NSC Global reveal the benefits of being a Cisco Gold Partner - Dispatch Weekly

Cisco Gold Partnership is the highest tier for regional firms and companies that operate within a small grouping of countries. Companies like World Wide Technology Inc., NSC Global and CenturyLink who all meet Cisco’s requirements in becoming a Gold Partner can wear this tier of the Cisco partnership scheme as a badge of honour, distinguishing their firm as having great prowess in the implementation of Cisco’s technological framework.

What are the requirements for becoming a Cisco Gold Partner?

According to Cisco, new and renewing Gold Partners must generate at least 15 percent of revenue from Cisco services during the two previous Cisco quarters.

Partners need four of the following specialisations for Gold Certification:

• Advanced Enterprise Networks Architecture Specialisation (required)
• Advanced Security Architecture Specialization (required)
• Advanced Collaboration Architecture Specialization or
• Advanced Data Center Architecture Specialization or
• Advanced Service Provider Architecture Specialization

Partners must be able to resell four Hybrid IT Services from the following list:

1. Cisco Cloud Service or Cisco Powered Cloud Service (required)
2. Cisco Managed Service, Cisco Powered Managed Service or Cisco Based Partner-Created Managed Service (required)
3. Cisco Cloud Service or Cisco Managed Service or Cisco Powered Cloud Service or Cisco Powered Managed Service or Cisco Based Partner-Created Service
4. Cisco Cloud Service or Cisco Managed Service or Cisco Powered Cloud Service or Cisco Powered Managed Service or Cisco Based Partner-Created Service

What are the benefits of being a Cisco Gold Partner?

There are numerous benefits of being part of the Cisco Gold Partnership programme. The rigorous vetting process and criteria requirements needed in order to be considered for the upper echelon of the Cisco Partnership Scheme means that every Gold Partner will be of an extremely high standard.

This provides every Gold Partner with the added benefit of being recognised amongst this tier of quality Cisco firms. Gold Partners are also added to the Cisco website’s “Gold Partner Locator” – allowing any potential service users to quickly and systematically search through all Cisco Gold Partners. This feature serves as positive advertising, raising awareness and creating potential leads via customers searching for these partners.

Accessing Cisco’s Solution Showcase

NSC Global state that being a Gold Partner allows firms to access the Solution Showcase. This is the search engine where you can identify Cisco vetted third parties to help aid your technological transformation. For example, KOEN used 1500 cameras to see every inch of their six power plants, streamed to the company’s headquarters 300 miles away. Though extremely expensive, this was necessary for ensuring the safety of the plants.

With the help of Cisco and their Solution Showcase, KOEN was able to work the N3N to help 3D map the entire facility. In just one-year KOEN’s video bandwidth costs were rescued by 90%, saving millions. This presents the benefits that the Solution Showcase provides well, allowing your firm to find the solution to your technological problem with ease.

How can the Gold Partner Program help my company?

Increasing the global reach of your company is often a target at the start of every sales cycle. Becoming a Cisco Gold Partner can really help in this department. Cisco Gold Partnership allows your firm to become a ‘host’ in the overall Global Partner Network (GPN). In essence, your firm will be able to operate in multiple locations without having a physical presence in the area.

The GPN allows you – the host – to contact and collaborate with local, ‘agent’, firms in the area to deliver globally coordinated solutions to your customers. This is accomplished simply by establishing an agency relationship with other qualified Cisco partners and distributers – who are also enrolled in the GPN – outside your territory. The relationship with the customer is still owned by you as the ‘host’ and the entire deal is managed with use of the Cisco Commerce Workspace.

A further benefit of becoming a Gold Partner with Cisco is the use of the Cisco Powered Services Catalog. This system is very similar to both the Solution Showcase and the GSP in that Cisco Gold Partnership allows you to sift through third parties, offering different Cisco Powered Cloud or Managed services that you require. Each company has been carefully vetted and fits certain criteria, ensuring they are of a particular standard. Firms can be sure to accelerate their use of cutting edge technology to further benefit the customer. From collaboration infrastructure to cloud management, there is a magnitude of services available to those who are a Cisco Gold Partner.

Cisco Gold Partnership not only marks your company as superior when working with Cisco software, but also opens a catalogue of resources that can be used when and where they are required, furthering your firm’s reach and technological capacities.