Cisco SME plan pleases channel

Corporate resellers are happy their skills are recognised in the vendor?s accreditation strategy

A fresh channel initiative from Cisco will result in 220 resellers losing their existing accreditation, it has emerged.

This week, Cisco announced a worldwide channel programme that will offer three certification levels, aimed at improving technical capability for resellers and allowing the lucky ones to sell a broader range of Cisco products. The channel programme will move into the small and medium enterprise market.

Cisco has responded to complaints from corporate resellers that its existing scheme, dubbed Pro, allowed unskilled dealers to install products.

Richard Bradley, director of UK channel sales, said: ?Criteria to become a premier reseller used to be much lighter. The toughening up will make buyers in small to medium-sized businesses much more comfortable about buying through resellers.?

George Chaplin, Cisco product manager at Computacenter, welcomed the move. ?Until recently, Cisco had a two-tier approach to their channel,? he said. ?Basically it left them unequipped to sell and support Cisco equipment.?

He said this had done Cisco a disservice against its competition. ?Cisco was in danger of shooting itself in the the foot. Now partners like us will need a better level of accreditation and a turnover commitment.?

But another corporate reseller said Cisco was likely to lose 225 of its Pro partners because of the change. ?It?s an attempt to clear the murking of the water from when Cisco launched the Pro programme.?

Trevor Dearing, network product manager at Bay Networks, said: ?Cisco is trying to spread its wings in many areas but the SME arena is fiercely competitive.? He said his firm and others were well established there and claimed it will be difficult for Cisco.