Speedy access to Cisco spare parts now in Middle East

The move also will enable Cisco partners to offer improved service level agreements (SLAs) to their clients.

Through arrangement with global express and logistics companies, Cisco partners and select end users will have access to customs-cleared stores of Cisco replacement parts and equipment, speeding delivery times and simplifying the financial process.

"Cisco is committed to its regional customers and so has worked hard to implement this solution, which will greatly ease their access in the region to Cisco parts and hardware," said Ghazi Atallah, General Manager, Cisco Systems Middle East.

In the past, these customers had to source the majority of this equipment from a central Cisco warehouse in the Netherlands, something that introduced the potential for delays. Now, because the equipment and replacement parts have already cleared customs, delivery time is much shorter and more reliable.

"This move is an important part of Cisco's concerted business expansion across the Middle East and strengthens the market position of our partners and serves the end users," Atallah added.

Spare parts that support customer service contracts can now be delivered from local bonded warehouses in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Morocco.

The move will have a direct impact on the type of SLAs that Cisco partners will be able to offer, said Tarek Ghoul, Channel Manager GCC. "Cisco resellers offer different SLAs to customers in these countries - ranging from ongoing system software updates to standard next-day hardware replacement. In some cases, we even provide a two-hour call out and replacement service."

"The opening of the local depots ensures our partners can provide the level of onsite service that customers demand, even if it is two-hour, four-hour or next-day SLAs," he added.

By providing this kind of local access to technology through a third party company, Cisco is following the same business process in the Middle East that it follows in other emerging and developed markets.