VOIP and Cisco

Cisco is making a move into the VOIP small business market. The area of the industry it is targeting will focus on resellers. Cisco will make the announcement of the new endeavor on Tuesday.

The new VOIP will be called the Smart Business Communication System. It will offer a variety of integrated voice systems and it will allow the users to add in wireless infrastructure, small routers, and other application packages. Some of the variations will be determined by the resellers as well.

Because of the reliance on the reseller for its VOIP services, Cisco has not announced exact figures when it comes to cost. It has said that the estimated cost could be around $600 to $700 for each seat, but it will depend on the package that is delivered to the consumer (phone, routers, software, etc.). The price could go up or down depending on what all the reseller bundles in with the service.

Cisco is not the first to target the small businesses with VOIP. This segment of the industry has the most to gain from the services and has the greatest potential for a profit margin. The key to breaking into the SMB market and holding on to a strong share will be to offer the businesses a higher functionality than the other services already available.