Cisco Systems is polishing and refining its MSP (managed IT services provider) partner program ahead of the networking giant's annual Cisco Partner Summit 2019 in November.
The updates surfaced in two separate blog posts authored by Grace Lo (director, worldwide partner organization) and Marc Inderhees (global partner organization, partner managed services GTM lead).
According to Lo:
"For FY20, we’ve radically redesigned and simplified our global Cloud & Managed Services Program (CMSP)—with MSPs in mind. This is a great opportunity to help you improve your profitability and expand in the commercial and small- and mid-size market."
As a next step, established and aspiring MSPs should attend a Power Hour on September 18, which will include chats with Cisco's various program leaders, Lo wrote.
Cisco Emphasizes Five MSP Opportunities
On a related note, Cisco has launched an MSP page to help partners build recurring revenue businesses, Inderhees notes.
The page emphasizes such solutions as Meraki, Umbrella, Advanced Malware Protection, Duo and Stealthwatch.
Inderhees has been extremely active in and around the MSP market for more than two years. He spearheaded Cisco's early work with ConnectWise on multiple product integrations and business synergies. And he has led multiple workshops and education sessions for MSPs. Those engagements surfaced at third-party events as well as Cisco Partner Summit.
Cisco's MSP partner initiatives come at a key time for the company. The efforts potentially align well with CEO Chuck Robbins' overall vision for recurring revenues and subscription services.
Cisco's SMB product and business focus lagged about a decade ago under former CEO John Chambers, who focused mostly on large enterprises and massive service provider engagements. But Robbins has led a Cisco renaissance of sorts in the SMB sector.
