Sonal Desai, CRN, May 13, 2011, 1600hrs
Cisco recently announced new partner specializations for its borderless network, collaboration and data center architectures. The company is working on actively evolving its Learning Partner channel program to deliver architecture-based skills and training.
“The new architecture specializations present a clear link between Cisco solutions and customer business needs, and improve the opportunity for partners to attach high-value professional services,” said Samir Mishra, Regional Manager, Advanced Technology Channels, Cisco India
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According to Mishra, the new specializations will be required for a partner to become Gold or Silver certified, and will also become mandatory for resale certifications beginning August 2012.
The Data Center Architecture Specialization will be divided into two parts: Unified Server Certification and Unified Fabric Certification. This will help tier-2 partners to choose a certification based on their business strategy and customers’ needs.
“For a new Gold certification, the cost has been reduced by approximately $50,000, and the total training hours have been reduced by up to 25 percent as against the existing norms of up to 150 hours of training required. We will also offer up to $5,000 in Cisco Learning Credits for each of the first 500 partners to complete the recertification process. Presently, we have 10 Gold Certified Partners and eight Silver Certified Partners. Besides, Cisco is evolving its Learning Partner program to enhance the architectural training for partners and customers through its global network of more than 450 Learning Partners,” Mishra said.
The company will also customize training for specific job roles. “For example, we have sales training that is tailored for account managers, and technical training focused on Cisco product deployment aimed at field engineers. These roles are used only as a way of creating relevant training and to help the partner understand the type of individual he should send for the training. Once all role requirements are met, the company can submit itself for certification,” he explained. |