Welcome back to the KSS Informer and the reality that winter is around the corner, although with the incessant rains we have experienced in the past few months, you’d swear we were in a rain forest somewhere in South America.

Since our last issue, KSS proudly celebrated its 10th birthday and in achieving this milestone, must acknowledge our customers who have been an integral part of the growth of KSS. As part of our ongoing growth, we continue to recruit some of the industry’s top talent to complement both the service delivery and sales teams in order to provide you with the levels of support you expect.

Anyone visiting KSS recently would think there was a hospital ward in the building. With both Lyn Andrews and Kore Olivier having been out of action for a couple of months, we are pleased to welcome them back, fully repaired and functional. If nothing else, the rest of us have learnt about the challenges that a back brace and neck brace bring with them.

In this issue, we introduce you to new Cisco offerings, their Advanced Collaborative Media 9900 Endpoints and their Unified Communications latest release, version 8.0. We also profile two newcomers to the sales team, Tebogo Masilela and Elia Carvalho.

Lastly, our RSM Managed Service offering launched last month has generated great interest in the market and we look forward to sharing the benefits of that service with you. Please visit our website for more information or request a copy of the launch newsflash we sent out.

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

	Cisco Media 9900 Endpoints
	Cisco System Release 8.0
	Introducing New Staff

INTRODUCING

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

	Cisco Media 9900 Endpoints
	Cisco System Release 8.0
	Introducing New Staff

CISCO ADVANCED COLLABORATIVE MEDIA 9900 ENDPOINTS

Accelerate decision making with the addition of high-performance business video directly from your desk phone.

The Cisco Unified IP Phone 9900 Series delivers high-quality, interactive multimedia communications and advanced features in an elegant ergonomic design that is user - and eco-friendly.

9900 Features and benefits include

• Interactive high-performance business video elevates and personalizes communications ( Requires Cisco Unified Video Camera)
• Large, backlit, vibrant high-resolution fully-adjustable colour displays enrich user experience for easy viewing
• Bluetooth 2.0 headsets add freedom at the desk.
• Dual standard USB 2.0 ports support USB wired headsets for greater choice and convenience
• High-definition voice (HD voice) provides greater clarity in communications
• Gigabit Ethernet switch ports enable collocation of a multimedia PC for reduced infrastructure costs
• Tri-colour illuminated LED line/feature keys support at-a-glance status for primary and shared lines.
•  XML and MIDlet applications add business value
• Cisco Unified IP Colour Key Expansion Module adds scalability with additional programmable line/feature keys
• Two colour options and handset styles increase flexibility and comfort
• Eco-friendly features include:
• Reground and recyclable plastics.
• Deep-Sleep power option reduces power consumption up to 90 percent in off-hours versus the phone in active state during the workday.

Feature Benefits of the 9971

Hardware

Industrial design:

• The phone offers a highly usable and intuitive arrangement of lines, features, and calls. Transfer, Conference, and Hold appear on hard keys to reduce the number of presented softkeys to a maximum of 4 per call state.

Customization:

•  You can order this model in arctic white or charcoal gray. Handsets are available internationally as slimline (140g) or standard (170g), and you can mix and match them in your work environment to enable a feeling of customization and ownership among your team.

Display:

• The phone delivers VGA presentation for calling, video calling, and applications, in addition to a 5.6-inch (14-cm) graphical TFT colour touch screen display, 24-bit colour depth, 640 x 480 effective pixel resolution, and backlighting. The display also supports localization, requiring double-byte Unicode encoding for fonts.

Ethernet:

• An internal 2-port Cisco Ethernet switch allows for a direct connection to a 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet network through an RJ-45 interface with single LAN connectivity for both the phone and a co-located PC. The system administrator can designate separate VLANs (802.1Q) for the PC and phone, providing improved security and reliability of voice and data traffic.

Desktop Wi-Fi Ethernet:

1.  As an alternative to wired Ethernet, this model supports an onboard Wi-Fi radio and antenna that enables connectivity to Wi-Fi access for greater return on investment (ROI) with a voice-enabled Cisco Unified Wireless Network.

