Since the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was reported in Michigan, many businesses have transitioned their workforces to be primarily or even completely remote.
This shift – while necessary to allow employees to self-quarantine and practice social distancing – has changed technology needs due to the increase in telecommuting.
One of Cisco’s goals has always been to support digital transformation. While this current wave of digital transformation is due to unfortunate circumstances, Cisco is unwavering in its support for businesses at this time.
As a certified Cisco partner, The KR Group wants to help other businesses having to rethink their technology as they increase their remote workforce.
Thanks to Cisco, we can bring five offers to new and existing Cisco customers to help you meet your new remote workforce needs.
- Webex unlimited usage and free trial
- Umbrella increased user limit and free trial licenses
- Duo Security increased user limit and free trial licenses
- AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client increased user limit and free trial licenses
- Meraki MX64s near Z3 prices
These offers are designed to meet the immediate needs of businesses who are rapidly adding remote workers and help businesses transition to remote activity during this time.
1. Â Cisco offers unlimited usage and free trials for Webex
Remote working means the end of face-to-face meetings.
To keep important meetings or weekly cadences on schedule, Webex offers video conferencing as well as instant messaging.
Webex also integrates with other apps, such as Outlook, Google Drive, Gmail, Office 365, and many more. Currently, Cisco is offering a promotion for Webex that includes up to four months free.
With a Webex solution, you receive the Webex Meetings and Webex Teams apps.
You and your employees can use Webex Meetings to schedule, host, and join video conferences. You can also integrate it with your calendar for further productivity.
Webex Teams is an app for instant messaging. Along with messages, you can also send attachments, photos, GIFs, and virtual meeting invites.
Overall, Webex provides a way to bridge the gap in communication companies are currently experiencing as their employees are working from their homes.
With face-to-face meetings no longer an option for many companies, using Cisco Webex allows you to continue to check-in and discuss business matters while adhering to social distancing and quarantine guidelines.
What is the current Webex offer?
With the code wecare2020, new Webex users can receive the first month free in a monthly term agreement and four months free with an annual term agreement.
This promotion code applies to the initial purchase of starter, plus, or business plans. You must apply it in the cart at checkout, and it can’t be combined with other offers.
While we’d be happy to help you answer any Webex questions, you don’t need to go through a Cisco partner to implement Webex. You can sign up for Webex directly on Webex’s website.
2. Â Cisco Umbrella increases user limit and offers free trial licenses
Cisco Umbrella is a DNS security option for companies wanting to protect their users from accessing malicious Internet destinations whether they are on or off the network.
Ultimately, it allows you to prevent and track malicious threats that may make their way into your network while your users are working remotely on their home networks.
What is the current Cisco Umbrella offer?
Cisco is offering promotions for both existing and new customers.
Existing customers
Traditionally, Cisco Umbrella customers are restricted by a user limit, but for now, Cisco is allowing existing Umbrella customers to exceed that limit. This is Cisco’s way to support the increase in remote workers.
New customers
Cisco Umbrella is also extending protection to new customers by offering a 14-day free trial.
This free introduction to Cisco Umbrella gives new users access to the following features:
- Threat protection, including from malware, command-and-control callbacks, and phishing scams
- Predictive intelligence uncovers attacks before they launch
- Instant coverage without any hardware to install or software to maintain
- Weekly, personalized security reports
Like with Webex, you can choose to use a Cisco partner to take advantage of the Cisco Umbrella offer, or you can sign up online.Â
3. Â Duo security increases user limit and offers free trial licenses
Cisco Duo Security is another way to help ensure your users are staying protected while working from home. This multi-factor authentication application allows organizations to verify users’ identities and establish device trust.
As more employees are working from their homes, Cisco Duo allows you to ensure only healthy, trusted devices are accessing your network’s applications by performing a complete health check for all devices every time a user attempts to log in.
Along with confirming user identities and the trustworthiness of user devices, Cisco Duo Security allows you to accomplish the following:
- Gain visibility into access activities
- Enforce risk-based and adaptive access policies
- Enable secure connections to all application
What is the current Duo Security offer? Â Â
For companies already using Duo Security, Cisco is enabling them to exceed their user limit to support an increase in remote workers.
New customers who want to implement Duo Security for their new or expanding remote workforce can access free licenses for 30 days.
Like the Webex offer, the Duo Security offer is available online, but you can also go through a Cisco partner.
4. Â Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client
Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client empowers employees to work from anywhere on company laptops or personal mobile devices. By simplifying secure endpoint access and providing the necessary security measures, you can keep your organization safe and protected while you switch to a remote workforce.
Along with secure access, with AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client, you can benefit from the following features:
- Greater visibility of suspected threats to aid in early detection
- Comprehensive protection to defend against threats
- Simplified management and usability to provide a consistent user experience
What is the current offer?
To cover the needs of the increased remote workforce, Cisco is expanding licenses for AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client
Right now, businesses who are already licensed can exceed their user limit to accommodate the increase in remote workers. If you don’t have an AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client, though, Cisco is offering free 13-week licenses.Â
To take advantage of either offer, contact a Cisco representative, including The KR Group, about getting started. Cisco also has online documentation about what implementation looks like.
5. Â Cisco MX64/MX64W near Meraki Z3 price
As businesses encourage employees to work from home and practice social distancing, many companies purchased Cisco Meraki Z3s for their new remote workforce.
The Meraki Z3 is a telecommuting appliance that functions as an enterprise-grade firewall, VPN gateway, and router all in one. It is designed to securely extend the power of Meraki cloud-managed networking to remote employees.
As the remote workforce grew, it’s no surprise Cisco Meraki Z3’s quickly sold out.
However, the demand hasn’t gone away and isn’t going away any time soon.
What is the current Cisco MX64/MX64W offer?
To address the need companies have to securely extend their networks to employees now working from home, Cisco is offering Meraki MX64s and MX64Ws at a price similar to the Meraki Z3.
The Z3 is recommended for extra-small workloads (five or fewer users), which makes it perfect for individual remote workers. The MX64/64W, on the other hand, is designed for a larger workload of 50 or fewer clients. It is Cisco Meraki’s best replacement for the out-of-stock Z3s.
If you want or need to take advantage of this offer, you’ll need to contact us or search for a Cisco Meraki partner near you. You’ll also want to do so quickly; Cisco is anticipating running out of MX64/64Ws soon.
Implementing remote-access technology
While everyone grapples with the implications of COVID-19 and how it has changed the workforce, Cisco and its partners, including The KR Group, are committed to helping customers through this time.
Cisco has created offers for products, such as Webex, Cisco Umbrella, Cisco Duo Security, AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client, and Cisco Meraki MX84s to support you during this transition.
How can you take advantage of the current Cisco offers?
If you’re an existing Cisco Webex, Umbrella, Duo Security, AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client user, check if your user limit has increased. You can check with your Cisco partner or Cisco’s Technical Assistance Center with any questions.
- You can follow the links (or reach out to a Cisco partner) to start a free trial of Cisco Webex, Umbrella, or Duo Security.
- Reach out to us or another certified Cisco partner to sign up for new Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client licenses or purchase MX64s/64Ws.
For a full list of what solutions you should consider for your remote workforce, download our free checklist.
