Cisco 360 Program Launch ‘Excites’ Partners Ready To Tackle AI Opportunities

‘All along, [Cisco] stated their approach was to provide better capabilities to the customers and reward the partners that are investing in helping companies be successful with Cisco’s technology. The world that Cisco plays in is massively more competitive today than it’s ever been,’ one partner tells CRN as the new program went live.

Cisco 360, the overhaul of the networking giant’s nearly 25-year-old partner program, officially went live Sunday.

The objective of the new program, stacked with new resources, tools, and partner designations, is to help customers reach transformative AI outcomes faster through their trusted channel partners, Cisco said in a release issued Monday morning.

Steve Wylie, vice president and general manager, Northeast, for Cisco partner Trace3, is “excited” for the launch of Cisco 360. That’s because a positive byproduct of the new program is that it has required partners to uplevel their skills and training, a very important factor for partners in the age of AI and managed services.

“All along, [Cisco] stated their approach was to provide better capabilities to the customers and reward the partners that are investing in helping companies be successful with Cisco’s technology,” Wylie said. “The world that Cisco plays in is massively more competitive today than it’s ever been [and] the last thing they probably need is people out there selling Cisco that don’t have the core understanding of the in-depth capabilities and are just trying to push quotes. Pushing quotes doesn’t sell the AI factory-type things, it sells the things they’ve always sold, but Cisco is trying to get to a different place [and] to embrace new technology.”

Trace3 is going into the launch feeling prepared. The firm has dedicated resources in place for renewals, Cisco Black Belt trainings, and even a person on staff that was tasked with deeply understanding the requirements of the new program to ensure that Trace3 would be coming into Cisco 360 with the right skills. Trace3 is a Preferred Partner in each of the five core architectures that Cisco identified as part of the new program: Security, Networking, Cloud and AI, Collaboration, Services and Splunk/Observability.

“By requiring us to go through the process [or] discipline areas, it’s an opportunity to go and say: ‘OK, where are your gaps? Where can you go and improve? And also, where can you go and push your teams to train more?’” Wylie said.

Cisco first unveiled the new program in October 2024, 15 months ahead of Cisco 360 going into effect. Cisco’s early communications about 360 was beneficial for both Cisco and its partner community, said Wylie (pictured above).

“The runway was long. If you’re not prepared for it, you just haven’t put the time in,” he said. “I’m excited about it because with what we’re trying to do, the more knowledge our teams have the better. And I think this was a catalyst that pushed us towards that.”

Cisco 360 Details

Cisco 360 is simplifying the previously complex program structure via two new features: the Partner Value Index (PVI) to measure partners and the Cisco Partner Incentive (CPI), which will reward the investments that partners are making in Cisco’s broad portfolio, according to the company. Partners will receive a PVI measurement or score in each of the five core architectures.

The new Cisco Partner Locator tool will let customers search across the Cisco portfolios, such as security, networking, or Splunk, to identify the right partner, according to Cisco.

“With our partners, we’ve strengthened what is already a world-class ecosystem to deliver even greater value and help our mutual customers connect, protect and thrive,” Tim Coogan, Cisco’s senior vice president of global partner sales, said in a statement.

Also to be added soon to the PVI will be dedicated indexes for Developers/Advisors, Distributors, and Mass Scale Infrastructure, a portfolio that focuses on very large data center buildouts and service provider business, Cisco said.

The program will eliminate separate partner programs and incentives such as VIP—the company’s flagship rebate incentive program—Perform Plus and the Cisco Services Partner Program, or CSPP. These will be folded into a single structure, the CPI, which will measure partners across four areas: foundational, capabilities, performance, and engagement.

Another significant part of the new program is that Cisco is removing its illustrious Cisco Gold partner designation. In its place will be two new designations: Cisco Portfolio Partner and Cisco Preferred Partner. Cisco partners will be able to earn these designations for each technology portfolio. Additionally, Cisco Preferred partners will be eligible to earn two new specializations, Secure AI Infrastructure and Secure Networking, beginning next month, according to Cisco.

Cisco’s support for partners ahead of the launch has included frequent webinars and custom marketing programs. For Long View Systems, a Calgary, Alberta-based MSP and Cisco partner, work behind the scenes to ready the firm for the launch of the new program has included a focus on Black Belt trainings and PVI reviews to determine where the company will land within the new measurements.

Long View, a former Gold partner within Cisco’s former program, has achieved “Preferred” partner status in each of the five core architectures in Canada. While the firm is overall optimistic about Cisco 360 and its roadmap, Lane Irvine, network business solutions director for Long View, said the new program is currently lacking a way to recognize multi-architecture Preferred Partners.

“There isn’t a branding that helps customers see that you’ve got five Preferred [designations], something that highlights it as a different level of support than an individual Preferred Partner,” he said. “[A partner] who’s got Preferred in security, or Preferred in networking, is different than a partner that has Preferred in all five.”

He stressed that marketing activities will be important to educate customers on the new Preferred vs. the former Gold designation.

“Part of this is marketing it to our customers as well. What does this mean to them and helping them understand why it’s important for them,” Irvine said.

The focus has so far been on PVI, partners need Cisco to now switch gears and focus on CPI, or the incentive side, Irvine said.

“We generally understand PVI, but there’s a lot of information and data that’s got to come to out now to get this really dialed in … because of course the incentives, that’s a critical part of our profitability,” he said.

The good news is that the new program’s incentives and rebates so far “look pretty similar” to what Cisco’s VIP program previously offered, partners told CRN.

Now live, the CPI will simplify past program elements while offering partners clearer, more predictable earnings across Cisco’s portfolio. The CPI structure will help partners plan for growth by aligning forecasts and strategies with Cisco’s roadmap, according to the San Jose, Calif.-based company.