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Verizon and Cisco Team Up To Deliver Enhanced Retail Experiences

In four separate initiatives, Verizon Wireless and Cisco are working together to create more advanced products and services for their retail customers. The initiatives are as follows:

  • Mobile Tablet – Verizon Wireless will be the first service provider to deliver a 4G wireless version of Cisco Cius™ mobile business tablet, scheduled to be available in Spring 2011.
  • 4G Wireless WAN Interface – Cisco’s 4G wireless wide area network (WAN) interface, on the second-generation Integrated Services Router (ISR G2), will help Verizon Wireless small and medium-sized business compete in the mobile arena.
  • Cisco 4G Enhanced High-Speed WAN Interface Card (EHWIC) – Part of Cisco’s next-generation mobile Internet architecture deployment at Verizon Wireless, the EHWIC spans from cell towers to the network core to support a wide range of intelligent mobile devices and applications.
  • Dynamic Mobile Network Routing (DMNR) – Based on Network Mobility (NEMO) support in the Cisco IOS®, DMNR enables the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network to deliver a faster WAN experience and help businesses scale wireless to wireline private networks.

“In the battle to gain market share and drive customers to the store, Cisco and Verizon Wireless are partnering to offer the Cisco Cius, a purpose-built mobile business tablet, on Verizon’s 4G LTE network,” said Lindsay Parker, Director, Global Retail Vertical Solutions Marketing, Cisco. “Together we are leveling the playing field between retailers and consumers by putting true enterprise mobility and collaboration into the hands of store associates.”

“Cisco and Verizon are incredibly synergistic from an approach to business problems and our market standpoint,” said Ravi Bagel, Vice President and Global Managing Director, Retail & Distribution for Verizon. “Both companies believe in the explosion of opportunities around wireless. We believe it is our responsibility to be industry-specific; and Cisco has spent a lot of time talking to retailers about their business problems.”

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“Enterprises have come to know they can rely on Cisco and Verizon Wireless to put the business communication and collaboration tools they need in their hands,” noted Janet Schijns, vice president, Business Solutions Group at Verizon Wireless. “Together we’re taking the next step with the combination of the Cisco Cius mobile collaboration tablet and Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network. Collaboration delivered over 4G LTE will be a whole new level of access for enterprise users.”

“As the channel walls come tumbling down, Cisco and Verizon are partnering to provide seamless 4G LTE connectivity to retailers as they rush to engage tech-enabled shoppers who expect to shop anywhere, anytime and on any device,” said Parker.

The new business partnership also is helping retailers in their quest for knowledge about changing security standards. “Both Cisco and Verizon have experts that will explain to retailers how to address the ambiguities with some of the standards,” said Bagel.

Greg Buzek, President of IHL Services, commented on the Verizon/Cisco partnership: “In our recent Mobile study we found that 34% of all retailers and 52% of all specialty stores are planning to roll out tablet computers to their store associates in the next 12 months.  What’s lost in the euphoria is the network and securing of these devices.  Retailers must take into consideration legacy applications, PCI and wireless security in their planning.  This partnership of Verizon and Cisco provides that in-depth knowledge in these areas of security and network management that retailers need to move to this new store dynamic without risking the core of the enterprise.”

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