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As Cisco prepares for its Partner Summit 2025 in San Diego, the company unveils a transformative partner strategy focused on profitability, mutual growth, and cutting-edge technology, including the upcoming Cisco 360 Partner Program set for 2026 launch.
As Cisco approaches its Partner Summit 2025, scheduled for November 3-5 in San Diego, the company is intensifying its focus on building durable, profitable partnerships that drive mutual growth. Newly appointed Global Partner Sales leader, reflecting on over 25 years of experience at Cisco, emphasises a straightforward but powerful approach centred on two pivotal questions: Are we moving deals forward? And are we building profitable partnerships?
Moving deals forward is about more than just closing sales—it’s positioning early in opportunities, leveraging Cisco’s comprehensive portfolio to create competitive differentiation, and using deal registration as a strategic investment for mutual success. According to the leader, when customers truly grasp the combined value delivered by Cisco and its partners, their win rate approaches nearly 100%. This internal alignment is a critical driver of partner profitability, which is the cornerstone of what Cisco terms ‘durable growth’.
Profitable partnerships are essential for partners’ reinvestment in their own expertise and capabilities, which in turn fuels deeper customer outcomes and further growth. This ethos is embedded in the upcoming Cisco 360 Partner Program, a transformative initiative launching fully in February 2026. The program is designed to reward partners for value creation across multiple dimensions, including foundational capabilities, performance, and engagement, all measured through the new Partner Value Index (PVI). Partners scoring 7.5 or higher on this 10-point index can achieve Cisco Preferred Partner status, unlocking higher incentives and specialised opportunities.
The Cisco 360 Partner Program builds on the company’s long-standing reputation as the most trusted partner ecosystem but evolves to meet today’s fast-changing market demands, especially in fields like AI infrastructure, cybersecurity, and digital transformation. Cisco has pledged an $80 million investment in partner training and support to equip partners for success in the era of AI and advanced technologies. This program also enhances partner profitability by providing incentives linked to managed services maturity and Cisco Powered Services designations, ensuring continuous revenue growth.
Cisco’s ‘One Cisco’ strategy underscores the unique value proposition available exclusively through its partnership model. Integrating networking, security, collaboration, and observability into cohesive solutions, Cisco enables partners to address complex AI-era business challenges comprehensively. Whether partners are deploying AI-ready data centres, modernising campuses, or building digital resilience, the company positions them as architects of integrated, outcome-driven solutions rather than mere product resellers.
The upcoming Partner Summit will be a platform where partners can explore these concepts in depth. Attendees—including industry experts, Cisco executives, and partners—will participate in interactive sessions, executive meetings, and initiatives designed to unlock new revenue growth pathways and cement competitive advantages. The event promises insights into how the Cisco 360 Partner Program supports profitability throughout the customer lifecycle—from landing deals to adoption, expansion, and renewal.
Cisco’s commitment to its partner community is underscored by a partnership model built on collaboration, mutual benefit, and transparency. The company emphasises that lasting partnerships emerge not from what Cisco can solely provide but from what the ecosystem accomplishes collectively. This philosophy aims to move partners away from competing on price for incremental deals and towards becoming trusted advisors who secure broader, integrated opportunities within accounts.
Looking ahead, Cisco challenges its partners to be proactive, building capabilities now that will open doors to tomorrow’s opportunities. With unprecedented market demand in key technology areas, those who align early and invest strategically with Cisco may not only grow but dominate their markets.
In summary, Cisco’s evolving partner strategy centres on consistent, predictable, forward-looking, and profitable growth. The Cisco 360 Partner Program encapsulates this vision, signalling a new era of collaboration poised to drive significant value for both Cisco and its partners as they navigate the complex technological landscape ahead.
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Source: Noah Wire Services
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