SPONSORED CONTENT — Bring-your-own-device or BYOD is a hot topic today! I am sure you have read at least one article on BYOD, consumerization of IT, and working remotely.

I spend much of my time with Cisco Partners across Canada who support small and mid-sized businesses (SMB) . Much of the feedback that I get from our partners, as it pertains to the SMB Market in Canada, is that our customers do not understand BYOD or how to get started with it. Based on that feedback, this article will focus on how to get ready for BYOD.

Today, our SMB customers are really looking for the ability to work their way, use the device of their choosing at any location that will make them most productive while keeping their information secure. Many are working their way today, but lacking the proper training, policies, or security to protect both their information and their employers.

When it comes to IT, our SMB business owners and managers tell us they have three concerns:

• Need to Minimize Business Disruption: Need to embrace the internet and web applications as a critical business tool
• Need to Safely Increase Productivity: Need network resilience and flexibility to control what applications (and data) employees can use and where they can use them
• Need to Minimize Expenses: Need to minimize IT expenses so they can focus on their core business

The main question a Cisco Partner will ask is. …Where do we start when building a business practice, and how do we work towards becoming a trusted advisor to our SMB customers?

Successful SMB focussed Cisco Partners tell us the first step is to design a network that will support devices and mobility that the customer will need tomorrow.

Would your customers value a fully integrated platform with security appliances, wireless and wired connectivity all managed by a single plane of glass cloud based management utility? How about the ability for your customer to enforce application and device policies from the same cloud based management application? What if they could monitor internet usage, allow or not allow access to any web site or application, or offer the ability to work away from the office with secure access to company information?

Imagine, the ability to offer your SMB customers, especially those with a small or a non-existent IT department, a fully managed, secure network with the ability to control and monitor all network activity from any device (Windows, MAC, iOS, Android, etc) anywhere at any time? Well, stop imagining, Cisco has the technology today, which is already deployed in over 20,000 customer networks!

Meraki joined the Cisco family earlier this year. In my opinion, acquiring Cloud Managed Network technology from Meraki, is the most exciting offering we have for your SMB customers.

Do you have 2 minutes? Click here to learn about Cisco Cloud managed solutions (Meraki).

Today, Cisco offers the technology to build a productive and secure network at the cost that will fit your SMB customers’ budget.

Meraki cloud networking products are dramatically easy to pitch and sell. The value proposition is clear to customers, and the product is easy for anyone on your team to demo. Imagine completing a trial, quoting only 2 SKUs, and closing the deal all in a day. For details on the Cisco Cloud Managed Partner Program, click here.

To keep informed of the many tools and programs Cisco has to offer you as a Partner, register for the Cisco Partner Intelligence (CPI) Newsletter – click here to sign up today.

I look forward to speaking with you during my monthly partner update webinar ’30 Minutes to Success for Canadian Partners’.