Cisco introduces six new partner solutions specializations

Cisco has expanded its portfolio of specializations available through the company's world-class partner program. Cisco's partner program continues to evolve to increase partner sales opportunities, add flexibility to partner certification requirements, and emphasize the importance of multi-architectural expertise. 

The six new specializations are tied to Cisco customer priorities and represent fast-growing market opportunities for Cisco and its partners in areas where Cisco has been investing and innovating.

Cisco solution specializations are designed to showcase partner value to customers and represent the type of solutions partners are selling today. 

They reflect how partners are using cross-architectural solutions to solve some of their customers' most significant challenges in today's hybrid work world. These include balancing an organization's security needs with the flexibility employees want, providing the best digital experience, or consistently delivering a secure user experience from anywhere.  

Aligned to massive market opportunities, specializations are designed to protect and optimize partner investments with Cisco, offer more opportunities for differentiation, and recognize the co-innovation between Cisco and its partners.

"Specialization is ranked number one as the initial critical partner selection criterion for 74% of customers," says Anurag Agrawal, Chief Global Analyst, Techaisle. 

"By tying solution specializations to customer buying criteria, Cisco makes it easier for customers to identify which partners to work with."

Partners that achieve solution specializations are recognized and rewarded based on customer value. In addition, the requirements for each specialization are tied to knowledge and experience, allowing partners to capitalize on their existing investments with Cisco. 

The six new solution specializations added to Cisco's partner program include Full-stack Observability (FSO), Hybrid Work from Office, Secure Access Service Edge (SASE),  Hybrid Cloud Computing, Hybrid Cloud Networking, and Hybrid Cloud Software.

FSO showcases expertise in centralizing and correlating application performance analytics across the full IT stack, including integrations across AppDynamics, ThousandEyes, Intersight, and Secure Application. It also demonstrates expertise in prioritizing actions to deliver superior customer experiences, drive revenue streams, and accelerate digital transformation.

Hybrid Work from Office recognizes Cisco partners for their skills and experience in helping customers evolve traditional on-site and off-site work models. They then develop solutions that power hybrid work, enabling people to work safely and securely from home, the office, and anywhere between on any given day or time.

SASE highlights partners' ability to help customers securely enable the growing universe of roaming users, devices, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) apps without adding complexity or reducing end-user performance.

Hybrid Cloud Computing showcases partners that provide customers with simple, secure hybrid cloud computing experiences at home, in the office, or anywhere.

Hybrid Cloud Networking recognizes partners that securely and efficiently connect and manage customers' data, workloads, and applications across data centres, edge, and multiple clouds.

Hybrid Cloud Software demonstrates expertise in managing operational complexity by helping customers streamline and unify IT operations with secure, hybrid cloud management software.

The new solution specializations are one of the four categories of partner specializations available to qualified Cisco partners to demonstrate their expertise to customers.

These include architecture specializations demonstrating deep product expertise in specific technology areas.

Second is solution specializations, demonstrating that a partner excels at delivering value with Cisco solutions, including cross-architectural offers prioritized by customers.

The third is Cisco Powered Service specializations, which convey partner proficiency in delivering managed services and as-a-service offers.

Fourth and final is business specializations, which focus on horizontal business practices essential to supporting customers' business goals.

"These new specializations are aligned with the types of solutions and expertise customers are demanding. They demonstrate to customers that they are working with the best partners in the industry," says Marc Surplus, Vice President, Partner Strategy and Programs in Cisco's Global Partner and Routes to Market Sales organization. 

"We've designed the solution specializations to complement partners' prior investments in Cisco and to build on their current expertise so that partners can further differentiate themselves in the market."