Cisco Adds “Global” Certification Partner Tier

Cisco partners looking to distinguish their business as experts on the international stage will want to take a closer look at the new Global Gold partner certification, the highest Cisco offers, the company announced today.

In response to business participation in an increasingly global economy, Cisco will offer a “Global Gold” partner tier, which includes increased benefits as well as increased requirements. Cisco partners who currently hold a Global Certification meet the qualifications for the Global Gold at launch.

“Global Gold certification allows us to broaden our reach — together,” Marc Surplus, vice president, strategy, planning and programs at Cisco wrote in a blog post. “We’ve bridged the pieces of our existing Gold certification with today’s global business needs to provide a simpler, scalable and profitable global experience for our partners. Global Gold partners can now showcase their ability to deliver and support solutions as a Cisco Gold certified partner from any of their worldwide locations.”

The latest, notable partner certification tier targets highly specialized partners with Gold-level expertise able to work with customers around the world.

The new partner requirements to attain the Global Gold tier are flexible and partners can choose how they meet the requirements. However, a set of 12 Gold and 3 Premier certifications in addition to a Global Commerce Specialization are required.

At a high level, Cisco is looking at the partner’s global and regional bookings and sales performance along with their demo and sales capabilities. At a regional level, the vendor is looking at the partner’s support centers and local support solutions, Surplus explained. “That includes their CSAT ratings, and we’re looking at their technical expertise as evidenced by their regional certifications or equivalents, as expressed through CCIEs, Business Value Practitioner Specialists, and Hybrid IT capabilities,” he said.

Partners have access to all the requirements though the Partner Central portal.

What about the benefits that partners can expect?

Simplified global experience for partner:

Global designation:

 Global and regional discounts and incentives:

Global direct purchasing eligibility:

“Global Gold increases the value exchange with our resellers by helping them expand their customer bases,” Surplus noted. “Their sales and technical teams can now reach across borders and support their global customers more effectively than ever before. And while this new certification is important to our global business strategy, we absolutely remain fully committed to the partners who do the equally important work of caring for customers in their local and regional markets.”