2026 Partner Program Guide: 5-Star Networking Vendor Programs
As part of the annual Partner Program Guide, CRN designates some vendor channel programs as 5-Star Programs. Here are the 5-Star Programs among networking vendors for 2026.
As IT systems become more distributed across hybrid and multi-cloud environments, networking hardware, software and management tools are more critical than ever. That’s even more true as the growing wave of AI applications and agents being deployed need to be connected to operational systems and data sources in order to be effective.
That’s why networking technology is so important to the channel. And so are the vendors that provide them – and the partner programs they operate.
The CRN 2026 Partner Program Guide offers the information solution providers need to evaluate the channel programs operated by the IT vendors they work with or are considering partnering with. The guide is based on detailed applications submitted by vendors outlining all aspects of their partner programs.
As part of the Partner Program Guide, CRN designates some programs as 5-Star Partner Programs because they provide the most comprehensive lineups of incentives, resources, training, services and benefits.
Here we provide snapshots of the 5-Star designees in the networking space, a category that includes providers of connectivity, network performance management, routers, switches, SD-WAN and wireless LANs products, among others.
Details of every vendor’s partner program can be found at CRN.com.
Slideshows in the 5-Star Partner Program Guide series include companies that provide products and services in eight technology categories: cloud, computing, data center, MSP platforms, networking, security, software and storage. A separate list will highlight startup companies with 5-Star partner programs.
While many companies provide products and services that span multiple technologies, we’ve assigned each vendor to the slide show for the technology category in which they are most prominent.
The text concerning the biggest changes to partner programs has been taken from each company’s PPG application and lightly edited.
AT&T Partner Solutions
Program Name: AT&T Partner Solutions
Channel Chief: Chad Townes, Senior Vice President, AT&T Partner Solutions
Most Significant Changes To Partner Program Over The Past Year:
Over the past year, we accelerated quality growth and partner success by streamlining operations, enhancing quality controls, and establishing new routes to market. By removing key roadblocks, we’ve shortened the quote-to-cash cycle, allowing partners to reach new customers faster. Our increased enablement efforts and introduction of data-driven tools have empowered partners with actionable insights and improved efficiency.
Additionally, aligning our channel programs centered more on our core connectivity business is helping partners better serve customers and drive growth, making it easier for them to achieve greater market success.
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2026-details?c=15
Cisco Systems
Program Name: Cisco 360 Partner Program
Channel Chief: Tim Coogan, Senior Vice President, Global Partner Sales
Most Significant Changes To Partner Program Over The Past Year:
In 2025, Cisco unveiled transformative updates to its partner program, with the Cisco 360 Partner Program, co-designed with partners and in preparation for its launch on January 25, 2026. These changes mark a strategic shift to help Cisco and partners drive profitable growth through lifecycle value creation, reward managed services, software adoption, and renewals, and showcase the collective power of the Cisco ecosystem.
Key 2025 announcements include:
-Unified incentive structure: Cisco introduced the Cisco Partner Incentive (CPI), which consolidates legacy programs, including VIP, Perform Plus, and CSPP, into a single framework. This simplifies how partners earn and predict rebates.
-Partner Value Index (PVI): A new scoring system that measures partner performance across four dimensions: foundational skills, capabilities, performance, and engagement. This includes a Splunk Value Index which became available in the Partner Experience Platform (PXP) on June 27, 2025.
-New specializations: Cisco announced new specializations such as Secure AI Infrastructure and Secure Networking, alongside new bonuses like the Cross Sell Bonus and Next Generation Specialization Bonus.
-Predictive Tools: The launch of the Partner Incentive Estimator and Cisco AI Assistant for Partners provides real-time visibility into profitability and performance.
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2026-details?c=33
Dispersive Stealth Networking
Program Name: Dispersive Accelerate Global Partner Program
Channel Chief: Mike Miralis, Vice President of Worldwide Channels
Most Significant Changes To Partner Program Over The Past Year:
Dispersive has transformed its long-standing partner-first approach into a fully integrated global program with the launch of Dispersive Accelerate. Historically, our partnerships focused on the intelligence Community and special forces, but as state-level threats have expanded into commercial markets, enterprises now require the same level of protection. At the same time, the industry has shifted from a detect-and-respond model to preemptive cyber defense and resilience, creating strong demand for our technology and a scalable, programmatic partner framework.
We have standardized incentives, enablement, and co-marketing to help partners win faster with clearer margins and simpler engagement. DispersiveCloud and DispersiveFabric give partners multiple deployment models—cloud, hybrid, sovereign, or highly secure—so they can meet any customer requirement while expanding their own services and recurring revenue. The program is designed to reward real performance and provide partners with a greater share of the value chain as they grow.
We also aligned our go-to-market motion with partners globally, recognizing top performers and driving joint execution across sales, technology, and operations. Dispersive Accelerate now gives channel partners a differentiated and highly profitable path to grow revenue, strengthen margins, and deliver advanced resilience to their customers.
