Cisco Systems Inc has stepped up its efforts to win over the booming Internet Service Provider market, launching an integrated dial-up bundle and a suite of service and support programs for service providers. The CiscoAccessPath-TS systems, is a bundling of its Cisco 7206 with a number of network management features. Aimed at large corporates and Internet Service Providers, the AccessPath-TS can be configured to connect more than 700 ports simultaneously and has a high-speed interconnect system with a switching capacity of up to 3.6Gbps. The router acts as a call process offload server, enabling ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network call termination and backhaul routing of data throughout the network. Management is through Cisco’s AccessPath Manager – a new browser-based application for adding Cisco IOS network services modules to the unit. The new system comes in a self- contained rack cabinet complete with cabling and a rack component patch panel. It starts shipping in the third quarter priced at $133,000. Cisco’s new service and support programs include installation and configuration services for fast start-up; maintenance services to extend product lifecycles and maximize system uptime; marketing support to attract new customers and generate revenue quickly; and advanced technical consulting services to help improve network planning, implementation and support. The programs will run from June 30.
