When it comes to relevancy and competition in a digital era, do you have the tools and technologies to accelerate business growth? A better question -do you have flexibility when it comes to purchasing and paying for them?

This year, U.S. businesses, nonprofits and government agencies will spend 1.6 trillion in capital goods or fixed business investments, financing a majority of those assets. Equipment and software investment will also grow 9.1 percent. And while many factors go into predicting trends like these, what is clear is that businesses are ready to invest in the solutions that will help them keep pace with a rapidly changing digital landscape.

The Impact of Digital Transformation

Over the course of the past year, we've seen digital transformation significantly affect the ways businesses expand their reach, capabilities and customer engagement. To help them successfully navigate these focus areas, Cisco Capital continues to strive to be a flexible and agile partner that not only provides service to our customers, but also one that helps them remain competitive in their markets.

IDC reports that by the end of 2019, the need for improved agility, better manageability and enhanced asset usage will force companies pursuing digital transformation to migrate more than 50% of the IT infrastructure in their datacenter and edge locations to a software-defined model.

Artificial intelligence, virtual reality, machine learning and block-chain based businesses are just a few examples of innovation that can completely transform a business' trajectory and why companies are ready to explore better financing solutions to accelerate adoption. Because of this, consumption-based procurement is fast becoming preferred over traditional procurement, and customers are trending toward more "pay-per-use" offers. This in turn has seen the rise in the flexible payment solutions -an area of expertise for Cisco Capital.

The Freedom of Flexibility

Network World reported that by 2020, consumption-based procurement in data centers will eclipse traditional procurement through improved "as a service" models, thus accounting for as much as 40% of enterprises' IT infrastructure spending. To keep pace with the innovation, customers want flexible payment solutions that optimize cash flow, offer discounts and offer enhanced credit capacity and profitability.

Cisco Capital has made it easier than ever for customers to acquire the Cisco technology they want and the flexibility, innovation and agility they need. From SMBs to the largest of enterprises, the common denominator for our customers and partners is the desire to drive business outcomes. To assist in this, especially in the wake of solid economic growth fueled by consumer optimism, business investment growth and higher business confidence, we have worked steadily to innovate our product offerings and services:

• From consumption models to pay-as-you-go options, we have the ideal payment solution that will help you achieve desired business outcomes.
• Our adaptable solutions present new ways to both consume and deliver digital transformation, while avoiding the trap of technology obsolescence.
• When the market fluctuates, we make it simple to quickly access the technology you need, leading to faster decision making and ultimately, better ROI and bottom lines.

In 2017, Cisco Capital celebrated its 20^thanniversary, and to say the industry has changed over these two decades is an understatement. However, whatever transpired over this time, we never lost sight of the importance our customers and partners place on staying ahead of change, and we're honored to continue to partner with them.

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