Bluetooth:

•  Mobility is possible for headset users within 10m/30 feet of their desktop, so you can go to the printer, a colleague’s desk, or nearby private location while on a call.

USB:

• Two USB ports increase the usability of call handling and applications by enabling accessories such as the Cisco Unified Video Camera, and USB wired headsets

External audio ports:

•  General-purpose audio-in and audio-out ports enable a relaxed speakerphone experience over external speakers and the microphone.

Six lines expanding to 114 with 3 key expansion modules:

•  The phone offers many speed dials and programmable features, so you can follow the activity of many lines. Up to 200 calls per device are supported.

Buttons:

• Six feature buttons with state-indicating LEDs
• Six call-session buttons with state-indicating LEDs
• Applications, Directories, and Voicemail
• Conference, Transfer, and Hold
• Volume Up or Down
• Back-lit Mute, speakerphone, and headset [[stet caps if these are actual button names]]
• Back, End Call, and 5-way navigation pad [[stet caps if this is actual button name]]

Industrial design:
The phone offers a highly usable and intuitive arrangement of lines, features, and calls. Transfer, Conference, and Hold appear on hard keys to reduce the number of presented softkeys to a maximum of 4 per call state.

Accessories

• Cisco Unified IP Color Key Expansion Module:
  • Available separately, the IP Color Key Expansion Module easy expansion and advanced use of lines, speed dials, and features.

• Headset support:
  • Off-the-shelf Bluetooth and USB headsets are supported. You can use your own Bluetooth headset that you use for your cell phone or smartphone. HD voice analog headset support is also provided through a dedicated RJ-9 headset port on the back of the phone.

• Cisco Unified Video Camera:
  • Available separately, the camera enables two-way video calling between phones or to a media conference unit.

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CISCO® UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM RELEASE 8.0

Cisco Unified Communications System 8.0 includes advanced integrated Internet Protocol (IP) applications that allow businesses to extract more value from their communications through federated presence across devices and platforms, and through instant messaging, customer care, conferencing, video and mobility capabilities. These help enable:

• Rich, highly secure business-to-business communications.
• Innovative and interoperable communications, including enterprise instant messaging, Cisco Unified IP Phones as collaborative endpoints, and advanced mobile solutions.
• Flexible deployment models, including virtualized environments that allow customers to use Cisco Unified Communications solutions in a hybrid deployment on-premises and in the cloud as-a-service.
• Compelling integrated user experiences that incorporate video throughout the solution and that recognize the importance of simple and efficient collaborations with customers.

ANNOUNCEMENT HIGHLIGHTS - RICH, TRUSTED BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS

• The Cisco Intercompany Media Engine enables effortless end-user business-to-business communications over any IP network, maximizing network efficiency and reducing costs while enhancing the user experience. Administrative overhead is minimized by automatically learning new IP routes, based on normal calling patterns. Once recognized as members of an Intercompany Media Engine network, voice and video calls are automatically connected. This new solution, submitted today to the Internet Engineering Task Force for standardization, links users at different companies, or between autonomous groups within an organization that do not have direct connectivity. The Intercompany Media Engine initially enables features such as business-to-business video and high-definition voice with multiple levels of security built in, and will open the door to many impactful business-to-business applications in the future.  Service providers will benefit through the ability to offer new business-to-business communications services to their enterprise customers, including the ability to differentiate their network capabilities and offer expanded managed services.

• Powered by Jabber, Cisco Unified Presence 8.0 now delivers native, dual-protocol support for the leading industry standards for presence and messaging, SIP/SIMPLE and XMPP, on the same appliance. This capability provides users with flexibility and a choice of endpoint standards, as well as a messaging platform for developing new business applications. XMPP is widely used in the industry as a person-to-person, person-to-application, and application-to-application messaging protocol. Also available is interdomain federation across companies and deployment models.

