MULTI-LINK Communications Products launched its new website this month with several new features that networking hardware customers are bound to find helpful. Among the new features is a daily special with showcases the day’s best deal on a single Cisco or Juniper product like the Juniper PE-4GE-TYPE1-SFP-IQ2  which was offered on the day it ran as a special at 70% off the list price.

Other features include an easy to use quote cart and a bid page in which customers who have surplus equipment can quickly and easily get a bid to sell their used equipment for cash or trade in credit.

Information about MLCP’s standard one-year warranty, as well as leasing and rental options are also outlined on the site. Of course if a customer prefers to speak directly to a customer service rep at MLCP, he/she can do that as well, but the website now gives a wealth of information about specific products, pricing, the company, and networking technology in general.

If you haven’t checked it out, take a look at the new site at www.mlcp.com and then bookmark it. You never know when you’ll be in the midst of a crisis and need affordable, reliable computer equipment fast.

Cisco’s Linksys E-series is a powerful home networking router that features world-class wireless technology. For years, Cisco has been the leader in computer networking hardware and technology, but until recently was known mostly for its routers and switches designed for large corporations and small business. The Linksys E -series brings that technology home, literally, with maximum speed (300 mbps high speed transfer rates) and range (thanks to internal MIMO antennaes). Optimized for entertainment, this isn’t your CEO’s router. Media players, game consoles, computers, HDTVs, you name it, The E-Series will connect it seamlessly. In addition to all that, the WPA/WPA2 advanced encryption keeps your data safe (would you expect anything less from a global leader in networking security?).

The E-Series is just one more option for home networking and with Cisco’s reputation for reliability, it’s a good one.

Why is the Cisco Anomaly Guard Module our favorite product this month? The WS-SVC-AGM-1-K9 “is an integrated services module for Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series switches and Cisco 7600 Series routers that delivers a powerful and extensive solution for defending online resources against massive distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. Designed to meet the performance and scalability requirements of the largest and most demanding enterprise and service provider environments, the Cisco Anomaly Guard Module delivers unprecedented levels of protection for defeating today’s increasingly complex and elusive attacks.”

You can use just one or double them up.

An alone Anomaly Guard Module “provides the platform for processing attack traffic at multigigabit line rates. The Anomaly Guard Module employs a unique “on-demand” deployment model, diverting and scrubbing only traffic addressed to targeted devices or zones without affecting other traffic. Integrated multiple layers of defense within the Anomaly Guard Module enable it to identify and block malicious attack traffic while allowing legitimate transactions to continue flowing to their original destinations. Business operations continue uninterrupted, even in the midst of attack.”

But more guards means even more protection.

“Multiple Cisco Anomaly Guard Modules, working together in a single chassis, can incrementally scale to support many times the single module rate, delivering a scalable solution that easily adapts to large and growing enterprise and service provider environments. The Anomaly Guard Module’s multiprocessor architecture can support future licensed software upgrades to enhance and improve performance for defending against massive attacks.”

We love products that keep critical data safe, and if there’s one module that can do that, it’s the WS-SVC-AGM-1-K9.

Boasting seven different models within the series, the Cisco 860 Series of fixed-configuration, integrated services routers are ideal  for providing secure voice and data communication to small businesses. The Cisco 860 Series offer secure broadband services over Fast Ethernet and ADSL2/2+ WAN links. In addition, 802.11n offers LAN mobility and increased productivity.  Small but powerful, the Cisco 860 Series provide the performance required for concurrent services, including firewall, and encryption for VPNs; optional 802.11g/n for mobility; and quality of service (QoS) features for multiple applications.

We also found that the routers in this series are especially easy to deploy and troubleshoot. Centralized management capabilities give network managers visibility and control of the network configurations at the remote site.

Security features include:  Stateful Inspection Firewall and IPSec VPNs or AES designed to keep critical data and communications secure.

The four Ethernet models include: CISCO861W-GN-P-K9,  CISCO861W-GN-E-K9, CISCO861W-GN-A-K9, and CISCO861-K9. The ADSL 2/2+ models are: CISCO867W-GN-E-K9, CISCO867W-GN-A-K9, and the CISCO867-K9.

The Cisco Networking Academy is a comprehensive, global education program designed to teach students how to design, build, troubleshoot, and secure computer networks. The program helps increase access to career and economic opportunities in communities all over the planet. Networking Academy provides interactive tools, online courses, and invaluable hands-on learning activities to help individuals learn and prepare for ICT and networking careers in nearly every type of industry.

Conceived in 1997, Networking Academy has evolved from a small-scale program created to help schools get the most out of their networking equipment, to Cisco’s largest corporate social responsibility program.  Courses are taught at more than 9000 academies in 165 countries. Over 900,000 students study and develop ICT skills through the program annually.

