Cisco launches shared support crackdown

Vendor will come down hard on CSSPs caught selling ‘Partner Brand' services to unauthorised third parties

Cisco is clamping down on UK partners that flout the rules of its Shared Support Programme by selling own-branded support packages to third parties.

The networking giant said it was aware that some Cisco Shared Support Partners (CSSPs) are selling their own ‘Partner Brand’ services through third parties who then resell the services to end users.

CSSPs are only permitted to sell Partner Brand services to end users or other CSSPs, Cisco clarified in a letter to channel partners. The vendor said it would contact partners “not utilising Cisco programmes in the correct way” over the coming weeks.

Cisco added that CSSPs who want to provide support to end users through a non CSSP can do so in the case of Cisco Brand Resale service products such as SMARTnet. However, the third party involved must be an authorised partner of Cisco.

Cisco said the crackdown was necessary “in order to maintain a high level of quality in the sales, marketing and delivery to end users of services under CSSP”.

One anonymous Cisco partner said he hoped the move would halt price erosion of Cisco services. But he added: “If SMARTnet met the needs of corporate end users, Cisco would not have a problem.”