Cisco, Linksys To Launch Trade-Up Rebates

Cisco Systems and its Linksys division Thursday plan to announce a program that lets customers trade in their Linksys products for Cisco gear as their networking needs grow more sophisticated, CRN has learned.

Focused on Linksys' small-business product line, the Linksys To Cisco Trade-Up program would provide Linksys customers with mail-in rebates worth up to 100 percent of the purchase price of the Linksys equipment that they trade in for selected Cisco products, Linksys confirmed.

Allen Powell, director of channel sales at Linksys, told CRN that the program will provide Linksys and its solution provider partners with a competitive edge against other small-business networking vendors. "This is a big differentiator for us as opposed to Dell, NetGear or D-Link," Powell said. "Now small-business customers know that their investment in Linksys is protected as their needs grow."

Powell said Linksys also will offer Linksys partners additional promotional discounts on some of the products included in the program.

Customers that register for the program and trade up to Cisco gear after 90 days and within three years of the Linksys product purchase will be eligible for the rebates.The program covers Linksys' entire small-business line. It allows customers to trade up to Cisco Catalyst 2940, 2950, 2970, 3550 and 3750 Series switches; Aironet 1100, 1200 wireless access points; 800 series routers, 1700 series access routers, and 2600 series multiservice platforms, as well as Cisco's new Integrated Service Routers, announced Monday.