The VAR Guy

Cisco Systems concedes that many regional economies remain difficult, but the company believes the worst of the recession is over. So how can VARs and managed service providers begin to focus on growth again? During the Cisco Partner Velocity conference in Paris, Senior VP of Worldwide Channels Edison Peres offers these four tips…

… in this FastChat video:

In case you weren’t taking notes, transcribed by The VAR Guy:

1. Strengthen the foundation of your business: For instance get accounts receivable under control. Here, Cisco continues to offer credit lines to assist partner efforts, Peres says.

2. Capture competitive opportunities: Such as targeting Nortel and Avaya accounts. Also, Cisco is recommending VARs acquire weaker competitors and hire key talent. Here, Peres points to the Accelerate to Collaborate initiative.

3. Uncover customer demand: Target deferred projects as well as stimulus programs. Here, Peres notes Cisco’s commitment to 0% financing, easy leasing and the Velocity conference itself.

4. Expand your boundaries: 37 percent of partners are working with one another. Peres points to the Virtual Computing Environment  coalition as a way to push new boundaries.

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