NEC Malaysia expecting greater strides in Cisco partnership

Recently named Cisco Service Provider Partner of the year 2024, NEC Malaysia is also one of the very few partners with the capability to integrate large-scale Cisco equipment, ensuring high-performance network operations.

NEC Malaysia’s Service Provider Solution (SPSL) unit was recently named Cisco Service Provider Partner of the Year 2024. SPSL, which is backed by NEC’s global Centre of Excellence (CoE), is a leading multi-vendor integrator specializing in cybersecurity and network solutions.

NEC, which is also a Cisco Global System Integrator (SI) Partner, is certified in telco and enterprise networks and cybersecurity, delivering world-class solutions with proven expertise. It is a trusted SI partner with the capability to deploy Cisco Telco Network Solutions across Malaysia.

Apart from partnering Cisco, NEC also has partnerships with Fortinet, F5 and Nokia. The SPSL integrates Cisco’s Mass Scale Infrastructure (MSI) to deliver high-performance, scalable solutions tailored to diverse business needs from telecommunication to enterprise operations. This includes providing expertise in Multi-Operator Core Network (MOCN) integration, Multi-Vendor Integration (MVI) and 5G Security for secure and seamless 5G communication.

A subsidiary of NEC Corporation, NEC Malaysia is also one of the very few partners with the capability to integrate large-scale Cisco equipment, ensuring high-performance network operations.

According to Bee Kheng Tay, President, Cisco ASEAN, in today’s fast-paced, competitive market, customers are increasingly demanding comprehensive solutions and seamless experiences that support their business outcomes.

“As a trusted partner of Cisco, NEC has shown its commitment to excellence and leadership in networking and security as they help customers modernize their infrastructure to power AI workloads and ensure security and resilience. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to NEC for clinching the Cisco Service Provider Partner of the Year 2024 award and look forward to continuing our partnership with them,” said Tay.

For Chan Chern Pong, GM, Head of Business Units at NEC, NEC is honored to be recognized and awarded by Cisco as their Service Provider Partner of the Year.

“We are grateful to Cisco for their continuous support towards NEC Malaysia, as we continue to combine the best of class in network technology (Cisco) and our experiences, knowledge and engineering services in the Malaysian enterprise markets,” said Chan.

A challenging ride marked by persistence and determination

Taking a deeper look into the partnership, Eddie Hooi Weng Yew, Head of the Global Network Services Business Unit (formerly known as SPSL) explained that NEC’s journey as a Cisco partner was no easy path — it was a challenging ride marked by persistence and determination.

“It wasn't until NEC secured several key telco projects that we successfully achieved the prestigious status of Cisco Global Solution Integrator Partner, with sub-specializations as a Cisco Select and Cisco Meraki Partner,” said Hooi.

This year, Hooi expects even greater strides in the NEC-Cisco partnership, especially in advancing AI, automation, and next-gen telco solutions. As one of the top-performing Cisco Telco Service Provider partners in Malaysia, Hooi stated that NEC will continue working closely with the Cisco team to co-develop and roll out new initiatives tailored for the local market.

“Leveraging NEC’s global CoE, we plan to bring more cutting-edge use cases, aligned with industry best practices and global frameworks, to benefit not only Malaysian telco operators but also multinational corporations operating in the region,” added Hooi.

Hooi also mentioned that customers can expect expanded deployment capabilities, deeper innovation collaboration, and stronger alignment with Cisco’s evolving technology roadmap. This will position NEC as a trusted partner for digital transformation in Malaysia and beyond.

Building on the partnership

With Cisco revamping its partner program, Hooi stated that NEC welcomes the introduction of Cisco’s new 360 Partner Program with great optimism.

“While the framework doesn’t drastically change the way we currently engage, it brings enhancements that align well with our growth strategy. The program offers NEC greater opportunities to earn advanced certifications and specializations, access improved partner incentives, and strengthen our position within Cisco’s ecosystem,” said Hooi.

At the same time, Hooi believes the impact is entirely positive.

“Beyond reinforcing our role as a top-performing Cisco Telco Partner in Malaysia, the new program opens doors for NEC to expand into other sectors—particularly enterprise—where we aim to replicate our success. With a stronger structure and better alignment to Cisco’s evolving technology landscape, this revamped program supports NEC’s continued growth, innovation, and ability to deliver exceptional value to our customers,” added Hooi.

Meanwhile, Chan Chern Pong, GM, Head of Business Units at NEC shared his excitement about the new and revamped partner program which he believes will be very relevant against the current ICT trends and landscape.

“Since the start of the Cisco partner program, there has been significant evolution in terms of technologies and solutions, and partners like NEC will definitely benefit from this revamp that would look into more relevant and targeted certifications, incentive structure and market segmentations,” said Chan.