Cisco severs Cole, eyes SMBs, government

Cisco Systems has restructured its top channel-facing jobs, replacing Kip Cole as channel manager with three positions targeting what the networking vendor sees as its main growth opportunities.

A media report has claimed that Cole was dismissed.

However, Cisco MD Ross Fowler refused to confirm or deny the situation or any further details surrounding Cole's departure last Monday, 3 May.

Further, Fowler would not draw any connection between Cole's departure and what the company is selling as a strategic move driven by new opportunities in various markets.

'I'm not prepared to make any comment about that. The statement we are making is that's all we have said and all we will say,' he said.

Cisco was interviewing internally to appoint three new roles replacing Cole's combined commercial and channel sales command. One will be committed to the channel, the second to the SMB market and the third to commercial sales, he said.

Cisco Systems had not previously had a focus on SMBs. It was not that the older arrangement had not been satisfactory, but that Cisco was re-aligning to target 'new growth opportunities', Fowler said.

'Every week, with my direct reporting, we have clearly identified that SMBs are an opportunity. Technologies such as IP telephony and so on are moving into SMBs,' he said.

Further, Cisco had been investigating opportunities to work with partners in netting Federal deals in Canberra, he said.

'There's a lot of opportunities,' Fowler said. 'So what we have done is create three new roles that directly report to me.'

Former Alcatel head Fowler took over as MD at Cisco in Australia last August.

CRN's attempts to contact Kip Cole for comment had been unsuccessful at press-time.