BT partners with Cisco across APAC

BT has ramped up its operations across APAC after achieving Cisco Multinational certification in the Asia Pacific region.

The certification recognises BT’s abilty to sell, deploy and support Cisco integrated solutions across multiple countries/territories in Asia Pacific. The deal also demonstrates the telco has met standards for networking competency, service and support, and customer satisfaction.

In total around US$2.5 million was spent on the program. It entails the setup of specialised labs and the training of more than 70 BT employees in the region. All of these efforts were put in place to better serve BT customers in Asia Pacific, and to support BT's growth potential in the region.

Nathan Bell, general manager of portfolio and partnerships at BT, said: “The Cisco Multinational certification demonstrates that we have a strong pool of highly trained engineers and consultants, and it also enhances our IT portfolio capabilities in the region.

“As BT transitions from a telco into a global software-driven services company, talented and properly trained people are a critical resource, and this certification is a timely step.”

Mike Allen, director of Asia Pacific channels and operations at Cisco, said: “We are very pleased that BT has decided to undertake this region-wide Cisco certification. They are one of the first global carriers to undergo such a large scale certification in Asia Pacific, and we will continue to work closely with them.”

Other certification requirements include meeting customer satisfaction targets for each Asia Pacific country; having highly certified engineers per country/territory on advanced specialisations in unified communications, wireless LAN and security; and passing a thorough Cisco audit process.