Cisco has implemented several changes in its partner strategy in India and abroad to be able to leverage these opportunities. Since close-to 100% of Cisco's go-to-market is by way of its channel partners, this becomes an extremely critical segment for the company, and starting this fiscal year, Cisco has revamped its Partner Model to align it with the company's renewed business objectives.
Raghavendran, Vice-President & Head - Partner Organization, Cisco India & SAARC, said, "Historically, Cisco's global strategy has been focussed on the networking domain, and the partner programme was designed to cater to this approach. However, over the last four quarters, Cisco has evolved its strategies and enhanced its area of focus around the three architectures - Collaboration, Virtualization and Borderless Networks and market adjacencies which are expected to be the growth drivers in the times ahead. In line with this, the channel organization and strategic alliance organization have been merged into a single, cohesive unit, rechristened Partner Organization."
Cisco also shared changes to its commercial business strategy. At the heart of this shift is the basic need to drive coverage in an increasingly competitive landscape by effectively supporting the partner network with better, richer and faster offerings. The new partner-led strategy has resulted in the seamless integration of Cisco's go-to-market and the Cisco sales team, with the partners becoming an extension of the company's sales force.
To further its reach across other market segments, the company has also enhanced its partner programmes and promotions to drive profitability, provide the right kind of training and evolve its channel partners' specializations from technologies to architectures. Going forward, Cisco, using this specialized approach, will continue to work towards building value for its partners, ensuring their profitability, investing in building their capabilities and making a more conducive business relationship possible.
