TORONTO, Ontario - October 10, 2002 - In a move to help Canadian organizations better understand the business performance benefits of IP communications, Cisco Systems Canada today launched the Business Communications Innovation Centre (BCIC) in downtown Toronto. Through one-day workshops with executive teams, Cisco specialists will use a hands-on, interactive process to highlight the advantages of converging voice, video and data onto a single IP network.
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"The Cisco Business Communications Innovation Centre is designed to help executives explore the full breadth and depth of performance and protection benefits that a converged IP network can deliver," said Brantz Myers, manager of enterprise marketing for Cisco Systems Canada. "Once executives start to understand the value IP communications can add to their organizations, they will begin to realize that not deploying integrated communications is a competitive liability."
Customers will examine how IP communications are improving business performance - driving employee productivity, enhancing organizational flexibility, enriching customer relationships, improving business resilience and lowering the total cost of network ownership. During the workshop, participating executives will explore a variety of converged applications, ranging from contact centre solutions and unified communications, to IP video and interactive voice response. The teams will then identify and prioritize the solutions that will deliver the greatest impact for their organizations.
"Cisco helped us realize that IP communications would improve client service and organizational efficiency, while providing long-term cost benefits," said John McCann, chief information office and vice-president technology at Cartier Financial. The company recently installed a Cisco Architecture for Voice, Video and Integrated Data (Cisco AVVID) network at its new head office in London, Ontario.
The executives at Chatham-Kent Health Alliance also found the BCIC process to be rewarding and informative. "The Cisco workshop allowed us to touch and feel some of the more exciting converged applications our AVVID infrastructure enables. This helped us think outside the box about IP communications solutions and visualize exactly how we can improve the way we function as a hospital," said Jerome Quenneville, vice-president, finance and corporate services.
Located at the Cisco Systems Canada's Toronto head office in BCE Place, the BCIC is the first Cisco facility of its kind. The room is divided to showcase the end-user benefits of solutions to business decision-makers, while simultaneously allowing the technical-decision makers to explore how the applications run on the network. Cisco plans to open similar facilities in Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa and Montreal in the near future.
Exploring IP communications
"IP telephony is gaining such widespread acceptance, even in these challenging economic conditions, because it delivers real, tangible benefits," explained Myers. "To date, reducing capital expenditures and network management costs have been the most common draw to IP communications, but ultimately we believe innovation in converged applications will emerge as the main driver of network convergence."
During BCIC discovery sessions, executive team will explore a range of IP-based productivity tools, including:
Unified Communications
Unified Communications brings together personal productivity management tools such as unified messaging, rules-based call routing, and speech recognition to deliver an unprecedented level of communications control.
Contact Centre
Cisco Contact Centre solutions combine such services as intelligent contact management, real-time Web collaboration, and e-mail response management with powerful Cisco IP Telephony networking solutions.
IP Video
Cisco IP Video solutions help organizations gain a competitive edge by employing the latest advances in computer networking and multimedia.
IP SoftPhone
The Cisco IP Softphone is a Windows-based application for the PC. Used as a standalone end station or in conjunction with the Cisco IP Phone, it empowers the mobile professional and delivers organizational efficiency gains.
XML Services
Extensible Markup Language (XML) dramatically simplifies the exchange of information across networks by providing an open standard for bridging platforms and programs. On a converged voice, video and data network XML enables the quick, efficient development of converged productivity tools.
Cisco IP IVR
This IP-powered interactive voice response (IVR) solution provides an open, flexible, and feature-rich foundation for the creation and delivery voice interfaces to IP services. IVR applications merge voice and data systems, transforming from today's simple "press 1 for yes, 2 for no" systems to robust, useful and convenient applications.
About Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. News and information are available at www.cisco.com.
About Cisco Systems Canada
Cisco Systems Canada Co. has offices across Canada dedicated to customer support, sales, and service. In addition, Cisco Systems has a significant research and development centre in Ottawa, Ontario.
Press Contacts:
- Gareth Pettigrew
Strategic/Ampersand (for Cisco)
416-961-5595 ext. 428
gareth@stratamp.com - Willa Black
Cisco Systems Canada Co.
416-306-7732
Pager: 1-800-68-CISCO
wblack@cisco.com
For more information on Cisco Systems Canada news and events, please go to www.cisco.com/ca/newsroom/index.shtml.
