Tune in Thursdays – New Cisco Webinars for Small Business Partners!

Cisco is Serious about Small Business and have created a regularly scheduled Webcast series specifically for partners selling to Small Businesses. Each Thursday, at 10am PST, 1pm EST, there will be either a Technical, Sales and Marketing, or Thought Leadership track focusing in Small Business. Check out any of the events below that are relevant to you!

Technical Track – 1st Thursday at 10PST/1EST
Sales and Marketing Track – 2nd Thursday at 10PST/1EST
Technical Track – 3rd Thursday at 10PST/1EST
Thought Leadership Track – 4th Thursday at 10PST/1EST

Here are the upcoming tracks:

Technical Track: The Technical Track keeps you updated on the latest Cisco Small Business Product Launches as well as Technical product implementation sessions we deliver in response to Sales data and Partner interactions.
Next session: February 19th – New Version of SBCS Quick Pricing Tool for Partners https://ciscosales.webex.com/ciscosales/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=928847041

Sales and Marketing Track: The Sales and Marketing webcasts are focused on Cisco products, solutions, programs, promotions and resources. Topics include: Why Sell Cisco Core, Unified Communications, Security, Wireless, and Switching Solutions.
Next Session: February 12th – Cisco Top 10 Channel Programs and Promotions Promotions https://ciscosales.webex.com/ciscosales/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=923508402

Thought Leadership Track: Outside experts and Cisco Executives provide insight and guidance on leadership, communications, recruiting and ramping sales talent and other executive topics.
Next Session: February 26th – TBD

As a note: The full line of Cisco Small Business products are avaiable through ScanSource, so please contact the Cisco Team or your dedicated ScanSource Sales Rep for more information.

I’ve Got a Cisco Service Contract – Now What?

In part one of our Now What? series, we’ll be addressing the question – I’ve got a Cisco service contract, now what? – with our first blog on Cisco’s TAC (Technical Assistance Center) support.

Cisco’s TAC is a wonderful resource designed to assist Cisco partners and customers with a variety of tasks, from helping you troubleshoot issues associated with your Cisco product to assisting you with returning a defective Cisco product.

Here are a few of the most-asked questions we’ve received…and their answers:

Q: How can I access Cisco Technical Support?
A: Visit the Cisco Technical Support Website at www.cisco.com/techsupport, available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The site contains a wealth of tools and documents for troubleshooting and resolving technical issues associated with Cisco products & technologies. A CCO username & password are required to access most of the information.

Q: How do I submit a service request?
A: For minor issues, the best way to submit a request is through the online TAC Service Request Tool at www.tools.cisco.com/ServiceRequestTool/create/. For major issues where your network is down or severely degraded, contact Cisco TAV via telephone (1-800-553-2447 in US). For both online or phone cases, you will need to provide: service & support contract number and product serial number, network topology and explanation, output from show tech command (if applicable or available), description of problem and symptoms, and software versions & types of equipment.

For more information about Cisco’s TAC support, including severity designations, what you can expect when you create a service request, how you can track your service request, a listing of frequently accessed tools, and more, visit Cisco’s Technical Support Overview page at http://www.cisco.com/tacpage/news_training/tac_overview.html.

Straight Off the Presses – Earn Big Bucks with Cisco’s Accelerate Program

Cisco Services Accelerate Training and Incentive Program jump-started a new campaign year by introducing new Advanced Learning modules and revamping the individual rewards system. Training modules are easy to use, and give partners a way to beef up their Cisco services knowledge AND give out some cool rewards for time invested.

Learn and earn by participating in one or all of the following:

• Fundamental Track – Top 200 participants based on highest cumulative score will receive $100 cash gift card.
• Intermediate Track – Top 150 participants based on highest cumulative score will receive $200 cash gift card.
• Advanced Track – Participating partner representatives can receive a $400 cash gift card if they are among the first 50 participants who complete and pass the CSEP (Cisco Service Expert Program) online test.
• BONUS – Take and pass the new Selling Value with Cisco Services for Fixed Switching Products; the top 50 participants based on highest score will win a $50 cash giftcard.

And that’s just the beginning! For more information about Cisco’s Accelerate Program or to register for the program today visit www.cisco.com/go/accelerate.

ScanSource VoIP Assessment Offering Now Available

Is your customer’s network an open highway or a congested rush-hour? Are they really ready for a VoIP solution?

VoIP assessments are an essential step for projects involving converged voice and data. Studies show that “85% of today’s router-based data networks are not ready for successful VoIP deployment.” – Gartner Group

Utilizing VoIP assessments significantly improves the implementation sucess rate to 94%, and also helps to identify potential network issues and reduce unforeseen costs for project overruns and post-production troubleshooting. Prepare your customer for a successful VoIP solution by utilizing the ScanSource VoIP Assessment!

For more information, visit the ScanSource Professional Services page, or contact your ScanSource dedicated Sales Representative at 1-800-944-2432.

Featured Products – Cisco Catalyst 3560 Series Switches

This week, ScanSource is featuring the Cisco Catalyst 3560 series switches. We’ve got very competitive pricing on these units, so please give your ScanSource sales representative a call today for availability and pricing.

The Cisco Catalyst 3560 Series is a line of fixed-configuration, enterprise-class switches that include IEEE 802.3af and Cisco pre-standard Power over Ethernet (PoE) functionality in Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet configurations. These are ideal access layer switches for small enterprise LAN access or branch-office environments. Combining both 10/100/1000 and PoE configurations for maximum productivity and investment protection, they help you deploy new applications such as IP telephony, wireless access, video surveillance, building management systems, and remote video kiosks.

