Since the announcement of the Cisco 360 Partner Program last November, something powerful has taken shape-not behind closed doors, but out in the open.

We invited our partners into the process early, not just to give feedback, but to help build it with us. And you did. You challenged us. You shaped it. You made it better.

It hasn't always been neat-and that was intentional. Designing in real time, together, meant embracing the messy moments. But it also meant creating something far more meaningful.

With seven months of focused co-design behind us, thankyou. The program we've built is stronger because of your input-and your partnership will continue to guide us forward.

Your input shaped every major part of the Cisco 360 Partner Program-from the Partner Value Index modifications to tools like the Cisco Partner Incentive Estimator. You helped us align Black Belt and Cisco U. into unified learning journeys. You pushed for branding that reflects real technical expertise-so we modernized our designations. You asked for a simpler experience-so we brought everything into one place within the Partner Experience Platform. Your input also drove updates like Hub & Spoke parameters, recognizing CCNA certifications, and scaling Black Belt expectations based on the size of your practice.

And just last Friday, June 27, we released updated Value Index positions across all six portfolios-Networking, Security, Cloud + AI Infrastructure, Collaboration, Services, and Splunk.These updates reflect the full weight of your feedback over the past seven months. From aligning category weights and adjusting metrics, to refining how partner capabilities are assessed, these changes represent real progress in creating a framework that's fair, scalable, and aligned to today's partner landscape.

This level of ecosystem collaboration is unmatched in our industry. Rather than feeling like changes were made to you, we're building the future of partnershipwith you.

And the impact is measurable: according to last week's Canalys survey, 49% of partners now rate the Cisco 360 Partner Program as good to excellent-up from 42% in May. Meanwhile, the percentage of partners waiting for more implementation details dropped from 39% to 24%. That's meaningful, steady progress-and growing confidence in our co-design approach.

A Clear Focus on Partner Profitability

While co-design helped shape the program's foundation,our focus continues to remain clear: helping you achieve predictable and profitable growth.

Cisco remains committed to investing in you-shifting incentives toward areas like technology innovation rooted in Campus Refresh, AI and security, software adoption, renewals, and deeper customer engagement that supports long-term growth.

To be clear:we are not doing away with highly lucrative incentives, as some headlines may have suggested. Instead, we're shifting the same consistent high-value incentive investment toward the areas that matter most-those that reflect how partners are evolving, where customer demand is growing, and how value is being delivered across the lifecycle.

Want to learn more?The Cisco Partner Incentive Estimator is now available for partner-facing teams to use in conversations with their partners-and it will be available to you in August, still six months ahead of the program launch.

Of course, your specific earnings will depend on your unique business model and where you choose to invest.But here's what we can say with confidence: the program is aligned to the traits that define today's most successful partners.

The most successful partners are customer-obsessed. They prioritize outcomes and build long-term relationships. They lead with technical expertise, investing in training and certification to differentiate themselves in a crowded market. They diversify their services-offering consulting, managed services, and lifecycle support to drive recurring revenue. And they go deep with strategic vendors, building strong, collaborative relationships that help them scale.

These are the qualities we've designed the Cisco 360 Partner Program to recognize and reward. From expanded technical enablement and new learning pathways to increased support for services-led models and customer success practices, the program reflects what's working in today's market-and where the opportunity is headed.

Partners who align to customer needs, who are agile, and who invest in innovation will be best positioned to unlock consistent, long-term value with the new program.

Early Qualification Starts Soon-Here's What You Need to Know

The next step is to get ready for the early Qualification Period starting this August. This is your opportunity to get a head start on program success.

Here's how it works:
For each respective portfolio, the highest Partner Value Index position you achieve by August 2025 through January 2026 will determine your position at launch in February 2026-and lock in your Benefits and Designations.

Based on the Partner Value Index you reach in this early qualification period, this will secure your status through August 2027. We've added this additional eligibility extension on top of the normal 'up to 12 months' eligibility period to ensure we support our partners through their transition into the new program structure.

The structure is built to encourage progress, while protecting value.Effectively, giving you time to adapt to dips, while celebrating positive momentum. And as always, we'll continue to provide enablement, insights, and tools that help you grow your Cisco business along the way.

One Ecosystem. Shared Success.

The Cisco 360 Partner Program is more than a framework-it's a significant transformation in how we grow together. We've reimagined how we engage with you, how we recognize your value, and how we help you stay competitive in a market defined by delivering the outcomes our customers need: AI-ready data centers, future-proofed workplaces, and digital resilience.

And we didn't do it alone.

Thank you for being part of the process-and for being at the heart of what comes next.

For all the latest announcements and information, please bookmark the Cisco 360 Partner Program page 

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