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2026-details?c=60
Extreme Networks
Program Name: Extreme Partner First
Channel Chief: Joe Spencer, Senior Vice President, Global Channels
Most Significant Changes To Partner Program Over The Past Year:
Extreme is actively modernizing our partner program to deliver greater clarity and alignment around our product roadmap, partner engagement model, and profitability levers. These updates include launching Extreme Platform ONE, growing our MSP program, and formalizing our Enterprise Networking as a Service (ENaaS) offering.
For channel and deployment partners, this means they now have a leading AI solution for end users so they can stay competitive in a quickly evolving market. For MSPs, we’re enabling them to serve customers the way they prefer. End-users want the network to just work, and often they don’t want to manage it themselves. That opens a big opportunity for partners, and Extreme has made it easier for partners to capitalize on that opportunity through Extreme Platform ONE.
We’ve taken it a step further by delivering the industry’s first and only consumption-based billing model, which has allowed us to eliminate hefty upfront costs for partners and ensure greater cost predictability. These updates will help partners improve predictability and strengthen their overall relationship with Extreme as we continue to grow together.
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2026-details?c=74
Gigamon
Program Name: Catalyst Partner Program
Channel Chief: John Giacomni, Chief Revenue Officer
Most Significant Changes To Partner Program Over The Past Year:
Increased SPIFFs for top tier (tiers 1-3) partners when bringing a new opportunity to Gigamon. Increased investments in headcount to ensure partners receive timely support.
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2026-details?c=85
HPE Juniper Networking
Program Name: Juniper Partner Advantage (JPA)
Channel Chief: Simon Ewington, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Channel & Partner Ecosystem
Most Significant Changes To Partner Program Over The Past Year:
The Juniper Partner Advantage Program will continue to focus on accelerating partner growth and profitability of the Juniper industry-leading AI-Native Networking technology. In 2026, the program will maintain consistency with incremental changes ensuring business continuity while supporting existing and new partners into the program with resources to accelerate channel business and reward partner sellers. JPA will transition to the HPE Partner Ready Vantage Program the last quarter of 2026.
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2026-details?c=93
Infoblox
Program Name: Infoblox Skilled to Secure Trusted Partner Program
Channel Chief: Chris Millerick, Vice President of Worldwide Partner Sales and Alliances
Most Significant Changes To Partner Program Over The Past Year:
When Infoblox launched Skilled to Secure, one of the key goals was to ensure our partners were set up with the skillset to succeed at selling Infoblox. Over the past year, we have doubled down on this commitment, listened to our partners, and launched improved versions of our key training offerings, all of which are available to partners at no cost.
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2026-details?c=97
Mitel
Program Name: Mitel Partner Program
Channel Chief: David Petts, Chief Sales Officer
Most Significant Changes To Partner Program Over The Past Year:
In 2025, we launched a combined Global Partner Program to allow both Mitel and Unify partners to expand, grow, and deliver new value to both existing and new customers. Through the launch of a combined toolchain, we were able to introduce improved business tools, including a new partner portal experience, and partner measurements for our Zoom partnership.
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2026-details?c=118
NetBrain Technologies
Program Name: NetBrain Channel Program
Channel Chief: Ryan Couch, CMO
Most Significant Changes To Partner Program Over The Past Year:
We introduced the ACE+ partner program in September 2025. This free program gives partners everything they need to offer revenue-generating network assessments to their customers. This is a huge shift that sets our partners up for success, helps them become trusted experts for their customers, and makes it easy for them to show the value of NetBrain.
The program includes free enterprise support, training, and access to NetBrain’s full-powered automation and AI platform. Both cloud and desktop licensing options are available, and NetBrain’s library of pre-built automations is included at no cost. This helps create new revenue streams and accelerates partner growth.
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2026-details?c=121
Nextiva
Program Name: Nextiva Partner Program
Channel Chief: Scott Forbush, Channel Chief
Most Significant Changes To Partner Program Over The Past Year:
Over the past year, we have made several meaningful enhancements to our partner program. We strengthened our channel leadership, introduced more robust marketing support with personalized go-to-market plans, and improved demand-generation resources, and invested in innovative, future-ready solutions built around customer needs.
We also expanded training opportunities and deepened cross-functional collaboration. Together, these improvements equip our partners to accelerate growth, differentiate in the market, and achieve measurable success.
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2026-details?c=126
Ooma
Program Name: Ooma Partner Program
Channel Chief: Kathy Mazza, Head of Channel Sales and Vice President, Indirect Sales
Most Significant Changes To Partner Program Over The Past Year:
Over the past year, our co-selling initiative to support partner opportunities was expanded with additional resources. The focus shifted to aligning support by vertical, customer size, and solution offering, ensuring partners have more tailored assistance for their specific market segments.
