After 15 months of co-design with partners, Cisco has officially launched its Cisco 360 Partner Program to help companies meet customer needs in the fast-changing AI world. Built for developers, consultants, MSPs and other partner business models, the new program is designed to better equip Cisco partners to deliver customer outcomes in the areas of AI-ready data centers, future-proofed workplaces and digital resilience, the company said.
Cisco’s AI Readiness Index indicates that while AI-ready companies have a competitive advantage, meeting those needs requires collaboration and expertise from partners who can deliver infrastructure, services and AI-native capabilities. The new Cisco 360 Partner Program recognizes partner expertise and rewards value creation across the customer lifecycle, officials said.
Though intended to drive more predictable profitability for partners, the program also features a Partner Locator tool that customers can use to search for potential partners across key Cisco portfolios like Security, Networking, Collaboration, Services, Splunk, and Cloud and AI Infrastructure.
In addition, new partner designations are intended to help customers identify partners for their particular needs. For example, while all participants are recognized as registered Cisco Partners, the Cisco Portfolio Partners designation is for those who “demonstrate proven sales and technical expertise, practice maturity, and a strong commitment to customer engagement,” the company said. Cisco Preferred Partners is a designation for those offering “advanced technical skills, robust lifecycle and adoption practices, and the capability to deliver comprehensive end-to-end solutions.”
Partners also gain access to new resources to help differentiate and grow their offerings. For example, the Cisco Partner Incentive (CPI) streamlines past program elements and is designed to help partners make more predictable earnings by aligning sales focus and go-to-market strategies with Cisco’s roadmap.
Cisco is introducing CPI bonuses to increase partner earning potential, focusing on One Cisco including the new Secure Networking and Secure AI Infrastructure specializations. These temporary bonuses will expire at the end of July, the company said.
Additional enhanced resources will also include dedicated Partner Value Indexes (PVI) for developers/advisors, mass-scale infrastructure and distributors, with tailored learning paths and opportunities. A new Distributor Development Fund also is intended to drive stronger alignment between Cisco and distributors, officials said.
A more intuitive Cisco AI Assistant for the Partner Experience Platform (PXP) is also designed to help partners work smarter and focus on delivering value to customers.
“The Cisco 360 Partner Program was designed with partners to foster collective success, enable differentiation and help partners scale with confidence,” said Elisabeth De Dobbeleer, SVP, Cisco Partner Program. “It’s about making our ecosystem’s unique value clear to the market and our customers.”
