Cisco Commitment to Partners 'Stronger than Ever' During Pandemic

Cisco says its commitment to partners “is stronger than it ever has been” as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to take its toll on partners and their customers.

Angela Whitty, managing director of Cisco’s UK and Ireland partner organisation, said it is helping partners “deploy technology in this pandemic, and support their financial well-being.”

Cisco’s Angela Whitty

“We have a team of people looking at how to make it easier for partners to work with us,” she said. This, she added, includes extending all certification renewal dates and specialisations by 12 months.

“We’re also looking at personal certifications, whether that’s CCIE [Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert] or CCNP [Cisco Certified Network Professional]. We’ve increased the renewal dates and certifications by six months as well so employees can also have that breathing space.”

Whitty also referenced the US $2.5 billion financing package to support customers that Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins announced in April.

“We’re putting in place finance options that mean customers can still buy and deploy technology. They can still plan their technology refresh with their partners, but it’s all done through Cisco Capital. It gives them an immediate 90-day payment holiday. It also gives them the ability to defer 95% of the cost of their product solution,” said Whitty.

“The good thing for partners is they still get paid upfront. So they don’t have the worry of not being paid. We’re still thinking about their profitability through this whole crisis,” she added.

Whitty also noted that some customers don’t want to spend on new technology right now. She said Cisco’s certified remanufactured equipment gives them the option to buy remanufactured equipment. That “helps from a profitability point of view,” she said.

Remote Working

During Cisco Live this week, the company addressed the opportunity for partners to help their customers adapt to remote working during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The vendor announced a new portfolio of products and services focused on business resiliency. It also unveiled key Webex enhancements, including security and compliance capabilities, insights to deliver consistent user experiences, and an integration with Box.

Whitty said Cisco now offers several free trials for Webex and its associated security products. This is “to make sure that customers and partners can not only work from home but can work in a secure way.”

Cisco has around 4.500 UK partners, including non-trading firms. Whitty said roughly 98% of its UK business goes through the channel.