Cisco Channel Exec: New SMB Products Will Open 'White Space' Doors For Partners

With the launch this week of new networking products targeting small and mid-size businesses, Cisco channel executive Jason Gallo said the network leader is striving to open new doors for partners to attack a growing market.

"It's a great opportunity to go after a market that is, frankly, growing pretty fast -- that market with 1,000 users or below," said Gallo, global director of partner sales business development for Cisco, in an interview with CRN at Partner Connection Week 2017. "SMBs [are] something that our partners are very interested in. We know that those customers want something that's price-optimized, but they don’t want to skimp out or lose out on any of the advanced feature set."

On March 29, the San Jose, Calif.-based networking giant launched new Wave 2 access points, a wireless controller, and revamped its Mobility Express software – all with a price point targeting SMBs.

[Related: Cisco Extends Opex Payment Model Across 'All Products, All SKUs' For Partners]

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"If you have something that is built for this space, it opens up a lot of white space opportunity that partners might have not been able to reach previously," said Gallo.

Cisco unveiled two new 802.11ac Wave 2 wireless APs: the Cisco Aironet 1815 series for indoor use and the Aironet 1540 series for outdoor environments. Although Cisco did not give the exact prices of the AP's, Gallo said the products were "low-cost." Mobility Express now supports up to 100 access points and 2,000 clients with zero-touch deployment. Cisco also revealed its new 3504 Wireless LAN Controller that scales to 150 APs and 3,000 clients.

Cisco has been expanding its SMB networking product portfolio recently, including adding a new Cisco Meraki phone system and several unified communications solutions.

Partner Connection Week is running this week in Miami, Fla.