Cisco Introduces Business DSL With Cisco 827 ADSL Router - Product Announcement

Cambridge Telcom Report, April 10, 2000

Cisco Systems, Inc., the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, Monday announced the Cisco 827 ADSL (Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line) Router, introducing the industry's first true business DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) solution. Small offices and telecommuters can now take advantage of the high-bandwidth and affordability of DSL while utilizing enhanced business functionality required for mission-critical applications. By offering the value-added services of business DSL, service providers (SPs) and resellers can differentiate themselves and strengthen customer relationships.

"My business depends on the Internet -- it's how I communicate with my customers, my employees and my suppliers," said Ken Madsen, principal of Riley Design Associates in Danville, Calif. "But to truly embrace e-commerce, I need more than just a pipe -- I need a network access solution that delivers mission-critical applications in a secure and reliable manner while ensuring that I can take advantage of converged data, voice and video applications in the future. Previously, my choice for affordable access was basic DSL service without business-class functionality. With the 827 ADSL Router, Cisco is the first company to provide a DSL solution that will allow me to take advantage of Internet business applications that are designed to enhance my business productivity and profitability."

In addition to high-speed affordable access, business DSL is defined by the following features: differentiated classes of service to guarantee performance levels for mission-critical applications; toll-quality voice/data integration; strong security features to protect intellectual property; and reliability business customers can depend on. The Cisco 827 ADSL Router is the first device to deliver all of these features -- making it an attractive option for small offices and telecommuters.

"With the introduction of the Cisco 827 ADSL Router, DSL is no longer just an always-on access technology -- it is an affordable way for small offices to manage their use of the Internet as a business tool," said Bruce Laird, senior director of marketing, Remote Internetworking Business Unit at Cisco Systems. "By introducing this new class of equipment, Cisco is furthering its effort to accelerate the use of the Internet by small businesses."

By working with their service provider or reseller, businesses can design a DSL access solution that is optimized for individual needs. The Cisco 827 ADSL Router helps service providers and resellers build strong and lasting relationships with their clients by offering them value-added services that deliver competitive advantages for businesses.

"To differentiate themselves in the small business arena, service providers need to find new ways to offer more services to retain and expand their customer base," said Amy Harris, research analyst, IDC. "The commodification of bandwidth is fueling small business demand for more sophisticated services such as security and QoS, and products such as Cisco's 827 ADSL Router enable service providers to address this demand and offer affordable value-added services to small businesses."

Cisco 827 ADSL Router Features Enable Business DSL Features such as quality of service (QoS), security and voice over DSL enable businesses to take advantage of sophisticated e-commerce applications using a cost-effective access solution.

The Cisco 827 ADSL Router enables SPs to offer differentiated service options such as premium, standard or best-effort service classes, allowing them to guarantee or prioritize bandwidth based on a specific application or user. The router ensures that video applications such as distance learning are not disrupted because somebody within the company is downloading large graphics files from the Internet. This is possible because the Cisco 827 ADSL Router uses a wide range of QoS features such as class-based weighted fair queuing to prioritize traffic.

The voice-enabled model of the Cisco 827 ADSL Router delivers integrated toll-quality voice over DSL, allowing businesses to consolidate data access and long-distance costs by sending voice traffic over an intranet. SPs can also offer applications such as PBX extension, which enables small remote offices and telecommuters to have off-premise extensions as if they were in the central office. This is possible because the Cisco 827 ADSL Router supports the H.323 standard to provide toll-quality voice over IP functionality for up to four voice ports. Future software enhancements will support Voice over ATM (VoATM).

The Cisco 827 ADSL Router's business-class security features protect companies' most valuable assets, information. The router enables businesses to fully participate in the Internet economy with the confidence that their data confidentiality will be preserved and their networks are safe from attack. Extended access lists provide firewall protection; preventing unauthorized network access. Later this year, software upgrades will deliver stateful firewall capabilities, providing enhanced firewall security. At that time Cisco will also make available a VPN (Virtual Private Network) software upgrade with IPSec 3DES encryption.