Partners can achieve different levels in each track, so a partner might be a Gold level Integrator at the same time as being a Premier level Developer.
Levels in the program are achieved based on partner commitment, including achievement of company Specializations and individual skill Certifications. For example, a gold level partner might need to achieve four Cisco Specializations and to have twelve Cisco Certified employees on staff.
Achieving higher program status rewards partners with increased support and financial benefits, including increased payments from the Value Incentive Program (VIP) which is Cisco’s well-established channel rebate engine.
NAMING CHANGES. NO MORE VAR
The majority of current Cisco partners previously referred to as Cisco Resellers will move into the Integrator track. The new Cisco program framework is notable for not using the term Value Added Reseller (VAR), instead referring to this group as Integrators.
There has also been a change in terminology from ‘Certifications’ to ‘Levels’, to indicate a partner’s status (Gold, Premier, Select). The term Certification is now reserved for individual ‘Career Certifications’, referring to individuals who pass Cisco exams to become qualified as Cisco engineers.
PROGRAM TRANSITION FROM CMSP TO PROVIDER
The old Cloud and Managed Services Program (CMSP) is being retired and partners transition to the Provider track in the new program. The Provider track is for partners who offer as-a-service and managed solutions to end customers, and who charge customers based on consumption.
Transition of CMSP to the Provider track is taking place during 2021.
DEVELOPER AND ADVISOR
The Developer and Advisor tracks will be rolled out during 2022.
ISV partners who had previously been in the Solution Partner Program will move to the Developer track. These are companies who build software on the Cisco platform.
The Advisor track is new to the Cisco partner program. These are companies who consult with and advise end customers on Cisco solutions.
WHAT CAN WE LEARN?
The Cisco go to market model had for sure become bloated over the ten years since it was last overhauled. Many different programs existed with different requirements and different levelling terminology. That made it hard to understand. The new program is a major step towards simplification and consistency.
As partners transition from old the programs to the new program the launch is phased over 2021 and 2022. There is no ‘big bang’, so all partners do not move in one step from old programs to the new model. It would not have been possible to do it this way.
The four track / three level approach is to be applauded. It’s part of a growing vendor trend to reduce complexity. It’s also part of a trend to categorize partners based on their value to end customers, not based on their value to the vendor. It should be noted that the Cisco Customer Experience Specialization will be mandatory for all Gold Partners from mid-2022.
See our recent blog post here
on customer experience in partner programs.
Key points to note for other vendors looking to learn from Cisco include:
• Categorization of partners into tracks based on their role in driving customer success (Integrator, Provider, Developer, Advisor).
• One consistent terminology for partner levelling that applies to partners in all tracks, no ‘sub-programs’.
• Levelling of partners (into Gold, Premier, Select) based on partner specialization and development of a Cisco practice.
See our recent blog post here
on the evolution of technology practices.
• Introduction of an Advisor track to bring consultants and other influencers into the program as part of the ecosystem.