Cisco Combines Cloud And Managed Services Partner Programs

Cisco announced changes to its cloud partner program and said that it has merged the Cloud Provider and Cloud Services Reseller roles with the current Managed Services Channel Program.

The result is the Cloud and Managed Services Program (CMSP), which the company claims will simplify partner engagement with Cisco. According to the company, the CMSP also eliminates duplicate requirements and streamlines audits.

Cisco offers Express Certified, Advanced Certified and Master Certified as certification levels for the new program. Partners interested in the certification program are advised to review the Cisco Cloud and Managed Services Program Audit and Policies Document as well as the Cisco Powered Cloud and Managed Services Portfolio: Requirements Document. The application for the certification can be submitted via Cisco's partner account pages.

The CMSP is now offered next to the Cisco Certified Partner, Cisco Specialized Partner, Cisco Authorized Technology Provider, and Cisco Registered Partner programs.

Wolfgang Gruener is a contributor to Tom's IT Pro. He is currently principal analyst at Ndicio Research, a market analysis firm that focuses on cloud computing and disruptive technologies, and maintains the conceivablytech.com blog. An 18-year veteran in IT journalism and market research, he previously published TG Daily and was managing editor of Tom's Hardware news, which he grew from a link collection in the early 2000s into one of the most comprehensive and trusted technology news sources.

See here for all of Wolfgang's Tom's IT Pro articles.

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