The need to combine voice, video, and data traffic on converged networks comes mainly because businesses need to reduce administrative costs, provide more flexible application deployments to the desktop, boost personal and workgroup productivity, and provide exceptional customer care to their clients. Converged networks and applications that take advantage of IP empower organizations to increase revenues and decrease costs.

As the IP expert, Cisco Systems is the business partner that provides the industry knowledge and technology to allow enterprises to reap the benefits of converged networking. Cisco also has core competencies in IP telephony, and other IP-based solutions such as unified messaging and customer care applications. Cisco also has considerable knowledge in centralized and distributed call-processing and application-hosting models and can recommend a plan that best fits each organization's requirements. Along with its expertise in Internet and IP routing technologies, Cisco possesses significant core competencies in data networking, from LAN switching to ATM switching, gateways to multiservice routers, dial access to digital subscriber line (DSL) technology, and legacy SNA networks to cable—all of which provide complete, integrated solutions to meet the unique needs of all businesses.