We recently launched a new partner relationship management (PRM) portal, providing partners with enhanced access to marketing assets, training resources, deal registration, and performance tracking tools. The portal streamlines collaboration, supports demand generation, and empowers partners to maximize program benefits.
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2026-details?c=133
RingCentral
Program Name: RingCentral Reach
Channel Chief: Brandon Thomas, Vice President, Head of Channel
Most Significant Changes To Partner Program Over The Past Year:
1: Establishing the Critical Response customer support initiative: This cross-functional escalations team ensures that the highest-level support cases get the attention they deserve. With buy-in from business leaders across the company, Critical Response ensures that when an issue arises, it gets the attention of the right people, so we can get to work fixing it.
2: Involving partner feedback into RingCentral’s product roadmap: With 16,000-plus partners in the RingCentral Reach program, our partners are closest to customer needs and market trends. Therefore, incorporating their feedback into our AI-powered product roadmap helps RingCentral stay at the cutting edge of communications technology. We accomplish this through initiatives like the Partner Product Council, which bring top partners together to share insights into what they are seeing in the field. This is yet another way we incorporate partner feedback into everything we do.
3: The RingCentral Connect event series: Part networking, part product enablement, these events invite partners to meet with RingCentral leaders from across the company in unique and luxurious venues. Since the success of our initial Partner Connect iteration, we have also grown this brand to include events focused on product, sales techniques, and technical deep dives.
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2026-details?c=150
Riverbed
Program Name: Riverbed ONE
Channel Chief: Tracy-Ann Palmer, Vice President, Americas Channel
Most Significant Changes To Partner Program Over The Past Year:
Riverbed has executed an evolution of the Riverbed ONE program, aligning our partner strategy with shifting market dynamics, a focused go-to-market model, and an enhanced portfolio that now includes our open, AI-powered observability platform alongside Acceleration and AIOps solutions. These changes are designed to help partners lead with outcomes around visibility, performance, and AI-driven insights.
A major shift has been our move toward fewer, deeper, and more strategic partnerships. By concentrating our efforts on partners who are most committed to building Riverbed practices, we have created clearer engagement models, more predictable revenue motions, and stronger alignment around joint customers and target markets.
We also expanded our routes to market in ways that directly improve partner agility and customer choice. Broadening our MSP SaaS program to cover the full portfolio of SaaS solutions allows partners to deliver Riverbed as recurring, service-led offerings. In parallel, expanding the availability of Riverbed solutions through the AWS Marketplace gives partners ways to transact, align with customer cloud strategies, and simplify procurement.
Collectively, these changes make the Riverbed ONE program more focused, easier to do business with, and better aligned to how partners and customers want to buy and consume technology today.
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2026-details?c=151
Spectrum Partner Program
Program Name: Spectrum Partner Program
Channel Chief: Micelle Kadlacek, Vice President, Partner Channel Program
Most Significant Changes To Partner Program Over The Past Year:
Single support model: We restructured our team to better align with partner needs. By unifying small business and enterprise channel managers into one point of contact, we enhanced the partner experience. This consolidation allowed for more efficient communication, quicker issue resolutions, and personalized support tailored to each partner’s needs. Partner feedback, engagement, and satisfaction have improved across the board. Integrating support functions reduces response times and fosters stronger, more collaborative relationships, empowering partners to focus on growth and innovation. This initiative reflects our commitment to exceptional service and sets a higher standard for partner collaboration and success.
Automation: Our focus on automation continues. We integrated Buyflow, our small business service ordering platform, into CableFinder, streamlining ordering, saving time, and making the process easier for partners.
Growth: We added Client service and inside sales managers to the partner organization to support and grow the existing book of business. These team members are integral in order management, getting deals to installation, and increasing completion percentage. With higher completion rates come higher earnings for partners. This focus contributed to significant YoY growth with our small business and mid-large segments.
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2026-details?c=174
Verizon
Program Name: Verizon Partner Network
Channel Chief: Mark Tina, Verizon Business Channel Chief and Vice President of Indirect Channel Sales
Most Significant Changes To Partner Program Over The Past Year:
We expanded the product portfolio for our digital agent partner model, enabling our partners to sell expanded strategic wireless products and services with no deal registration, opportunity or lead required. We’ve also increased support capabilities for our Partner Experience Group to cover more partners. Lastly, we expanded our business agent and referral models into the public sector segment.
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2026-details?c=199
Versa
Program Name: Ace Partner Program
Channel Chief: Martin Mackay, Chief Revenue Officer
Most Significant Changes To Partner Program Over The Past Year:
The most significant change was hiring a new Head of Global Channel and Field Marketing. Dianne Bruno has worked with three out of the four top competitors and SASE providers globally. With Dianne’s extensive networking experience (22 years at Cisco) and then leading SD-WAN channel and partner operations for VMware and then channel marketing leader at Cato Networks.
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2026-details?c=201