Extreme Business Network Makeover Competition Aimed at Stimulating and Supporting Small Medium Businesses’ Growth and Technological Advancement Johannesburg – 06 March 2008 – Cisco®, today announced the launch of the ‘Cisco Extreme Business Makeover’ campaign in South Africa which will take on the form of a competition with a complete networking transformation as the first prize for the deserving company. The campaign marks another step forward in Cisco South Africa’s ongoing commitment to help stimulate economic growth by making technology more accessible to Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs). The Cisco Extreme Business Makeover competition is open to all businesses in South Africa, employing between 8 and 250 people, which have been trading for 3 or more years. To take part and qualify for this contest, participating businesses will have to answer the questions that appear on the Extreme Business Makeover website at http://southafrica.ciscomakeover.com on or before 30 May 2008. A panel of judges comprising ICT and SMB industry experts will adjudicate the entrants to determine the winner. The winning company will be announced in July 2008. Cisco's experts will analyse the winning company's needs and instigate a renewal of its technological platform with Cisco integrated solutions including a brand new fully integrated Cisco network with Voice, Video, Wireless Communication and Desktop Applications. “For years there has been a call for the larger IT industry players to be more supportive of the SMB market and provide enablers for them to grow,” says Val Moodley, Regional Sales Manager of commercial business at Cisco in South Africa. “Through campaigns such as our Extreme Business Makeover we are able to demonstrate that Cisco is responding to this call by delivering tangible support for this growing portion of our economy.” “Our research indicates that SMBs are becoming increasingly sophisticated and demanding in their use of technology; they are now in a position to take advantage of what has always been within the realm of larger organisations. Until recently, large enterprises had an edge over SMBs with regards to emerging technologies” Moodley explained. As South Africa readies itself for the global stage in preparation for 2010 FIFA World Cup, SMBs will increasingly represent a major economic contributor to the country’s growth. Cisco has long focused on solutions that are smart, simple and secure for SMBs; in this case an SMB is classified as companies with between 20 and 250 users. “Effectively we see ourselves as the change agent, creating new opportunities for South African SMBs to leverage and grow their business and contribute towards job creation,” says Moodley. The Cisco solution is a simple roadmap that emphasizes scalability of technology as well as optimisation of costs. Interested companies can contact Cisco for more information on extreme-makeover@cisco.com or visit http://www.cisco.com/web/EA/index.html About Cisco Systems Cisco, the Cisco logo, Cisco Systems and Networking Academy are registered trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. in the United States and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. This document is Cisco Public Information. Press: Industry Analysts: Legal Relations: |
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