Registering accelerated growth in the Indian market over the last two years, technology giant Cisco is eyeing scale with its Webex ecosystem. The company has invested in a dedicated India Webex infrastructure, obtained necessary regulatory licenses to accelerate Webex adoption across the country, introduced a full suite of Webex devices in the country, and lowered the Webex suite’s pricing by 50 per cent. India is the second largest market after the US in terms of usage for Cisco.
Purpose-built for hybrid work, the Webex Suite offers a host of collaboration tools that include calling, meetings, messaging, webinars, polling, and webinars while focusing on security. Previously priced upwards of Rs 1,000, Cisco has now lowered the price to Rs 550 per user.
“Our goal is to create a more inclusive work experience for the three-fold growth expected in the number of digital workers in India by 2030. If we do this right, we can level the playing field and create new opportunities, regardless of geographic borders, socio-economic background, or language,” says Dave West, President Cisco APJC.
Webex infrastructure
The India Webex infrastructure, dedicated to collaboration solutions in the country, includes a dedicated data centre and is backed by Cisco Secure products and solutions to ensure data privacy and security. The data center will offer a host of services to customers and allow Cisco to sustain continued growth, facilitate a rich user experience, and deliver industry-leading security and management across the Webex Suite. In addition, local dedicated Webex infrastructure will lower operating costs, increase technical efficiencies, and enable Cisco to provide India-specific pricing for customers. This data center will also allow Cisco to partner with more start-ups, customers, partners, and service providers in India.
This investment comes on the back of a massive and permanent shift towards hybrid work models. According to the Cisco Hybrid Work Study 2022, almost 3 in 4 Indian employees favor a hybrid working environment in the future. Recognising the growing need for more flexible work models, the Government is also taking the lead in building regulatory frameworks to facilitate hybrid work across the nation.
“This is a significant milestone in our endeavor to power hybrid work at scale and speed. As more companies go hybrid, the demand for secure and adaptable hybrid work solutions will increase. With this investment we are looking to capture a growing market that is expected to reach over USD 250 million in India by 2025. With dedicated India Webex infrastructure, we can now offer enhanced performance at a much lower cost to our customers, and empower their move to a successful hybrid working future,” says Daisy Chittilapilly, President, Cisco India & SAARC
Webex devices
Cisco not just offers video conferencing software but has a broad portfolio of Webex devices (hardware) as well available in different form factors and designs that one can choose from. This includes headsets, cameras, desk series, room services, accessories and more. And to scale up in the Indian market, customers who have signed up for Webex Suite will get professional pricing with up to 50 per cent off on Webex devices.
