March 13, 2010
By

D.H. Kass

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Distributor Tech Data Corp. said it will carry the entire portfolio of Cisco Systems Inc.’s Service Provider Video Technology Group, including products acquired through the vendor’s acquisition of Scientific Atlanta in 2006.

Officials said that not only is the distribution agreement indicative of the explosive growth of video and associated technologies and services but also a notable development for channel partners.

Tech Data said that its Cisco Solutions Group will handle the line of SPVTG products and services, including IP-based networking solutions and analog equipment aimed at customers maintaining existing video distribution networks.

The distributor said it will direct the SPVTG folder at a variety of channel partners, ranging from Internet Service Providers (ISP) to cable operators and IT resellers. The agreement allows channel partners to purchase the SPVTG products through distribution for the first time.

Chuck Bartlett, Tech Data vice president, Cisco Solutions Group, said that the rapid growth of video will strongly influence how channel partners deploy network infrastructure solutions.

“Accommodating the explosive growth of video—be it HDTV, HD videoconferencing or the distribution of video content through online services like YouTube and Netflix—will be the driving force behind network design for years to come,” said Bartlett.

Tech Data pointed to data from researcher comScore Inc. indicating that last December about 178 million Internet users in the U.S., or 86.5 percent of the total audience, viewed a record 33.2 billion videos.

“More and more network capacity will be dedicated to providing access to video via residential cable and Internet services, corporate networks and everywhere else through smartphones and other mobile devices,” Bartlett said.

“That trend is only going to continue, and it will change how resellers and ISPs alike design, deploy and manage everything from on-site networking installations to the cross-country infrastructure they connect to.”

Distributor to carry full SPVTG line

Tech Data said that it will carry the following Cisco SPVTG products:

Cisco Access/Edge: RF switches, broadband routers, optical hubs, nodes, reverse transmitters, amplifiers, filters, equalizers and line extenders;

Cisco Headend, Content Contribution and Distribution: Addressable network management systems, digital encoders, digital receivers/decoders, headends, analog modulators and demodulators;

Cisco At Home: Analog set-tops units, digital set-top units, cable accessories, cable modems, headend digital, headend software and the PowerVu Network Center Management Platform;

Cisco Network Monitoring and Management: Cisco Broadband Access Center, Cisco Broadband Configurator, Cisco Network Registrar, transponders, backup and disaster recovery;

Cisco Digital Media Suite: Digital media encoders, managers and players.

Larry Reist, Cisco director, business development, service provider worldwide channels, said that the SPVTG solutions enable channel partners to build “next generation networks that will deliver video services efficiently and effectively via a single IP-based network, eliminating the need for multiple networks supporting each type of communication.”

“The SPVTG solutions portfolio combines Cisco’s unmatched networking technologies with our industry-leading video networking solutions,” said Reist.

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