CSCO partners with OMKT, BVSN and
Interworld
news.com
Cisco becomes e-commerce
consultant
By Tim Clark
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
February 15, 1999, 4:00 a.m. PT
Cisco Systems is working as a consultant to companies
that sell e-commerce software, in an effort to sell more
networking equipment.
Cisco is cooperating with BroadVision, InterWorld, and Open
Market to tune their applications to run better with Cisco
products, in effect giving them a seal of approval.
By helping the trio make their e-commerce applications run
faster on a network, Cisco hopes to spur the growth of Internet
commerce, which in turn could increase demand for its own
products. Much of the Internet infrastructure runs on Cisco
routers, and more e-commerce could translate into more sales
of those products.
Naming those three preferred companies is the first concrete
step since Cisco's December announcement of a new Internet
Business Solutions Group, which will be rolling out similar
efforts in other Net-based applications.
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"We are capturing our own expertise as builders of Web-based
Internet applications," said Stephen Cho, product line manager
in the new group. "Doing Internet commerce successfully is
somewhat about the technology, but the other side is the
business processes that support the commerce applications."
Cisco isn't even charging for the advice. Cisco partners such
as Cambridge Technology, Ernst
& Young, and KPMG will oversee
application installation at
e-commerce software firms, and
Cisco hopes that customers will
eventually buy its networking
gear.
"We want to be the trusted
adviser for our customers," said
J.D. Stanley, markets
development manager for the
Internet unit. Cisco expects to
book more than $8 billion in sales
this year from its Internet site.
In a month, Cisco's Internet unit will make similar efforts with
software firms and systems integrators in employee services.
After that, the company's program will begin similar alliances
for supply chain management and customer service. Also
planned: industry-specific programs for manufacturing,
high-tech, and financial services.
"Our mission is not to get into the consulting business. Our
objective is to work with partners whose core competency is
the consulting business," Cho said. |
