Networking Leader and Software Provider Team to Deliver Integrated Internet Solutions for Small and Growing Business Market
- Related Release: Cisco Thinks Small
- Related Release: Cisco Helps Resellers Target Small Business
- Employease Website
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- April 19, 1999 -- Employease, Inc., a leading provider of Internet-hosted human resource and benefits administration applications, and Cisco Systems, Inc. today announced a joint marketing alliance that aims to deliver Internet business solutions specifically designed for the small and growing business market as part of the Cisco Resource Network for Growing Businesses. The marketing alliance will ensure collaboration between Employease and Cisco's service provider and reseller channels to provide secure and reliable connectivity for the Employease hosted application.
Historically, small and growing businesses (20-100 employees) have had difficulty deploying HR and benefits administration solutions due to overwhelming complexity and resource constraints. Through the Cisco and Employease marketing alliance, growing businesses can access services and applications that were previously beyond their technical and financial resources. Even the smallest businesses can now leverage easy-to-use, cost-effective HR and benefits administration applications that deliver enterprise-class functionality. Pairing Employease software with Cisco's industry-leading networking provides a complete solution for businesses.
"This marketing alliance demonstrates Cisco's commitment to the small and growing business market," said Richard Steranka, Cisco director of marketing, small and medium business. "Cisco and Employease are leading the way in a new generation of Internet-enabled applications and services."
Increasing numbers of small and growing companies are preparing to take advantage of the most sophisticated business applications available to participate and compete in the Internet economy. This marketing alliance, and other similar alliances announced today by Cisco such as Great Plains, SalesLogix, Netmosphere and eCompany Network enables smaller organizations to confidently deploy secure, high-performance solutions traditionally available only to much larger firms. With real-time access to current and accurate data, employees can make better, more informed decisions, respond faster to customer inquiries, and work more efficiently with suppliers.
The Employease Network removes the mystery and complexity of employee benefits by providing employees with self service tools for understanding and selecting benefits. The service also simplifies administration and communication of employee and benefit information for employers. Combining the power of the Employease Network with the power of Cisco intelligent networking enables small and growing companies to fully leverage the capabilities of the Internet to optimize the efficiency of their HR and benefits functions.
"Growing organizations have many of the same employee benefit administration, communication and education needs as the Fortune 500," said Michael Seckler, president of Employease. "Our marketing alliance with Cisco exposes even more of these organizations to the power of the Employease solution."
The availability of Internet business solutions for smaller companies opens up important new revenue streams for Cisco value-added resellers. The small and growing business market represents a significant opportunity to lock in customers in their early stages of growth.
"The Employease Network allows us to improve the productivity of our employees and our HR department," said Sheri Dougherty, director of human resources and administration at Trident. "We focus more on our core business and not on the hassles of being in business."
About Employease
Founded in January 1996, Atlanta-based Employease, Inc. simplifies the administration and communication of employee information by delivering Fortune 500 Web services to small and mid-sized employers, administrative service providers, insurance carriers and other employer services providers. The company's flagship product, the Employease Network, is the leading Internet-based network for managing employee information. The best-of-breed Web services built for this network include the Employer Suite, Employee Self Service Suite and Administrative Service Provider Suite.Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet.Cisco, Cisco IOS, Cisco Systems and the Cisco Systems logo are registered trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.
