Cisco case studies point out specific instances in which the company's solutions have translated into direct savings or increased revenues for their clients. So often, prospective clients are sold on the potential benefits of adopting a new technology but remain wishy-washy on its real-world application. A couple of examples of how actual Cisco clients have avoided stumbling blocks or opened up new avenues through the use of the firm's proprietary hardware help drive home the point.

Cisco's Next Big Thing

Cisco's most recent push is to tap into the networking market for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Previously known for catering to enterprise-level organizations, Cisco's purchase of Linksys may have triggered a desire to reach smaller organizations and even the home user. As a part of this push, Cisco announced it would launch up to 30 new products designed specifically for SMBs between summer 2004 and summer 2005.

Some of Cisco's ventures towards this end include partnerships that allow it to include VoIP solutions as part of its offerings. These partnerships allow VoIP vendors to create total package solutions for SMBs while offering high quality Cisco phones as part of the deal. This benefits both partners, in this case--Cisco's products already have a good reputation in the market which benefits communications partners, while those partners can advertise a working relationship with Cisco, an acknowledged giant in the industry.

Cisco and its partners design products that are geared towards enterprise-minded businesses or for businesses that aren't necessarily on the enterprise track but that value technology for technology's sake. If your business fits these descriptions (and isn't already linked up with Cisco or a Cisco partner), you're likely to find something in their offerings that solves a problem you're facing. VoIP is such an example--merging technological offerings into a single, affordable package is something that makes big business easier and anticipates the needs of enterprise-track companies for telecommunication solutions that can grow alongside these companies.