Cisco overhauls partner programme to aid software shift

Vendor simplifies specialisations and deal registrations, alongside adding new incentives

Cisco has given its partner programme a facelift, insisting that a simplified approach will support its channel's transition to software-focused sales and services.

Announced at the Cisco partner summit in Dallas on Wednesday, there are three major streams to the changes.

Firstly, Cisco is simplifying its specialisation programme portfolio, and adding a Master networking specialisation which will include new software and services skill development. It is also ramping up its industry expertise recognition for certain areas such as retail, healthcare and manufacturing.

Secondly, Cisco is introducing new incentives and simplifying deal registration. The new Migration Incentive Programme (MIP) will attempt to provide partners with an offering to migrate customers with legacy or competitive products to new Cisco technologies. It is also simplifying registration by consolidating 15 hunting and teaming programme tracks into two and streamlining the approval process.

Thirdly, Cisco is increasing the number of partners in its life cycle adviser programme and expanding the portfolio of offers available to those partners to more areas of Cisco's business. Two new incentives in the Value Incentive Programme (VIP) allow partners to simplify their software-based networking practices while upping their services, the vendor claimed.

Marc Surplus, vice president of strategy, planning and programmes at Cisco, said in Dallas that the vendor is constantly shifting and evolving its partner programme and its latest changes are a product of reseller feedback.

"On the first area, we are simplifying our specialisation portfolio. We are consolidating our express specialisations from 10 to one. So one specialisation with tracks for different architectures. We are also consolidating our advanced specialisations from 13 down to five," said Surplus.

"There is also a new networking specialisation so that partners can go out and differentiate themselves with customers."

Surplus said Cisco has "massively simplified" its deal registration, where it used to have 15 different programmes and sign-ups that partners had to navigate.

"We have consolidated that into just two and we have automated the deal registration through our commerce tool so that partners respond to some questions and then our systems will work out the discount for them," he added.