all applications will run on virtual machines by 2011; companies deploying video conferencing solutions will double by 2010; 65 percent of network teams have not experienced layoffs and do not expect to in the near future; more than half of the surveyed companies lacked the appropriate tools or visibility into virtual environments; 80 percent struggle with identifying the problem source as their primary troubleshooting challenge; and 45 percent view virtualization as the greatest emerging monitoring challenge.
"While organizations have the right idea investing in technologies that reduce corporate expenses and improve productivity, they're failing to invest in appropriate monitoring tools," said Charles Thompson, product manager of Network Instruments, in a Monday statement. "This will actually create larger problems that can halt business processes and cause network teams to waste countless hours troubleshooting."
This is where partnering with a trusted managed service provider comes in. To get the job done, companies both large and small are turning to managed service providers to purchase: unified communications and collaboration "as a service" as well as virtualized infrastructure (virtual data center, virtual private clouds, storage as a service, compute as a service). I had an opportunity to participate on a webcast with the Kirk Laughlin of Information Week "Catching the Managed Collaboration Services Wave" where we discuss the business drivers fueling adoption of managed and hosted collaboration services. We also discuss how Cisco is uniquely enabling its managed service providers to "envision, build, market, and sell" managed services. To find a global list of the industry's leading "Cisco Powered" managed service providers, see the Cisco Powered Search tool: www.cisco.com/go/cpn. View the webcast and let me know your thoughts.
With regard to virtualization, as 75 percent of organizations have virtual network environments, the majority are running less than 25 percent of applications on virtual machines. This is expected to rapidly increase over the next two years. Yet as the majority of companies still cite monitoring in such an environment as a critical challenge, vendors will need to address this challenge and turn it into a market opportunity.
The study also found that the majority of companies will implement some form of unified communications within the next 12 months. More than half will have deployed video conferencing and unified messaging by 2010.
The Managed Collaboration and Virtualization Gold Rush is on!
Friday, April 3, 2009
Collaboration - empowering the new "Unified Workplace"
Today's business climate is being shaped by a number of forces that are driving an increasing need for all of us to "collaborate across distances"; collaboration that harnesses the power of technology to bring people together in high quality virtual environments to speed decision making innovation, and provide better customer serivce.
From financial issues to societal, business needs to do more with less. Business needs to achieve more with less resources; to have more customer interaction, more partner interaction, and keep employees connected while on the road. The "net is that we must use technology more effectively to increase collaboration between employees, partners, and customers. We must use technology to scale scarce resources, to expand globally, and to gain the most benefit from our human resources. The challenge for most businesses is how to harness the power of technology to increase collaboration when most IT departments are challenged to keep up with increasing demands.
In response to this challenge, many IT leaders are turning to managed collaboration service providers to help them get the job done. Cisco has invested in a a program named the "Cisco Powered Program" to help business decision makers easily find the industry's leading managed service providers. Verizon was just awarded TMC's Unified Communications and Collaboration service of the year; I encourage all to take a look at their service offerings to explore how they can take your business forward.
From financial issues to societal, business needs to do more with less. Business needs to achieve more with less resources; to have more customer interaction, more partner interaction, and keep employees connected while on the road. The "net is that we must use technology more effectively to increase collaboration between employees, partners, and customers. We must use technology to scale scarce resources, to expand globally, and to gain the most benefit from our human resources. The challenge for most businesses is how to harness the power of technology to increase collaboration when most IT departments are challenged to keep up with increasing demands.
In response to this challenge, many IT leaders are turning to managed collaboration service providers to help them get the job done. Cisco has invested in a a program named the "Cisco Powered Program" to help business decision makers easily find the industry's leading managed service providers. Verizon was just awarded TMC's Unified Communications and Collaboration service of the year; I encourage all to take a look at their service offerings to explore how they can take your business forward.
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