Cisco kicks off Var recruitment drive

Cisco has bought a minority stake of less than 10 per cent in multimedia networking startup Precept Software. The companies have announced a reseller, development and equity agreement. Cisco will sell Precept's Flashware middleware over an IP network.

Cisco started a drive last week to double its resellers, bringing its number up to 200 over the next three months. The 100 new resellers are needed to sell Cisco's entry-level Cisco-pro range.

The recruitment process goes hand-in-hand with two dealer accreditation schemes; the Ciscopro reseller and the Ciscopro premier reseller. (PC Dealer , 17 January 1996).

Richard Bradley, Cisco channel manager, said: 'The market is going to explode in the area of small to medium-sized businesses, and we need more Var capacity in order to be there when it happens.'

The vendor has also introduced its Smartnet strategy, which includes 24 hour online support and next-day delivery on parts.