Become a Express Foundation Specialized Partner
Prove your expertise in Cisco solutions for commercial customers with 100 to 1500 employees
Express Foundation Specializations
| Entry | Express | Advanced | Master |
|---|---|---|---|
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| Related certifications: Express Foundation is required for Cisco Premier Certification. | |||
The Cisco Express Foundation Specialization helps your company to:
- Develop sales, technical, and service capabilities for integrated, highly secure networking solutions
- Increase technical competency within the company
- Be recognized as a Cisco Specialized Partner in the Cisco Partner Locator
The specialization also entitles you to a range of additional benefits. You can:
- Participate in Cisco channel incentive programs
- Receive invitations to Cisco-sponsored partner events
- Access the Partner Education Connection
- Use My Cisco to personalize web content and get information quickly
Account Manager | Systems Engineer | Field Engineer
Specialization Requirements
Three roles are required for the Express Foundation Specialization:
- Account Manager (AM)
- Systems Engineer (SE)
- Field Engineer (FE)
These roles provide a roadmap with training content and exams that are tailored to pertinent jobs within a company. Following is a summary of training format, cost, and duration specifically for each role, as well as additional general training requirements. All costs and duration are approximate and may vary by region.
Account Manager
Responsible for sales methodology and customer engagement.
| Prerequisite: | Format | Cost (USD) | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cisco Sales Expert (#646-206 CSE) | Exam | $80 | 60 min |
| Requirement(s): | Format | Cost (USD) | Duration |
| Cisco Express Foundation Sales Specialist | |||
| #646-365 CXFA Exam Details | Exam | $80 | 60 min |
| Recommended Training: | Format | Cost (USD) | Duration |
| Cisco Sales Essentials (CSE) v6.0 | E-learning | $0 | 5 hrs |
| Express Foundation Sales v1.0 | E-learning | $0 | 4 hrs |
| Total: | $160 | 11 hrs |
Role Sharing Guidelines:
Role sharing is not allowed within the Express Foundation Specialization. However, Express Foundation roles to not count towards the maximum role designations across other Cisco Specializations.
Systems Engineer
Presales engineer responsible for Express Foundation solution planning and design.
| Prerequisite: | Format | Cost (USD) | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| CCDA associate-level certification or CCDP or CCIE |
Exam | $150 | 75 min |
| Requirements: | |||
| Cisco Express Foundation Design Specialist | |||
| #648-375 CXFS Exam Details | Exam | $200 | 75 min |
| Recommended Training: | Format | Cost (USD) | Duration |
| Express Foundation Sales v1.0 | E-learning | $0 | 4 hrs |
| Express Foundation Technology v1.0 | E-learning | $0 | 7 hrs |
| Total: | $350 | 14 hrs |
Role Sharing Guidelines:
Role sharing is not allowed within the Express Foundation Specialization. However, Express Foundation roles to not count towards the maximum role designations across other Cisco Specializations.
Field Engineer
Post-sales engineer responsible for Express Foundation solution implementation and operation.
| Prerequisite: | Format | Cost (USD) | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| CCNA associate-level certification or CCNP or CCIE |
Exam | $250 | 110 min |
| Requirement(s): | Format | Cost (USD) | Duration |
| #648-385 CXFF Exam Details | Exam |
$200 | 75 min |
| Recommended Training: | Format | Cost (USD) | Duration |
| Express Foundation Technology v1.0 | E-learning | $0 | 7 hrs |
| Total: | $450 | 10 hrs | |
Country Requirements:Learn more about Country Groupings |
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Role Sharing Guidelines:
Role sharing is not allowed within the Express Foundation Specialization. However, Express Foundation roles to not count towards the maximum role designations across other Cisco Specializations.
Your company must be a Cisco Registered Partner before you apply for specialization or certification. Follow these steps to apply:
- Visit the "Become a Registered Partner" page if you are new to the Cisco Channel Partner Program and have not registered.
- Verify that the certified individuals fulfilling job roles are allocated to your company with their CSCO testing number. Partner Administrators and internal Cisco employees (associated through the CAM Assignment tool) are able to verify this information using the Partner Self Service tool . (It takes five to ten business days on average for Cisco to receive the exam results data from its respective testing agencies.)
- Complete and submit the Specialization application.
If you encounter any issues in the application or renewal process, please open a case with the Partner Relationship Team.
To renew a specialization:
- Begin the recertification process 90 days before your anniversary date.
- Verify that you are in compliance with the current specialization requirements.
- Submit your application using the Certification and Specialization Application online web tool.
You must meet all requirements to submit your application. If you encounter any issues in the application or renewal process, open a case with the Cisco Partner Relationship Team.
If you fail to submit a recertification application within 10 days after your anniversary date, you will lose your specialization.
Note: If a partner does not remain in compliance with the applicable specialization or certification requirements, Cisco reserves the right to revoke the specialization or certification at any time. Partners must notify Cisco of its non-compliance promptly, but in no event more than thirty (30) days after partner fi rst becomes aware of its non-compliance. Upon receipt of such notice, partner may qualify for an extension of time in which to renew its compliance with the applicable specialization or certification requirements. Partner's failure to provide such notice may disqualify partner from receiving such an extension. If no extension is granted or if partner fails to comply with the certification or specialization requirements by the end of the extension period, Cisco reserves the right to revoke the applicable specialization or certification immediately. Additional information regarding non-compliance may be found in the Audit and Policies Document.