At yesterday’s Enterprise 2.0 conference, Cisco Systems announced the impending Cisco Quad 2.5 social enterprise collaboration platform will be available through the company’s cloud provider partner base. The Xerox-owned ACS, Logicalis UK and Australia-based Optus subsidiary Alphawest will be providing the solution at launch, with Capgemini signed on to provide integration services. But Cisco is indicating that partners large and small will be able to add Quad to their hosted service portfolio.

Cisco is especially promoting the channel availability of Quad 2.5 as a way for midmarket enterprises with 1,000 seats and more to take advantage of the collaboration platform. It’s also available as an on-premises solution, which Cisco’s channel partners will be able to offer their customers when Quad 2.5 officially drops in August, according to the press release.

Capgemini will be offering organizations consulting services around Cisco Quad 2.5, including “defining use cases and business goals for social collaboration to implementing and integrating Quad within the customer’s existing processes and environments,” according to that same press release. In the past, Capgemini has provided similar services for VMware and Microsoft BPOS solutions.

Cisco also noted Quad 2.5 will come with pre-built integrations with content management systems such as EMC Documentum and Microsoft Sharepoint 2007, so organizations won’t have to abandon their investments in those systems. Quad also integrates with instant messaging platforms Microsoft OCS 2007, IBM Sametime and Cisco Jabber.

And, of course, Cisco is hyping its UC/collaboration solution is unique enough to add value above and beyond those “other” platforms and protocols. But will channel partners bite? Stay tuned to TalkinCloud for clues.

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