Innovative and interoperable communications

• The new Cisco Unified IP Phone 9900 and 8900 Series are introduced with support for interactive business video, Wi-Fi, USB and Bluetooth on selected models. Benefits include a lower total cost of ownership and an earth-friendly design that takes advantage of recyclable plastics and deep-sleep options. The 9900 and 8900 Series join the recently introduced 6900 Series, an affordable line of voice-oriented devices.

• The latest version brings the enterprise unified communications environment to iPhone and BlackBerry smart phone devices, providing dial-via-office, corporate directory and call-log access, and presence capabilities to improve user productivity and reduce costs. This solution complements the recently announced voice over Wi-Fi available on Nokia smart phones when associated with Cisco Unified Communications.

• This flexible client architecture allows Cisco Unified Communications services -- such as soft phone, voicemail and high-definition desktop video -- to work with a wide variety of clients, including Cisco Unified Personal Communicator, Cisco WebExTM Connect and Microsoft Office Communicator.

•  This product provides SIP aggregation services for legacy PBXs, devices, and applications, as well as connectivity to fixed and mobile carriers via SIP trunks.  The Session Management Edition allows organizations to more rapidly deploy new unified communications and collaboration applications and to cost-effectively phase in an updated communications infrastructure.

• With Cisco Unified Communications System 8.0, Cisco introduces the ability to deploy unified communications applications in a virtualized environment on the Cisco Unified Computing System. Support is introduced across the Unified Communications portfolio, including Cisco Unified Communications Manager 8.0, Cisco Unity and Unity Connection, Cisco Unified Presence, Cisco Unified Mobility Advantage, the Cisco Unified Contact Centre Express and Enterprise versions, Customer Voice Portal, and Cisco Unified Communications Management Suite.

• A new offering for distributed customer environments of more than 30,000 users combines the market-leading Cisco Unified Communications Manager with integrated provisioning and administration tools. It is interoperable with legacy PBXs for easy migration of legacy systems, applications and business processes, thus accelerating deployment and reducing operational costs.

Compelling, integrated user and customer experiences

• This multimedia desktop client application provides instant access to Cisco Unified Communications services such as integrated soft phone, presence, enterprise instant messaging, visual voicemail, directory access, communications history, desk phone control and video and Web conferencing all with an intuitive user interface, wideband audio and high-definition video.

• With CVP, contact centres can offer customers speech and video-enabled self-service in a stand-alone interactive voice response system. The product can also be fully integrated with the contact centre. The new version includes a courtesy call-back feature, allowing customers seeking assistance to request an automatic call-back once a customer service representative becomes available, rather than waiting in a queue.

• Cisco Unified Communications
• Cisco Collaboration and Communication
• Unified Communications System Release 8.0
• Unified Communications Products

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ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

	Cisco Media 9900 Endpoints
	Cisco System Release 8.0
	Introducing New Staff

ELIA CARVALHO

Elia Carvalho joined KSS Technologies in February 2010 as an Account Manager after having taken an enviable sabbatical, having spent a year (the shortest one of her life) in the Caribbean with her family. Based on the beautiful island of St Martin/Sint Maarten, Elia revelled in the experience but alas, reality eventually reached her and she had to reintroduce herself to the real world.

Elia’s life in IT started in 1997 in sleepy Port Elizabeth at a company called Computer Networks.  It was an eye opening experience for her and one that led her to finally decide that she had found her calling in life - Technology was the way to go.

She subsequently moved to Johannesburg and over the last 13 years has worked for Computer Networks, Titan IT and Sun Microsystems

A very keen photographer with a distinct flair that sees her involved in a range of creative endeavours, Elia also has a penchant for travel that extends from the Caribbean to the British Virgin Island’s amongst others. Although not the world’s most adventurous type, she has had her fair share of

Paragliding, tree-topping and reverse bungee but has not yet delved into the challenge of base jumping. She also has the added advantage of having a chef in the family so knows how to whip up culinary delights which we at KSS have yet to experience.

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ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

	Cisco Media 9900 Endpoints
	Cisco System Release 8.0
	Introducing New Staff