At its recent Partner Summit, Cisco, a global leader in networking and security, announced what it dubbed as the most significant evolution of its industry-leading partner program in nearly three decades.

The company explained that the new Cisco 360 Partner Program ‘’is designed to accelerate the value partners bring to customers by better addressing their rapidly evolving and complex needs — modernizing infrastructure, powering AI workloads anywhere, and keeping customers’ organizations secure, resilient, and high-performing.’’ 

Developed in collaboration with partners and customers, Cisco added that it will guide them through a 15-month transition period leading up to the program’s launch in February 2026.

“To further strengthen what is already a world-class partner ecosystem, this new program allows us to recognize and reward successful partners and better address the evolving needs of our customers,” explained Elisabeth De Dobbeleer, Senior Vice President, Cisco Partner Program.

Strategic Shift for a Competitive Market

The company explained that new program reflects a strategic shift in how Cisco and its partners create and deliver value for their customers in today’s fast-paced, competitive market. The program will redefine what it means to be a successful Cisco partner measuring value over transactions: how partners serve the needs and ambitions of their customers while harnessing the collective strength of Cisco’s partner ecosystem in ways that drives growth.

The program will elevate partners’ stature with customers and upgrade the partner experience with simplified processes and new ways to plan and track performance.  

“Our goal is to transform partner success, elevate Cisco partners, and upgrade the partner experience to align with Cisco's strategic vision,” continued De Dobbeleer.

$80 Million Skills Investment: A First Step in a Transformed Partner Experience

Cisco announced the first of its tangible enhancements to the partner experience with a $80 million investment into new partner initiatives. This is intended to boost skills and provide the tools needed to compete in the market. $60 million of that investment will support qualified partners with benefits including all-access Cisco U. subscriptions for skill development and certification.

An additional $20 million will fund quarterly training events for all partners, focusing on AI, security, and networking through self-paced learning, hands-on labs, and continuing education credits.

"It's about helping customers unlock the power of technology to achieve their business outcomes. That's the foundation of the Cisco 360 Partner Program. Whether through lifecycle practices, technical capabilities, or managed services, partners can drive profitable growth with our new value-based program. With a 15-month transition, partners have time to prepare and maximize their potential in Cisco 360 Partner Program,” said Rodney Clark, Senior Vice President of Partnerships and Small and Medium Business at Cisco. 

Cisco 360 Partner Program will include:

Redefining Partner Value: a simplified framework that recognizes the diverse ways partners add value to customers. This approach will measure the value partners deliver within specific portfolios or across multiple portfolios, rewarding partners on how their business model supports lifecycle and managed services, skills investment, customer base expansion, and engagement across the customer journey and partner ecosystem. Qualified partners will gain access to a broad range of benefits like the Cisco Partner Incentive and other non-financial benefits.

Elevating Partner Stature: to simplify and improve our partners’ value proposition and awareness with customers, Cisco is moving to two designations: Cisco Partner and Cisco Preferred Partner. Partners can earn these designations for each portfolio, such as Security or Networking, giving partners the ability to be recognized and market themselves as a Cisco Preferred Security Partner or a Cisco Preferred Networking Partner.

Future of Specializations: Cisco will continue to help partners differentiate their market position by developing deep expertise in specific or across multiple portfolios. The new program will continue to shift from traditional Architecture Specializations to Solution-Based Specializations, and ultimately to next generation specializations that will be accessible to Preferred Partners only.

Cisco also announced its first specialization focused on AI—the Cisco AI-Ready Infrastructure Solution Specialization—to position partners as experts in delivering AI-ready infrastructure, security, and observability solutions and services to customers throughout their AI adoption journey.

Supporting Partners in the Transition

The Cisco 360 Partner Program will fully transition in February 2026. The rollout will be gradual, with new elements introduced and piloted to keep partners and distributors informed and supported throughout the process. Current levels, roles, and lifecycle practice investments will be recognized until the program is fully implemented, ensuring partner investments are protected.

“We are excited about the launch of the Cisco 360 Partner Program, which represents the culmination of our long-standing and collaborative relationship with Cisco," said Steve Bland, Group Alliance, Director at Computacenter.

"Having worked closely with Cisco on the development of this innovative program, we are confident that it will significantly enhance our ability to meet the evolving needs of our customers. The program's emphasis on skills development, combined with Cisco's substantial investment in training, underscores their commitment to our mutual success. We look forward to leveraging these new opportunities to drive growth and deliver exceptional value to our clients," he concluded.