Certification Enhancements
Cisco certifications reflect a partner's breadth of technology skills across certain technologies. The Cisco Channel Partner Program includes four certification levels: Select, Premier, Silver, and Gold. These levels relate to the number and type of technology specializations achieved. Each certification level has specific requirements in the following four areas:
- Specializations in sales, technical, and lifecycle services training
- Number of individuals that hold certifications
- Service and support capabilities relevant to each certification level
- Customer satisfaction ratings as required by certification level
With each level of certification, partners benefit from an increased level of support, branding, and economic incentives from Cisco, including access to best-in-class products and services, technical support, productivity tools, online training, marketing resources, and sales promotions.
Specialization Enhancements
Cisco specializations reflect a partner's skills depth in a particular technology. The Cisco Channel Partner Program offers four levels of specialization: Entry, Express, Advanced, and Master, each representing 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 are earned by meeting requirements in two key areas: role requirements, and training and exam requirements.
Program Rewards
One thing that hasn't changed is Cisco's commitment to reward you for your loyalty to Cisco and value-add to customers-through enhanced economic incentives, new ways to capitalize on the Cisco brand, preference with the Cisco sales organization, co-marketing opportunities and funding, and a variety of service enablement programs.
We continue to reward you for investing in certification and will retain our Value Incentive Program (VIP), Opportunity Incentive Program (OIP), Solutions Incentive Program (SIP), as well as our Technology Migration Program (TMP) and Trade-In Accelerator Promotion (TAP). > Learn more.
Benefits
By leading the industry and strategically evolving the Cisco Channel Partner Program we are providing unprecedented opportunities for you to accelerate growth, differentiate your business, and drive greater profitability. There has never been a better time to be a Cisco partner. As one of our most valued partners, we ask you to lead with us, evolve with us, and grow with us - now.
Important Transition Dates
2006
- On March 14, 2006, six new base specializations launched, including Express Foundation, Express Unified Communications, Advanced Security, Advanced Unified Communications, Advanced Routing and Switching, Advanced Wireless LAN
- Several existing specializations were retired, including IP Communications, IP Communications Express, Routing and Switching, Wireless LAN, and Security/VPN.
Effective June 14, 2006, partners were no longer able to apply for or renew these retired specializations
- During the first year of the transition, March 2006 through March 2007, you were able to achieve new specializations as your retired specializations expired.
Certifications were renewed under the retired program during that period.
- In October 2006, the new Advanced Specialization discounts were implemented, allowing six months for qualification.
2007
- As of March 1, 2007, new certification requirements apply upon your next certification anniversary that falls on or after this date.
2008
- March 2008, all partners will be certified under the new program.
Direct competitors of Cisco Systems will not be granted Cisco Specialized Partner or Cisco Certified Partner status pursuant to the Worldwide Channel Partner Program. Direct competitors may participate as Cisco Registered Partners. Any entity that is owned or controlled by one of these competitors may not participate as a Cisco Specialized Partner or Cisco Certified Partner. Ownership or control is defined as 51% or more.
