Remote access to work premises has become the new normal for many Hong Kong businesses as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. To enable companies to work securely from any location, Ricoh Hong Kong Limited, a leading provider of office solutions, and Cisco, the worldwide leader in networking technology, announced a joint solution — the Secure Remote Access Solution powered by Cisco Meraki.
This move is intended to enhance the hybrid working capabilities of companies through the Internet of Things (IoT) support. Ricoh and Cisco Meraki combined network security and Auto VPN elements, aim to optimize the Hong Kong hybrid workplace with cloud services and IT equipment.
“Cisco is very pleased to partner with Ricoh in the Hong Kong market to introduce Cisco Meraki’s Secure Remote Access Solutions, assisting companies of all sizes to implement hybrid working, and therefore meeting their requirements for unlocking the power and efficiencies of modern workstyle and smart workplace,” Andrew Wong, head of partner organization at Cisco Hong Kong, added.
Ricky Chong, senior director at Ricoh Hong Kong, added, “This partnership with Cisco combines basic network facilities and high-quality network services and can offer more professional and highly-efficient IT support for different types of companies.”
Through the Meraki cloud platform, Ricoh customers can connect their devices to an office network by simply using relevant wireless tools. The company offers a special service hotline for assistance with this process. By calling the Ricoh Cisco special service hotline, Ricoh will complete the setup through the Meraki cloud platform.
This service provides business organizations with automatic site-to-site VPN and enterprise-grade network security so that employees can use authorized computers, mobile devices, IP Phones, etc., to connect securely to the Internet and the company network while working at home.
By using secure and smooth interconnectivity, Cisco claims that employees will feel like they are working from within their company premises, improving work efficiency across the hybrid work set-up. This, in turn, is expected to minimize workloads for IT departments as well as lower costs and improve efficiency.
“Technology can help companies to create a smart workplace, saving an estimated average of 15% of office space required, but also improves employee working efficiency and creativity. Considering that remote and hybrid work modes are becoming prevalent in the post-pandemic era, being able to rely on a network connection out of the office is an important issue,” Chong further explained.
Meanwhile, Wong added, “Network connectivity is the most basic and important IT infrastructure required for any business operation. As more digital solutions, sensors, and artificial intelligence technologies are applied to various business activities, stable performance, flexible control, and network security are the three most important points for companies.”
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Source: https://www.cdotrends.com/story/16683/ricoh-and-cisco-meraki-launch-secure-remote-access-solution