Cisco Premier Certification identifies and rewards Express Foundation Specialized Partners, Express Collaboration Specialized Partners or partners with any one of the Cisco Architecture Specializations. The Premier Certification reflects the partner's increasing technical competency in the integration of basic routing and switching, wireless LANs, collaboration and security technologies.
Partner Benefits
Cisco Premier Certified Partners benefit from an increased level of support from Cisco, including access to best-in-class products and services, technical support, productivity tools, online training, and marketing resources. In addition to branding as a Cisco Premier Certified Partner, benefits of Premier Certification include:
- Recognition as a Premier Certified Partner in the Cisco Partner Locator
- Eligibility to participate in Cisco Channel Incentives Programs, with greater economic incentives than for the Select Certification level
- Eligibility to sell Cisco Smart Care Services
- A Cisco Certified Partner kit that contains resources such as sales tools, logos, guidelines, and information
Premier Certified Partners also enjoy access to many Cisco resources, including customer satisfaction best practices and tools, the Partner Education Connection, and Marketing Resources.
Ready to Go?
After you gain certification, you can:
- Brand yourself:
Get the Cisco Premier Certified Partner logo - Tell the world:
Send a Cisco press release - Enjoy Certified Partner benefits
View country groupings
Looking for a different certification?
Certification and specialization are based on meeting all requirements within a given country, or country grouping where relevant. All applicants must agree to the Channel Partner Program Terms and Conditions which can be found in the Certification and Specialization Application (CSApp) tool during the application process.
Base requirements:
- Specialization Requirements
- Career Certified Individuals
- Certification Transition
- Support Requirements
- Customer Satisfaction
Specialization Requirements
Express Foundation Specialization, Express Collaboration Specialization or one Architecture Specialization
Certified Individuals in Specialization
| Title | Account Manager | Project Manager | System Engineer | Field Engineer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Express Foundation | CSE | N/A | CCDA | CCNA |
| Title | Account Manager | Arch System Engineer | Field Engineer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Express Collaboration | CSE | CCNA Voice | none |
| Title | Account Manager | Arch System Engineer | Field Engineer (R&S) | Field Engineer (Security) | Field Engineer (Mobility) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Borderless Networks Architecture | CSE | CCDP | CCNP R&S | CCSP/CCNP Sec | CCNA Wireless or Adv WLAN Field Specialist CCNP Exams 642-731, 642-741 |
| Title | Account Manager | Arch System Engineer | Field Engineer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collaboration Architecture | CSE | CCDA | CCNP Voice |
| Title | Account Manager | Arch System Engineer | Field Engineer (UCS) | Field Engineer (Unified Fabric) | Field Engineer (App Services) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Center Architecture | CSE | N/A | N/A | CCNP | CCNA |
| Title | Account Manager | System Engineer 1 | Field Engineer 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| IP NGN Architecture | CSE | CCNA SP or CCNP SP or CCIE SP |
CCNP SP or CCIE SP |
Certification Transition
From August 2011 through July 2012 partners were given the option to submit certification applications for both technologies and architectures.
Effective August 1, 2012, partners are now required to meet the new certification requirements by their next certification anniversary date.
- New Certification Requirements Overview
(PDF - 1.61 MB)
Support Requirements
| Type | Premier |
|---|---|
| Legal agreement | Valid resale agreement or Cisco Indirect Channel Partner Agreement (ICPA) in place |
| Demo capabilities | N/A |
| Customer service | 8 x 5 |
| Escalation process | Not required |
| Call Back | 24 hour |
| Support lab | Not required |
| Pre-Sales Support | Required |
| Post-Sales Support | Requirements based on Partner Support Agreement |
Customer Satisfaction
| Note: Participation in the Cisco partner customer satisfaction survey is required. | |
| Type | Premier |
|---|---|
| New Certification* | N/A |
| Recertification | Minimum of 10 responses,
Partner CSAT is measured twice a year (**January and July) using results received in the 12 months previous to each measurement date. and Must achieve 100% of the regional customer satisfaction target by either January or July, whichever comes first after annual certification survey. |
| *The definition of "new" partner as it relates to the enforcement of the customer satisfaction requirement is a partner that has not been Premier, Silver, or Gold certified within the previous six months. **The exact Cisco fiscal year measurement dates can be found in the Partner Access onLine (PAL) tool: ExceptionCisco Premier Partners who move to either Cisco Silver or Cisco Gold Certification must:
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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. Partners must notify Cisco of non-compliance promptly, but in no event more than 30 days after the partner first becomes aware of its non-compliance.
Upon receipt of such notice, the partner may qualify for an extension of time in which to renew its compliance with the applicable specialization or certification requirements. The partner's failure to provide such notice may disqualify the partner from receiving such an extension. If no extension is granted or if the 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.
How to Apply
- Your company must be a Registered Partner before applying for any specializations or certifications. Visit the Become a Registered Partner page if you are new to the Cisco Channel Partner Program and have not registered.
- Verify that certified individuals fulfilling job roles are allocated to your company with their Cisco (CSCO) testing number.*
- Partner administrators and Cisco employees are able to verify this information using the Partner Self Service tool.
- Complete and submit the certification application.
If you encounter any issues in the application or renewal process, please open a case with the Partner Relationship Team.
*Cisco typically receives exam results within five to 10 days from its respective testing agencies.
How to Renew Your Certification
You have 90 days prior to your certification anniversary date to begin the re-certification process. In the 90 days prior to your anniversary date, your status will change from Approved to Re-Cert in the Certification and Specialization Application (CSApp) online tool and you will receive a notification by e-mail. Once you verify that you are in compliance with current specialization requirements, please submit your application in the CSApp tool. You will not be able to submit your application unless all requirements are met.
If you encounter any issues in the application or renewal process, please open a case with the Partner Relationship Team.
Failure to submit a re-certification application 30 days after your anniversary date will result in loss of the certification.