TORONTO, ON - February 29, 2000 - Cisco Systems Canada today announced GE Capital IT Solutions has joined Cisco's Gold Certified Partner Program. Gold Certification recognizes and rewards Cisco partners who achieve the highest level of expertise, through comprehensive training and success in selling, designing, supporting and servicing Cisco solutions.
"Gold Certification is a mark of excellence. It clearly indicates to our customers GE Capital IT Solutions is extremely well qualified to help them to successfully plan, design and implement their networks. As a Gold Partner, we go even further by monitoring and supporting our customers networks 24 hours per day, 7 days per week," says Robert Boulet, President, GE Capital IT Solutions Canada. "Our investment in achieving Gold Certification is a reflection of our commitment to training our people and building our support resources. We are now uniquely qualified to offer networking solutions to help our customers position themselves for the world of Internet applications."
To qualify as a Gold Certified partner, GE Capital IT Solutions committed to providing top level customer service to end-users by employing designated experts in Internetworking engineering, sales, design and networking, as well as phone support and onsite response services. Cisco Gold Certification Partners offer a full complement of pre-sales and post sales support services, including standard installation, onsite hardware repair and upgrades, broad troubleshooting expertise and Cisco product sales, configuration and upgrade support.
"The purpose of the Cisco Certified Partner Program is to extend partner expertise and help them manage profitable, long-term relationships with their customers," said Brent Rebus, Canadian Channel Operation manager, Cisco Systems Canada Co. "Partners must meet top-level training and support requirements in order to achieve Gold Certification. Customers who choose to work with a Cisco Gold Certified Partner can be assured of an invariably high level of product knowledge and technical support."
With the emergence of e-business and the convergence of voice/data, network requirements are growing more complex and customers are demanding a higher level of guidance and support from their technology providers. As a Cisco Gold Partner, GE Capital IT Solutions is committed to delivering high quality solutions to meet the current and future networking needs of customers.
About GE Capital
GE Capital IT Solutions is an independent, IT Solutions integrator, providing technology and quality-based growth opportunities for customers. Headquartered in Newport, Kentucky, GE Capital IT Solutions is segmented into three businesses; GE IT Products Solutions, GE Managed Service Solutions and GE Net Solutions. Each business is designed to complement and advance the business' focus on infrastructure services and build on its core capabilities to provide products, services and network planning, all delivered with Six Sigma quality. GE Capital IT Solutions is a GE Capital Company.
As part of the GE family of companies, GE Capital IT Solutions is a valued member of an organization FORTUNE magazine voted as "The Most Admired Company in America" for the second consecutive year in 1999. To learn more about GE Capital IT Solutions, its strategic solutions and its products, visit its Internet site at http://www.gecapital.com/.
About Cisco Systems Canada Co.
Cisco Systems - with $12 billion (US) in revenues and over 19,000 employees - is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. Established in 1990, Cisco Systems Canada employs over 500 Canadians and is headquartered in Toronto, with field sales and service offices across the country. In addition, Cisco also has a state-of-the-art development centre in Kanata, ON - focusing on the development of optical internetworking solutions to build the next generation of the Internet backbone.
The Internet is changing the way people work, live, learn and play - and Cisco Systems Canada is a primary agent of this change and a compelling example of the power of this revolution. By widely deploying business solutions based on the Internet, Cisco Systems saves over $500 million (US) per year in operating costs, has grown revenues by 100% in two years and has increased customer satisfaction at the same time. Cisco produces networking solutions for enterprise organizations, service providers and small/emerging businesses.
For more information:
- GE Capital
Kristina Klopp
Public Relations Manager
(606) 815 7703
kristina.klopp@gecits.ge.com - Cisco Systems Canada
Gillian Hewitt
(416) 961 5595 x428
gillian@stratamp.com
