Partner Central

Premier Certification

Cisco Premier Certification expands technical competency in the integration of basic routing and switching, wireless LANs, and security technologies. It recognizes and rewards partners that have achieved the Express Foundation Specialization.


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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:

Premier Certified Partners also enjoy access to many Cisco resources, including customer satisfaction best practices and tools, the Partner Education Connection, and the Joint Marketing Fund Builder (availability varies by geography).



Certification and specialization are based on meeting all requirements within a given country, or country grouping where relevant. All applicants must agree to the Cisco Channel Partner Program terms and conditions.


Current Requirements for Premier Certification


Base requirements:

Specialization Requirements

Role sharing allows a single individual to fulfill similar roles across two or more specializations, based upon the specialization and the role. Cisco has reduced the number of unique individuals required across Express, Advanced, and Master Specializations. However, the total number of individuals required to achieve each certification level remains unchanged. Please note:

  • A single, qualified individual may fill only the account manager (AM) role in up to a total of four specializations.
  • A single, qualified individual may fill only the systems engineer (SE) role in up to a total of two specializations.
  • A single, qualified individual may fill only the field engineer (FE) role in up to a total of two specializations.
  • Individuals may not cross-populate between the AM, SE, and FE roles.

The Small Business specialization is not limited by these allocation rules.


Certified Individuals in Specialization
Title Account Manager Project Manager System Engineer Field Engineer
Express Foundation CSE N/A CCDA CCNA


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 requred
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 (measured at the end of Cisco fiscal** Q2 and Q4 on a rolling 12-month window)

and

Must achieve 100% of the regional customer satisfaction target by either Cisco fiscal Q2 or Q4, 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 FY2011 Cisco Fiscal Year dates are:
  • End of Q2 - Jan 29, 2011
  • End of Q4 - Jul 30, 2011

Exception
Premier partners moving to either Silver or Gold must have a minimum of 15 valid responses and meet the theater Customer Satisfaction target.



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.


Certification Transition Timeline

(Click image to enlarge)



Certification and specialization are based on meeting all requirements within a given country, or country grouping where relevant. All applicants must agree to the Cisco Channel Partner Program terms and conditions.


New Premier Certification Requirements including Architectural Specializations
(effective 2012)


Base requirements:

Specialization Requirements

One Architecture Specialization
or
Express Foundation Specialization


Certified Individuals in Specialization
Title Account Manager Arch System Engineer Field Engineer
Collaboration Architecture CSE CCDA CCNP Voice

Title Account Manager Project Manager System Engineer Field Engineer
Express Foundation CSE N/A CCDA CCNA

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 (UCS) Field Engineer (Unified Fabric) Field Engineer (App Services)
Data Center Architecture CSE N/A N/A CCNP CCNA


Certification Transition

Certification transition begins in FY12. From August 2011 through July 2012 partners may submit certification applications for both technologies and architectures.


Effective August 2012, partners will be required to meet the new certification requirements at their next certification anniversary date.


New Certification Requirements Overview (PDF - 1.21 MB)
Certification Transition Tool (XLS - 217 KB)


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 requred
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, measured at the end of Cisco Q2 and Q4 on a rolling 12-month window

and

Must achieve 100% of the regional customer satisfaction target by either Cisco fiscal Q2 or Q4, 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 FY2011 Cisco Fiscal Year dates are:
  • End of Q2 - Jan 29, 2011
  • End of Q4 - Jul 30, 2011

Exception
Premier partners moving to either Silver or Gold must have a minimum of 15 valid responses and meet the theater Customer Satisfaction target.



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

  1. 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.
  2. Verify that certified individuals fulfilling job roles are allocated to your company with their Cisco (CSCO) testing number.*
  3. Partner administrators and Cisco employees are able to verify this information using the Partner Self Service tool.
  4. 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. 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.



Premier Certification Resources

Premier Certification At-a-Glance (PDF - 58 KB)

Premier Certification Overview (PDF - 353 KB)

Customer Satisfaction Overview