Lenovo and Cisco have expanded their strategic partnership to bolster flexible working and digital transformation for enterprises.
At this week’s Cisco Partner Summit 2024, the two companies introduced new offerings designed to simplify work environments, optimise enterprise infrastructure, and pave the way for enterprise AI by leveraging Cisco’s Collaboration Devices, networking, and security.
The announced solutions include Truscale Meeting Room as a Service (TS MRaaS), TruScale WorkSmart, Factory and Rack Integrated solutions, ThinkAgile HCI hybrid cloud, and SAP HANA solutions with Cisco networking integration. Each solution aims to streamline IT processes, enhance user outcomes, and help organisations operate more efficiently.
Brian Connors, Worldwide VP & GM, Enterprise and SMB Segment & AI, Infrastructure Solutions Group at Lenovo, said:
Our partnership with Cisco is a testament to delivering customer-centric innovation. These new solutions represent our joint commitment to providing businesses with the tools they need to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital and AI landscape.”
The Lenovo Factory and Rack integration of Cisco networking solutions, ThinkAgile HCI Hybrid Cloud Solutions, and SAP HANA Solutions with Cisco networking are now available in select markets, including the US, Brazil, Germany, India, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
“Cisco and Lenovo’s strategic collaboration allows us to bring the power of our portfolios together to create solutions for our customers’ most complex problems,” added Shannon Leininger, VP of Global Partner Sales at Cisco. “Whether accelerating hybrid and flexible work strategies or preparing their infrastructure for AI, our customers can trust Cisco and Lenovo to deliver simplified, fully supported and future-proofed solutions.”
Specifics On The New Shared Solutions And Their Feature Sets
TS MRaaS is pitched as a fully managed solution that enhances collaboration spaces using Cisco’s Collaboration Devices and Lenovo’s support services. It intends to simplify modernising meeting rooms by providing a scalable, single-point solution for a better employee experience.
Combining Lenovo’s proactive monitoring with Cisco’s devices, TS MRaaS offers a smooth conferencing experience that both companies outline is easy to deploy and cost-efficient. This partnership positions TS MRaaS as an all-in-one solution for improving employee interaction and collaboration, complementing Lenovo’s Smart Collaboration Professional Services portfolio.
The TruScale WorkSmart solution integrates Lenovo’s Digital Workplace Solutions (DWS) with Cisco’s networking, collaboration, and security portfolio to create a unified, secure, and efficient hybrid work environment. Leveraging Lenovo’s Care of One platform, TruScale WorkSmart aims to ensure seamless collaboration, heightened security, and optimal productivity for office-based, mobile, and remote employees.
This collaboration between Lenovo and Cisco seeks to provide an ideal hybrid work solution encompassing networks, hardware, software, and managed services while eliminating the complexity of dealing with multiple vendors.
Lenovo also integrated Cisco networking components into its Factory and Rack Integration solutions, combining compute, storage, and networking to simplify deployment and reduce operational complexity. This integration produces novel revenue streams and value-added services with more accessible solution management via a single hardware contract.
Lenovo’s ThinkAgile SDI and SAP HANA solutions now include pre-configured Cisco networking for a robust hybrid cloud infrastructure. The ThinkAgile HCI Series integrates Cisco networking with solutions like ThinkAgile HX (Nutanix), MX and SXM (Microsoft), and VX (VMware by Broadcom).
These solutions seek to provide real-time insights with fully integrated hardware, software, and services. They also optimise AI, machine learning, and mission-critical workloads.
Lenovo Unveils ThinkSmart Core Gen 2 for AI-Powered Meeting Spaces
Earlier this month, Lenovo announced its new ThinkSmart Core Gen 2 solution, an AI-optimised compute device tailored for running video conferencing systems in meeting spaces.
Lenovo has introduced the ThinkSmart Core Gen 2, featuring an Intel Core Ultra processor and an integrated NPU designed to handle AI-intensive tasks in meeting rooms. This configuration aims to deliver high performance, enable seamless collaboration, and enhance productivity within a secure, user-friendly system.
According to Lenovo, the ThinkSmart Core Gen 2 is adaptable to various room sizes and configurations, offering flexibility while efficiently managing demanding AI workloads directly on the device.
WebexOne 2024: Webex Unveils Spatial Meetings For Immersive Experiences
Last week, Cisco Webex announced spatial meetings for more immersive meeting experiences.
At this month’s WebexOne event, the launch of XR-oriented spatial meetings emerged as a standout among a range of new AI-powered features aimed at enhancing the employee experience. Other notable announcements included the Cisco Ceiling Microphone Pro, new workflow-focused integrations with enterprise applications like Salesforce and ServiceNow, and several AI-driven workspace management enhancements.
