Related Link Cisco and IBM are conducting end-user seminars on these products through November 12. To learn the location of a seminar near you, visit the URL www.cisco.com/ seminars. The title of the seminar series is "E-business Strategies for Cost-Effective Internet Solutions."

Packet™ Magazine Archives, Fourth Quarter 1998 Network-Ready Computing Solutions Now Available Small Businesses to Benefit from Combined Cisco/IBM Program Using the Internet as a competitive business tool is an exciting opportunity for small businesses, but selecting and integrating different products from different vendors can be a daunting and time-consuming task. That's why Cisco and IBM have combined forces to create networked business solutions that give small and growing companies high-performance computing capabilities with fast access to the Internet. The electronic business solutions include products from the Cisco Networked Office stack and IBM's Netfinity 3500 or 3000 servers. Together, these technologies supply customers with a reliable foundation for conducting electronic business, exchanging information, and sharing computing resources. "The combination of the Cisco Networked Office stack and IBM's Netfinity servers results in electronic business solutions that are pretested for compatibility, reliability, and ease of use," says IBM's Kate Connolly, Program Director, IBM Netfinity ServerProven Solutions. "Customers can order complete, networked business solutions with a single phone call to a local reseller." The joint Cisco/IBM solutions are pretested under the Netfinity ServerProven program so that customers are assured a smooth and reliable implementation. Installation and configuration are simplified by ServerGuide Installation software and IBM's 90-day Netfinity Start-Up Support. Cisco and IBM have joined forces to train IBM's technical response center to handle post-sale installation and configuration calls from resellers. Through the IBM TechConnect program, customers and resellers can train and certify specialists in various facets of IBM Netfinity technology. As a result, local resellers can quickly install and configure complete solutions and have questions answered with a single phone call. IBM Netfinity Servers The Netfinity 3000 and 3500 servers are powerful, Intel-architected computing platforms that deliver outstanding scalability and performance. They supply a reliable computing platform for e-mail, collaboration, Web-serving, or e-commerce business applications. IBM Netfinity servers run the most popular operating systems and application software to simplify access to business-critical data. Cisco Networked Office Stack The Cisco Networked Office stack is a suite of stackable desktop products designed to deliver Internet access, flexibility, and integration to small and growing businesses. Secure network connectivity is provided via the Cisco IOS® Firewall Feature set. The stack supports multiple WAN technologies and a variety of LAN connectivity options, including Fast Ethernet hubs and switches with auto-sensing capabilities. Pretested Solutions Optimize Performance Haywin Textile Products in Brooklyn, New York, is one company that has benefited from the Cisco/IBM program. Since 1946, this family-owned firm has manufactured a full line of linens and textiles, from bed sheets and comforters to blankets and pillows. Haywin stocks its inventory in five locations throughout the country. Until recently, product orders were taken by phone or fax, then manually entered for processing and fulfillment. Invoices were also manually generated and mailed to customers. The whole process took two to three weeks. As Haywin started attracting bigger customers, company officials were asked to install a secure electronic data interchange (EDI) system to automate order taking and inventory replenishment. Through Eisner Computer Solutions (ECS), a reseller in New York, Haywin purchased and installed an IBM Netfinity 3500 server, a Cisco 1600 router, and a Cisco 1548 Micro Switch 10/100. The IBM server supplied a standards-based computing platform with plenty of room for expansion, while the accompanying Cisco Networked Office stack components paved the way for dedicated, secure EDI pipelines between Haywin and its large retail customers and warehouse facilities. "We knew that Cisco's hardware and software products had been tested to run smoothly with the Netfinity server platform," says Gregg Haft, President of Haywin Textiles. "This strongly influenced our purchase decision." Today, with its EDI system in place, Haywin routinely receives electronic purchase orders from national customers. "We're much more efficient and responsive to customer needs," says Robert Brownstein, Haywin's Chief Financial Officer. "Now that our shop has upgraded to EDI technology, major retailers see that we're more secure, efficient, and easier to do business with -- so they're approaching us to do business. We're looking at 50 percent growth over the next two years. We couldn't have done it without the Cisco/IBM solution." Cisco/IBM Internet access solutions are available now in the USA and Canada through authorized Cisco and IBM resellers. Cisco and IBM are rolling out a pilot version of this program in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, with the rest of the world to follow in the first quarter of 1999. Table of Contents Posted: Thu Feb 4 17:07:34 PST 1999 Copyright © 1998 Cisco Systems, Inc.