Cisco and IBM launch initiative for converged systems

Thanks rumbleph1sh. IBM and Cisco Systems announced a joint initiative intended on helping companies integrate and implement converged voice, video and data systems in their environments.

With the initiative comes new services, being delivered by the two vendors and co-marketed. According to spokespeople from both companies, the new services will provide customers with broader and more integrated IP communications solutions that are cost-effective and able to increase employee productivity.

"IP telephony has been delivering the basic operational efficiencies to customers now for a few years, and we see customers really wanting the promise of the vertical industry applications," said Brantz Myers, national manager for enterprise marketing at Cisco Systems Canada. "So when Cisco works with IBM, we see tremendous strength in their services and their integration practice." He added that what IBM brings to the table is bringing industry value to bear for customers.

According to John Ostrander, a vice president of IBM Global Services, IBM did a CEO survey and one of the things that was evident was that "growth is back on the agenda."

"IT executives and CTOs are looking for ways to drive the adoption of technology that will provide cost savings and voice and video over IP, and I think communications is one of those leading edge trend-setting technologies where we can do that," Ostrander said. "So I think what it means for customers is improved productivity, technology adoption in a reasonably short period of time with very good payback, and really the strength of IBM and Cisco coming together to make that promise of IP communications real in front of our customers."

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