Cisco tells top partners: focus on software and security

Software and security are big battlegrounds for Cisco, and it is urging its channel partners to skill up and specialise.

The vendor is holding its annual Cisco Partner Summit this week in Montreal, and software figured heavily in the keynote presentation on the opening day. More than 2,000 global partners are attending the summit.

Cisco announced a new software partner program, which will bring three new roles – software consultant, software integrator and software lifecycle advisor – and will go live at the start of the 2016 calendar year.

The software program is not for developers and ISVs, which would come under the Cisco 'Solutions Partner Program', but centred on companies reselling software licences and renewals.

Cisco revealed that shelfware is a concern, with just 33 percent of its software licences currently used, something it hopes to address with the new software lifecycle advisor specialisation.

While the vendor, which is in its quiet period, was reticent to reveal the exact size of its software business, it is understood to be several billion dollars.

Bruce Klein, senior vice president of the Worldwide Partner Organisation, pointed out that nine of Cisco's last 10 acquisitions were software businesses, and that its WebEx business makes it second largest enterprise SaaS provider in the world.

Recent acquisitions include the likes of malware analysis provider ThreatGrid and collaboration vendor Assemblage.

Klein urged the partners in the audience: "My big appeal is, build a Cisco software practice. That is the next wave we will take to market to drive exponential growth."

Earlier this year, the vendor revealed 'Cisco One', it attempt to simplify the way customers purchase from hundreds of different software products.

Security focus

Security is also front and centre. Cisco, which acquired Sourcefire in 2013, wants to position itself as a one-stop shop for security. The vendor claimed that on average, customers are running 45 different information security solutions.

"When you go and talk to customers, what is the first thing on their mind? Security, right? We have got the best portfolio in the market. We have a threat-centric architecture that is second to none, nobody can compete with us," said Klein.

The security message resonated with Garrett MacDonald, national marketing manager of Data#3, one of Cisco's top Australian partners.

The Brisbane-headquartered IT company said that in its recent CSAT customer satisfaction survey, security had jumped from fourth to first priority for customers.

"Cloud and mobile are driving the customer demand around security," added MacDonald.

In the results of CRN's 2015 reader survey, information security ranked the third-highest priority for readers in the year ahead, just behind professional services and managed services.

Steven Kiernan is a guest of Cisco in Montreal.