Requirements

Certification and specialization is 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.

Requirements for Premier Certification

• Base requirements:
  • Specialization Requirements
  • Career Certified Individuals
  • Support Requirements
  • Customer Satisfaction

Premier Specialization Requirements
Express Foundation

Role sharing allows a single individual to fulfill similar roles across 2 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. A single qualified individual may fill only the AM role in up to a total of 4 specializations. A single qualified individual may fill only the SE role in up to a total of 2 specializations. A single qualified individual may fill only the FE role in up to a total of 2 specializations. Individuals may not cross-populate between the AM, SE and FE roles. SMB, CRM Express and VPN-Firewall specializations are not limited by the above allocation rules.

Certified Individuals in Specialization
TITLE	Account Manager	Project Manager	System Engineer	Field Engineer
Express Foundation	CSE		CCDA	CCNA

Support Requirements
TYPE	PREMIER
Legal Agreement	Valid resale agreement or Indirect Channel Partner Agreement (ICPA) in place
Demo Capabilities
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
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 anniversary
*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 its non-compliance promptly, but in no event more than thirty (30) days after partner first 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.