Cisco Introduces New Partner Program Enhancements Aimed at Simplicity

Cisco has announced changes to its channel strategy as a means of promoting program simplicity while adjusting to changing market conditions. The company is also in the midst of consolidating nearly a dozen separate partner programs into one single program that provides partners with the opportunity to differentiate their resale, managed services, developer, or advisor businesses.

“Transformation is accelerating now more than ever before and we need our programs and platforms to reflect how Cisco and our partners can best succeed together,” said Oliver Tuszik, SVP, Global Partner Organization, Cisco. “These changes will deliver simplicity and allow Cisco and our partners to be more agile, relevant, and profitable.”

The company is also launching its first digital partner platform that provides a single gateway to partner resources. The Partner Experience Platform (PXP) is intended to deliver an improved experience while reinforcing partners’ ability to collaborate across the Cisco ecosystem. The platform brings together more than 100 tools, applications and portals, while delivering other efficiencies, such as faster program enrollment and onboarding.

“2020 and the pandemic greatly accelerated the need for our partners to transform to deliver managed services and SaaS to lines of business, to develop applications and automation on top of Cisco platforms and to generate full customer value across the lifecycle,” said Marc Suplus, Cisco’s Vice President, Strategy, Planning and Programs. “We are taking a bold step to break down the siloes partners feel between our various partner programs that will give our partners more freedom to differentiate and transform across the dimensions of their Cisco business.”

The program changes are expected to be rolled out incrementally. The Partner Experience Platform (PXP) will is slated for availability at the end of November.

Channel Impact^®
The changes reflect ongoing shifts in the market combined with the continued integration of channel programs brought into the company through acquisition.