Cisco Integrated Services Routers: Enterprise-Class Wireless and Routing, Right-Sized for SMBs
May 02, 2005
By Jenny Carless, News@Cisco
"It's essentially an office in a box," says Grant Opperman, chief technology officer for D.W. Morgan Company, describing a new integrated services router from Cisco Systems. "I've got several sitting in my closet just waiting for quick deployment."
"If I get a call tomorrow from a customer who needs us to set up an office somewhere right away, I can put someone on a plane with one of these routers and a laptop with a soft phone," continues the chief technology officer for the 15-year-strong shipping and logistics outsourcing company. "The next day I've got a fully functional office, with all the necessary protocols and configurations integrated with our corporate network."
Improved Networking for Small Offices
Enterprise branch offices, teleworkers, Wi-Fi hot spots and small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) can now enjoy increased mobility, security and flexibility with new Cisco small office routers. A new line of Cisco 1800 Series and Cisco 800 Series fixed configuration integrated services routers intelligently delivers concurrent services, including 802.11 wireless local area network (WLAN) capabilities and security - allowing small office customers to implement a single, resilient system affordably and to take advantage of broadband connections.
In addition, the full line of Cisco integrated services routers (including the Cisco 1800 Series, the Cisco 2800 Series and the Cisco 3800 Series routers announced in September 2004) now supports modular WLAN functionality, providing simple, cost-effective and secure wireless capabilities combined with routing and security features in a single device.
"SMBs and enterprise small offices are deploying ever more complex networks," points out Paulette Altmaier, vice president and general manager of the Premises Communications Business Unit at Cisco. "They need security and the capability to run advanced applications, just like larger installations. By adding to our family of integrated services routers, Cisco is continuing to bring critical business value to these customers."
"Before the Cisco integrated services routers were available, business customers in small offices needed multiple boxes to provide the security and performance they require," says Altmaier. "Now, with just one system, the total cost of the equipment and installation is lower because of the simplified deployment."
Smart Communication
"Our business isn't so much about shipping as it is about information," says D.W. Morgan's Opperman. "And that information is in many different places. So rapid, reliable communication means everything to us."
The company helps its clients optimize supply networks via a range of products and services. In this kind of network environment, speed of implementation and ease of use are critical.
"When something needs to be fixed in the supply chain, it needs to be fixed immediately," Opperman explains. "The integrated services routers allow us to provide that responsiveness easily. One of their key values is that previously complicated deployments are no longer complicated. We aren't necessarily doing anything that we couldn't technically have done before, it's all just much easier and less expensive."
Dynamic Environments
Flexibility is a key reason the routers are also popular with Watt Commercial, a real estate development company with more than 50 offices across the western United States. The firm plans to take advantage of the wireless models of the Cisco 800 Series routers to open and close down site offices quickly.
"The field environment is dynamic: remote offices open and close - or change size - rapidly, depending on the needs of a particular project," says Dan Campbell, chief information officer. "The new wireless capabilities in the Cisco integrated services routers just make deployment that much easier. The fact that we don't have to deal with a complicated cable infrastructure adds greatly to the ease of installation."
Maintenance and support are also dramatically easier. "To install an integrated services router in a small office, I can literally talk an employee through it over the phone," Campbell says. "It makes network management much easier to support with a small IT staff."
The routers' security features mean that Watt Commercial can allow contractors to access the network even at remote sites. "They can use our network without additional infrastructure. But even more importantly, we know they can access what they need without compromising our internal resources," Campbell points out.
New Channel Opportunities
Cisco channel affiliates also benefit from the new routers.
"One of the best features of a bundled device like this is that we can offer enterprise-level switching, routing, security and wireless on an SMB budget," says Gary Nordine, chief executive officer of NetXperts, an IT services provider that specializes in wireless deployments. "It gives the enterprise features we need as well as the highest levels of WLAN and routing security with Cisco IOS software in a small form factor and price point that customers can afford."
"This really opens up a new opportunity for us to talk to SMBs," adds Tom Hagin, vice president of Sales at NetXperts. "We can demonstrate the benefits of using the same features that enterprises use - in the small business environment. With all the enterprise-class features in one box, they don't have to buy several pieces of equipment. And these routers offer federally-compliant security features that you simply can't get in consumer-grade wireless."
Whether the deployment is in an enterprise branch office, a doctor's office or a real estate site office, the new Cisco integrated services routers are helping businesses of all sizes by providing security, flexibility and mobility in a more affordable format.
"D.W. Morgan is a strong company when it stands on its own two feet," says Opperman. "But when we can run our business standing on the shoulders of Cisco, it lets us see much farther, have a much broader perspective and ultimately be more successful."
Jenny Carless is a freelance writer located in Santa Cruz, CA.