Cisco does more than just manufacture routers and switches. It does more than simply integrate cutting edge computer technology into business solutions. It sees how understanding these technologies can create opportunities for people in every corner of the world. Learning to support one’s self, family, and community through skills learned at the Cisco Networking Academy can create a better tomorrow for both the individual and the global community.

We rarely ‘feature’ a product that’s no longer manufactured but this month, we felt we needed to do it.  The CISCO1760-VPN/K9 is Cisco’s 1760 VPN Bndle w ith VPN Mod, 96MB DRAM, 32MB Flash, IP Plus/FW/3DES. Although Cisco recommends migrating to the CISCO2801-SEC/K9 which replaces the Cisco 1760-VPN/K9 and is the 2801 Security Bundle with Advanced Security Features, the 1760 remains in wide use globally.  The Cisco 1760 is a highly reliable router that delivers fast and secure Internet and network access by utilizing various high-speed WAN access technologies.

According to Cisco, the Cisco 1700 Series modular design is “ideal for enterprise branch offices and small and medium-sized businesses” and “provides the flexibility to meet demanding and evolving business requirements by offering high-speed broadband and leased-line access, comprehensive security, and multiservice data and voice integration.”

We love this router.  And this month, we’re offering the CISCO1760-VPN/K9 for much, much less than you can purchase it anywhere else. If you’re looking for fast and flexible data access in a reliable router, look no further.

There are six different options for Cisco IP phones, so how do you know which line best suits your company’s needs especially if you’re just starting out?  First, anticipate how fast your company will grow. If you anticipate major growth in the next two years, it may be wise to purchase a phone system that will accommodate your future call volume rather than your current call volume. If your current system is expected to hold you over for at least two years, or expansion is not on the immediate horizon, stick to a system that handles your current volume well and worry about upgrading later. There are multiple capital reinvestment programs to help ease the financial burden of an upgrade later on.

The Cisco Unified SIP Phone 3911 is a cost-effective, entry-level phone that addresses the needs of a lobby, laboratory, manufacturing floor, or hallway. This single-line phone with speakerphone and internal microphone can also fill the communication needs of cubicle, retail, classroom, or manufacturing workers or anyone with low to moderate telephone needs.

The Cisco Unified SIP Phone 3911 is an entry-level, affordable phone. It offers fixed feature keys that provide one-touch access to redial, transfer, conference, hold, line select, mute, speakerphone, and voicemail access features; a display that supports additional capabilities such as caller ID, call history, and phone configuration; and choice of IEEE 802.3af Power over Ethernet (PoE) or local power through an optional power adaptor.

The  Cisco Unified IP Phone 6900 Series helps improve productivity and collaboration while reducing operating expenses. This series delivers simplified, fully-featured and cost-effective voice communications, in a clutter-free design, for a superior user experience. With considerably more features than the SIP Phone 3911, the 6900 Series phones reduce ownership costs by using less power and help the environment with a solution using recyclable and reground plastics and offers a choice of handset styles and colors. Functions and features of the 6900 Series include: full-duplex speakerphone and dedicated headset jack for convenient, hands-free communications; an anti-glare, backlit, pixel-based monochrome LCD’s make viewing easy under varied lighting conditions; a deep-sleep option for reduced power consumption; tricolor illuminated line/feature keys for quick call status indication; and support for right-to-left language presentation on the display in support of global deployments.

As if it weren’t enough that Weight Watchers customized and expanded its security capabilities with a remotely managed, secure,  single-box solution based on Cisco Application Extension Platform, mega-corporations around the globe are still looking to Cisco for ways to help them expand their networks and keep them safe for users. Texas Instruments relies on the ASR 1000 Series Aggregation Services Router. Wachovia uses the same ASR 1000 Series routers coupled with the QuantumFlow Processor. It seems like everyone who’s anyone is reaching out to Cisco for their networking needs.

So why shouldn’t you?

Okay, okay. If you’re first thought is an obvious “Because we don’t have the cash to buy these products the way huge companies do,” you might want to take a moment before you answer.  Cisco offers terrific solutions for small businesses as well as Fortune 500 companies, and there are ways to make those solutions yours even if the components you’ve got your eye on from Cisco still seem expensive and out of reach.

Third party suppliers like MULTI-LINK Communications Products offer new and refurbished Cisco routers, Cisco switches, and Cisco security systems at a fraction of the cost than… you guessed it. Cisco.  Not only does MLCP sell a wide range of Cisco products, they offer a standard one year warranty on all equipment (even pre-owned equipment), offer generous trade-in credit on surplus or old equipment you no longer need, and have staff on hand ready to help you decide which products best fit your budget and protect your investment.  On top of that, they also offer leases on Cisco equipment, and because they work with companies all over the world, they can locate exactly what you need and have it shipped to you even if the item is not in stock.

If you want to be one of the big guys, it makes sense to follow their lead.  But you don’t have to pay full price doing it.