The configurations for the 3560 series include:

• WS-C3560-8PC (8 Ethernet 10/100 ports with PoE and 1 dual purpose 10/100/1000 and small form-factor pluggable (SFP) port; compact form-factor with no fan)
• WS-C3560-24TS (24 Ethernet 10/100 ports and 2 SFP ports)
• WS-C3560-48TS (48 Ethernet 10/100 ports and 4 SFP ports)
• WS-C3560-24PS (24 Ethernet 10/100 ports with PoE and 2 SFP ports)
• WS-C3560-48PS (48 Ethernet 10/100 ports with PoE and 4 SFP ports)
• WS-C3560G-24TS (24 Ethernet 10/100/1000 ports and 4 SFP ports)
• WS-C3560G-48TS (48 Ethernet 10/100/1000 ports and 4 SFP ports)
• WS-C3560G-24PS (24 Ethernet 10/100/1000 ports with PoE and 4 SFP ports)
• WS-C3560G-48PS (48 Ethernet 10/100/1000 ports with PoE and 4 SFP ports)

For more information on the 3560 series switches, check out Cisco’s 3560 page.

Cisco’s PIX515E Series End of Support & Migration Info

Cisco has announced the end-of-sale and end-of-life dates for the PIX515E security applicance series. Here are some of the highlights of Cisco’s EOL/EOS annoucement and where you can go for more information.

Highlights of the Cisco EOS/EOL annoucement -
End-of-Sale Date – July 28th, 2008
End of New Service Attachment Date – July 28th, 2009
End of Service Contract Renewal Date – October 23, 2012
Last Date of Support – July 27th, 2013

Migration Recommendations -
Cisco PIX Security Appliance customers are encouraged to migrate to Cisco ASA 5500 Series Adaptive Security Appliances. Built on the same software foundation as Cisco PIX Security Appliances, the Cisco ASA 5500 Series offers more robust firewall and IPsec VPN capabilities, as well as many additional benefits, including:

• Significantly better performance and scalability,
• Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) VPN support (including clientless, portal-based remote access),
• Advanced Unified Communications (voice/video) security
• A modular design that allows you to add features such as intrusion prevention (IPS), anti-virus, anti-spam, anti-phishing, and URL filtering

For more information about end-of-life, end-of-support, or migration parts for the Cisco PIX515E series, please visit Cisco’s site at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/vpndevc/ps5708/ps5709/ps2030/end_of_life_notice_for_the_Cisco_PIX_515E_Security_Appliance.html

For more information on the ASA 5500 Series Adaptive Security Applicances, check out http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6120/index.html.

Special Presentation – ScanSource Unveils Custom Configuration Center (CCC)

Did you know that ScanSource can custom configure your Cisco product? Better yet, want to get a closer look at how custom configuration can help make you more efficient and profitable?

Join us this upcoming Tuesday, September 2nd at 2pm EST for a special presentation hosted by ScanSource’s very own Jim Palmer, CCC Director, who will cover the exciting new offerings of the ScanSource Custom Configuration Center, our new 30,000-square-foot facility located within our new 600,000-square-foot distribution center.

Register today for Tuesday’s event at https://virtualtrainingcenter.webex.com/virtualtrainingcenter/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=713909914

And while you’re at it, check out our CCC video on YouTube!

Cisco Product Warranty Questions?

Have questions about what type of Cisco warranty your Cisco product is under? We’ve got you covered!

All Cisco hardware and software products are covered for a minimum of 90 days, however, depending on the type, some have a longer or more appropriate coverage length.

To view the warranty coverage level on a specific Cisco product family, check out the Cisco Product- Warranty Mapping at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/prod_warranty0900aecd8045ae0f.pdf

For more info on the different Cisco limited warranty coverage types, please visit – http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/prod_warranties_listing.html.

While the product warranty may cover a particular product during the designated period of time, it is important to note the difference between Cisco warranty and a Cisco service contract. During the warranty length, Cisco will only repair and/or replace defective products. Simply put, warranties are simply a guarantee of the integrity of the product, and are limited in both the duration and the support that they offer.

With warranty-only, you will not get any of the benefits of a service contract, including access to online interactive tools and resources, direct access to Cisco hardware and software TAC engineers, OS updates and upgrades, or Cisco’s premium advance hardware replacement options.

For more information about the many benefits of getting a service contract versus relying on warranty alone, visit www.cisco.com/go/services. We’ll also be doing some posts in the next few days about each of the service types, so keep checking in for more info!

Need WiFi Mobility Design Assistance, but Dont Know Where to Start?

Calling all Wireless resellers! ScanSource now has the resources to help you design and implement WiFi solutions. Through our two new service offerings, Virtual WiFi Plan and Onsite WiFi Survey, we can provide you with the “blueprint” needed for your next wireless deployment. Whether it’s a Virtual Design Plan to determine access point type, placement and coverage area, or a WiFi Onsite Survey that adds real-life performance readings such as signal strength and channel interference – ScanSource is here to ensure a successful deployment!

With the ScanSource Wireless Survey Offer you’ll be empowered to have success in all your wireless implementations. Think of our team of wireless experts as an extension of your business, helping you ensure success!

Click here for more information, or contact your ScanSource Sales Representative at 1-800-944-2432 today!

Playback – Cisco Roundtable Discussion on PCI/Data Security

Missed the LIVE Cisco presentation on July 30th on PCI and Data Security? No worries, the playback link is now avaiable! You can download the slides, listen to the audio, or view the VideoOnDemand, all on your own time. To access the presentation, click here.

This event featured leading PCI experts and executives from the retail and healthcare industries, discussing the evolution of security threats, business challenges, PCI’s role and the approach to managing compliance.

For more information and for event highlights and key facts, check out the official Cisco press release.