Nemertes Impact Analysis

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Cisco's Green (virtual-worker) Machine

Last week Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO) announced a new solution aimed at virtual
workers. Cisco Virtual Office (CVO) incorporates routing, switching, IP
telephony, security, wireless, and policy control into a centrally-managed
remote solution. The system, which starts at about $700 per seat, will enable
employees to work from home and have access to the same applications, phone
services and collaboration tools found in the office, within a secure
architecture.

Year over year, a larger number of companies identify their work force as
"virtual". In Nemertes' recent benchmark, Unified Communications and
Collaboration, 89% of companies identified their workplace as virtual, with
29.8% of their employees virtual, on average.

Impacts:

Enterprises: This easy to implement, secure system is especially valuable for
small branch or home offices employees with little or no IT training, as
configuration is handled at headquarters.

Vendors: Twenty-three percent of organizations have green policies that
mandate or encourage more virtual workers. A solution that offers secure access
is key.

Investors: Watch for other vendors to follow Cisco and Alcatel-Lucent
(NYSE:ALU) in packaging bundles for small offices.

Katherine Trost, Research Analyst

http://www.nemertes.com/benchmarks/nemertes_benchmark_unified_communications_and_collaboration_branchoffice_trends_0
http://www.techworld.com/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=104189