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Cisco 360 Partner Program
Cloud & AI Partner Value Index
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Cisco 360 Partner Program: Transforming Value in the Datacentre
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Transforming Value in the Datacentre
The Cisco 360 Partner Program marks a strategic overhaul of Cisco’s partner ecosystem, launching in February 2026.
It’s designed to shift the focus from transactional sales to lifecycle value, empowering partners to lead with innovation, services, and customer-centric outcomes - especially in high-impact areas like datacentres.
What’s Changing?
Unified Incentives
Legacy programs like VIP, Perform Plus, and CSPP will be consolidated into the new Cisco Partner Incentive (CPI), streamlining rewards and aligning them with modern partner behaviours.
Lifecycle Focus
Partners are now recognised for driving adoption, delivering managed services, and supporting long-term customer success - not just one-off sales.
AI & Infrastructure Alignment
The program emphasises partner capabilities in AI workloads, infrastructure modernisation, and cyber resilience - key pillars of today’s data centre transformation.
Impact on Data Centre Partners
Modernisation Rewards
Partners who help customers transition to AI-ready, cloud-driven data centres will be rewarded for their strategic value, not just hardware volume.
Specialisation Shift
Cisco is moving from architecture-based certifications to solution-based specialisations, allowing partners to showcase expertise in areas like converged infrastructure, UCS, and multicloud operations.
Elevated Status
Partners can earn “Cisco Partner” or “Cisco Preferred Partner” designations per portfolio (e.g., networking, security), helping differentiate their capabilities in the datacentre space.
Why It Matters
This evolution reflects Cisco’s pivot toward software, services, and AI-driven outcomes.
For data centre partners, it’s a chance to:
Modernisation RewardsUnified Incentives
Partners who help customers transition to AI-ready, cloud-driven data centres will be rewarded for their strategic value, not just hardware volume.
Specialisation Shift
Cisco is moving from architecture-based certifications to solution-based specialisations, allowing partners to showcase expertise in areas like converged infrastructure, UCS, and multicloud operations.
Elevated Status
Partners can earn “Cisco Partner” or “Cisco Preferred Partner” designations per portfolio (e.g., networking, security), helping differentiate their capabilities in the data centre space.