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Cisco Partner Specialisations Overview
Overview
The industry-leading Cisco Channel Partner Program enables partners to drive growth and differentiate their business by extending their capabilities to meet rising customer expectations. It is a value-based program that rewards partners for delivering business solutions based on Cisco technologies to our joint customers.
Developing broad, integrated technology skills enables you to deliver the integrated networking solutions customers demand, expand your roles with customers, and enter new markets. Developing deeper technology skills enables you to further differentiate your business by offering more sophisticated advanced technology solutions. Finally, using the Cisco Lifecycle Services approach helps you define the activities needed to successfully deploy and operate Cisco solutions. By implementing and integrating these proven, repeatable processes into your services business, you can strengthen customer relationships and enhance profitability.
Certification Levels
The Cisco Channel Partner Program includes four certification levels: Select, Premier, Silver, and Gold. Each level reflects a partner's technology skills breadth and depth, and is based in part on the number and type of technology specializations achieved. All certification levels have four requirements areas:
1. Specialization requirements: Sales, technical, and lifecycle services training and exams:
Gold: All four of the following specializations: Advanced Routing and Switching, Advanced Security, Advanced Unified Communications, and Advanced Wireless LAN
Silver: One of the following options:
Two of the following specializations: Advanced Routing and Switching, Advanced Security, Advanced Unified Communications, or Advanced Wireless LAN
Express Unified Communications Specialization and one of the following specializations: Advanced Routing and Switching, Advanced Security, or Advanced Wireless LAN
Premier: Express Foundation Specialization
Select: SMB Specialization
2. Number of individuals that hold certifications:
Gold Certification: 12
Silver Certification: 6
Premier Certification: 3
Select Certification: 1
3. Service and support capabilities as required by certification level: Services Assessment across the Cisco Lifecycle Services phases Prepare, Plan, Design, Implement, Operate, and Optimize
4. Customer satisfaction as required by certification level: Independently audited customer satisfaction surveys to ensure that Cisco Certified Partners have the capabilities and proven success to meet customer needs
Benefits The Cisco Channel Partner Program is among the most respected in the industry and offers significant benefits, including:
Enhanced Certification Approach--Certification level is based on specializations, which provides a clearer definition of each level and its value to customers.
Credibility--As one of the strongest brands in the world, the Cisco name lends enormous credibility to companies that achieve Cisco Certified Partner status. Customers feel more comfortable and secure purchasing from a Cisco partner.
Quality Standards--Cisco is the only company that hires and funds an objective third party to conduct annual audits of its silver and gold partners. These audits help ensure that only the highest quality partners are part of the program and that partner companies meet uniform standards set by Cisco.
Partner Locator--This valuable online tool allows end customers to search globally for partners who are qualified for specific sales situations. The Partner Locator also features information about partner qualifications, certifications, and specializations.
Technology Learning--Partners can access the latest networking technologies through a variety of learning tools to stay at the leading edge of their respective markets.
Best Practices--Partners can capitalize on Cisco best practices such as regular customer satisfaction surveys. Partners have access to the same tools that Cisco uses to enhance its own customer satisfaction.
Specialized Partner - Overview
Cisco specializations reflect a partner's skills depth in a particular technology. The Cisco Channel Partner Program offers four levels of specialization:
Each level represents greater capabilities in sales, technical, and lifecycle services. These specializations concentrate on specific technology areas and offer a way for partners to differentiate themselves in the marketplace.
By achieving specializations, partners have proven they have the sales, technical, and lifecycle services expertise to plan, design, implement, and operate business solutions in customer environments.
Specializations reflect the depth of a partner's technology skills. To provide greater differentiation opportunities, Cisco offers four specialization levels: Entry, Express, Advanced, and Master. Each level represents greater sales, technical, and services capabilities, with master specialization offering the greatest differentiation and branding opportunity to partners.
MASTER SPECIALIZATIONS
The Cisco Master Specialization recognizes partners with the most qualified practice in a given technology. Master specialization builds on the advanced specializations and is targeted at an elite group of partners that have the deepest technology skills and demonstrated customer success in selling, deploying, and providing services for more sophisticated Cisco solutions.
ADDITIONAL SPECIALIZATIONS
In addition to the specializations required to achieve each certification level, specializations are available to further expand a partner's expertise. A partner may choose to pursue specializations as standalone achievements that offer additional market differentiation.
LIFECYCLE SERVICES
Training in Cisco Lifecycle Services methodology is a requirement for each specialization. The Lifecycle Services approach helps partners define the activities needed to successfully deploy and operate Cisco solutions, optimize technology performance, and reduce deployment risk. By taking this approach, partners can strengthen customer relationships and enhance profitability by implementing proven, repeatable processes specific to Cisco advanced technologies.
Integrated Cisco Lifecycle Services training offers partners an understanding, by technology, of identified, repeatable, and proven processes for selling, delivering, and supporting Cisco solutions. Applying the Cisco Lifecycle Services approach helps you improve your deployment success, customer satisfaction, and productivity, providing you with more opportunities to strengthen customer relationships and boost profitability. All Cisco Lifecycle Services training for Express and Advanced Specialisations, along with Steps to Success tools, are free of charge via the Cisco PEC. Comstor provides Lifecycle mentoring sessions on a frequent basis.
Base = Specialisations are part of the new Certification program rules
Optional = Specialisations are not included in the new Certification program rules
Retired = Retirement announced on date noted good until expiration
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