Cisco Partners discuss the new 360 partner program, removal of Gold Partner status, and their favourite new feature

CRN Australia spoke with leaders from Interactive, Dicker Data and IPTel.

On Monday, Cisco partners all over the world woke up to a brand new partner program, Cisco 360.

This partner program was curated by both partners and the networking vendor over 15 months. Partners worked hand-in-hand with the vendor giving feedback to Cisco about what they wanted to see in the new iteration of the program.

This new program brings big changes for partners, including the removal of the Gold Partner status, and a new Partner Value Index (PVI) to measure a partner’s expertise.

There is also a new Cisco Partner Incentive (CPI), removing the iconic VIP rebate program; and a handful of AI-powered tools for partners.

CRN Australia spoke to a number of Australia partners and distributors to find out what they think about the new Cisco 360 partner program.

Bye-bye Gold tier

One of the big shakeups in the new partner program is the removal of the Gold Partner status. Once a proud notch in the belt for many Cisco partners.

In lieu of the Gold Partner status, Cisco brought in two new tiers: Cisco Portfolio Partner and Cisco Preferred Partner.

Mark McSherry, director, IPTel Solutions told CRN Australia it took a lot of work for them to finally reach Gold status.

“But in fairness to Cisco a lot of what we did for that has directly increased our partner value scores, so actually I think it has positioned us well in the new Partner Value Index,” he said.

“I don’t think we wasted any effort and it's been pretty seamless for us to transition to Preferred Partner Status.”

Vlad Mitnovetski, COO at Dicker Data recognised that the removal of the Gold tier may have a “significant impact” on standing partners, given the recognition and effort associated with the designation.

“However, I also commend Cisco for committing to a true co‑design process over the past 15 months—not only to ensure that partners’ input directly shaped the direction of the new program, but also to ensure they had a clear understanding of these new designations.” he said.

“The new simplified architecture aligned designations enable partners to be formally recognised for their specialised expertise.”

Dan Cox, CTO, Interactive said being a Cisco Gold Partner has always been a “privilege, and it’s not something we take for granted”.

“What matters most to us isn’t a label - it’s continuing to be a preferred, high-performing partner by investing in the capabilities, skills, and ways of working that genuinely matter to our customers,” he explained.

Providing feedback

Throughout the 15 months of development, Cisco kept the communication lines open with its partners and made sure every input and thought was heard.

Mitnovetski at Dicker Data said the distributor was “actively” involved in a few formal Cisco led feedback sessions and advisory boards throughout the co-design process.

“We were also proud to participate in Global Partner Summits, APJ Partner Executive Exchanges, APJ Distributor Round Tables, and several other collaborative forums where local feedback was provided,” he said.

“These sessions gave us the opportunity to provide direct input on program structure, partner recognition, and how the new program could better align to the Australian market.”

Mitnovetski noted that Dicker Data recognised early that this would be a “significant change” for its partners, so they invested in dedicated resources to support them through the transition.

“Our team coached over 250 individual partners on the program and channelled their feedback directly to Cisco’s leadership teams,” he said.

“We also held partner advisory boards, built digital resources and a platform that enabled partners to share concerns and provide feedback.

“In addition, our one-to-many enablement events reached over 1,000 partners over 12 months, giving them further opportunities to engage, learn and be part of the co-creation process.”

Cox at Interactive said the organisation also provided feedback.

“Our consistent message is that alignment to the customer lifecycle and clearer roles across Cisco, partners, and Customer Success Managers are critical to making the program successful,” he explained.

“We strongly support models that reward long-term customer outcomes over short-term transactions.”

Most helpful feature

As several changes have been unveiled, the partners explained what new feature of the Cisco 360 program they believe will help them the most.

McSherry said he liked the way there is a two-stage process on partner recognition.

“It’s based on real investment in the Cisco brand. I think this is very valuable for mid-sized partner like us – it’s levelled the playing field and we can compete with our largest competitors,” he said.

“For our customers this brings more choice and allows us to partner more closely with our customers.”

Cox said the emphasis on lifecycle alignment allows them to walk side by side with Cisco and their customers from strategy through to optimisation.

“When partners and Cisco are truly aligned around customer outcomes, everyone benefits, especially the customer,” he said.

Mitnovetski called the introduction of the Customer Success Practice Maturity metric “particularly valuable”.

“As it will enable partners that invest in customer success to not only clearly differentiate themselves, but also drive improved profitability,” he said.

“Customers expect demonstrated value realisation, and Cisco’s telemetry equips partners with the insights to deliver this in a structured and methodical way. Adoption rebates further reinforce the importance and value of having a Customer Success practice in place.”

Relationship with customers

Rodney Hamill, managing director, partner and routes to market sales, ANZ, Cisco told CRN Australia that he firstly wants to continue to nurture the relationship Cisco has with their partners.

But also that this new program brings Cisco’s partners and their customers closer together.

McSherry at IPTel Solutions believes this program will improve the relationship between partner and customer.

“We can compete on a much more level playing field and with other ICT companies needing to really invest in the brand, I think it will be clear who add value to customers journeys and those who are just moving boxes,” he said.

“The program seems to be really aimed at helping partners like us, who want to engage and really work long term with our customers.”

Mitnovetski said the program has provided an opportunity to further demonstrate the value they deliver to their partner community.

“By helping partners navigate the changes, coaching them on improving their PVI scores, and identifying rebate opportunities, we continue to strengthen our partner relationships,” he said.

“While the insights available through the Partner Experience Platform give partners deeper customer visibility, it also enables Dicker Data to support more informed and meaningful discussions with our partners to truly drive value.”

Cox explained by working more closely with Cisco and having clearer alignment across roles and responsibilities, they can provide customers with a more “consistent, joined-up experience”.

“Ultimately, that builds confidence and reinforces our position as a long-term strategic partner rather than just a supplier,” he added.

Forward thinking

Looking forward, Mitnovetski at Dicker Data explained what the distributor wants to see in the program in the future.

He told the publication that they would like to see “continued balance” across the portfolio capability requirements.

“Ensuring that Australian partners with varying strengths and business models can continue to participate and succeed within the program,” he added.

McSherry at IPTel said Cisco have been very supportive of them as a business and which has helped them grow as fast as they have.

“The campaigns and technical specialists we connect with really help us to provide specialist services to customers – and with networking evolving so quickly, this is pretty important,” he said.

Cox said he would like to see continued simplification where possible.

“Along with even greater transparency around success metrics and customer outcomes,” he said.

“Ongoing collaboration with partners as the program matures will be key to ensuring it remains practical, scalable, and aligned to real-world customer needs.”