" ITREALMS: Cisco dangles N4.6m on SMEs

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Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Cisco dangles N4.6m on SMEs

Cisco Systems Incorporated Nigeria, is dangling $40,000, about N4,697,000 in a promo for Small and Medium Business (SMB) tagged Extreme Business Makeover.

Disclosing this, Managing Director, Cisco Nigeria, Mr. Maduka Emelife, said that the promo, which commenced, a week ago, is targeted at small and medium companies who are end-users of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) products.

To qualify, Mr. Emelife said contesting companies must be a business entity and not a government department, agency or commission and must have between eight and 250 staff with at least 10 networked computers as well as existed for a minimum of two years.

He explained that interested companies could be nominated by a member of staff or a director who takes ultimate ICT decisions for the organisation, adding that to nominate, the individual is expected to log on to, www.nigeria.ciscomakeover.com, which must be done just once.

According to him, the registration covers the company history, structure, facilities and business operations.

“If the person is successful in the first round, he can proceed to the second and on to the third before the final round,” he declared.

He pointed out that a week after the closure of the registration billed to end on March 5, 2008, about 15 successful companies would be short-listed and their names published in national dailies.

Successful companies, Mr. Emelife added would now face the judges in the bid to select the grand prize winner of $40,000 ICT makeover made up of latest ICT facility and or upgrade to a state-of-the art suite.

This, he said, would be followed by presentation to the public of the grand prize-winner and re-examination of the company’s ICT suite to determine the best intervention to offer.

“Cisco would then supply and install a completely new ICT suite, if need be, to the tune of $40,000,” he said.

For other selected participants in the promo, he said, they would be awarded consolation prizes which Cisco is keeping close to heart, emphasising that though the registration for the promo would close on March 5, the Extreme Business Makeover will continue till March 18 when the prize would be announced.

The promo, he clarified is not aimed at pushing out stock on customers, but is to improve ICT capacity and capability at the SMEs level.

“Its in this regard that this particular promotion distinguishes itself from the crows and positions Cisco not just as a giant in ICT technology, but also as a giant in social corporate responsibility in the Nigerian project,” he submitted.

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