Cisco Hosted Collaboration Solution (HCS)

Solution providers are being asked to change to cloud businesses as Tech Data emphasizes its ability to package and "normalize" the various components of cloud offerings in a way which smaller partners cannot; the company is seeking to do this through its TDCloud business.

Tech Data announced its partnership with Collab9 last week, and this brings the Cisco Hosted Collaboration Solution (HCS) to solution providers.

This move comes after the company began offering VMware vCloud hybrid cloud service to its partners earlier this month.

Cisco has dubbed industry mobility and the cloud as "The Internet of Everything," and places focus on software applications. However, Cisco also adds that it is in an ideal position from which it can embrace transition, despite its links to networking gear and hardware.

Ingram Micro's North America Services Division rolls out Cisco's Hosted Collaboration Solution (HCS) to qualified Cisco partners based in Canada and the United States. The HCS addition is sold though the Ingram Micro Cloud Marketplace. Ingram Micro is also partnering with the Advanced Services unit of Cisco to help partners during their HCS provisioning and deployment, as well as to provide management and technical support.

Cisco is enhancing its cloud services in an effort to provide a more advanced suite of cloud offerings. Stocking up its one-stop shop for collaboration solutions, Cisco customers can now access enhanced telepresence, Web conferencing, unified communications (UC) and contact center solutions on the cloud. All services are available as a pay "as-a-service" model.

To avoid competing with their carrier customers, vendors are currently targeting the lower end of the cloud services market. However, problems may already be arising.

Genesys is the most recent developer of predominantly on-premise solutions reaching out into the cloud services market. Last week it announced Genesys Connect for Service Cloud, along with a new Business Unit to support it.