Linksys and Cisco One

From its 2007 Connected Office Day event around the globe, Linksys has restructured and rolled out its Linksys Partner Connection (LPC) program.

The LPC has been designed for partners who want to benefit from becoming educated and technically proficient in specific small business solution categories.

The program is specifically focused on channel partners who sell and offer Linksys Business Series and Linksys One product families and will be avialbel to channel partners over the next 12 months.

"Cisco and Linskys combined hold the best opportunity to tackle the SMB market. We feel we have a solution set that people need,” said Graeme Reardon regional director A/NZ.

The program improvements will include a tiering structure (Registered and Business Elite Partner) for specialisation in foundation technologies (routing, switching and wireless), storage, voice solutions and Linksys One, he said.

According to Reardon new benefits for the LPC program were also developed to reward partners for investing in pre-sales and post-sales resources, technical expertise and ongoing service capabilities to help drive increased partner profitability for selling platform solutions and managed services.

“We are developing a brand new partner program with Cisco. By combining our VARs and enabling them to sell Cisco and Linksys into specific markets,” he said.

The goal of the value-based program is to align with Cisco’s worldwide partner program. Together Linksys and Cisco registered channel partners will be combined into one common community to take advantage of both Cisco and Linksys unrestricted products.

Linksys will also take advantage of Cisco’s distribution capabilities to enhance its global reach and enable distribution partners to build SMB initiatives across the brands.

Finally, Linksys and Cisco will link the Cisco Certified Partner designations with Linksys Business Elite Partner status in the coming months.

The LPC program tiers include; Registered Partner – Tier 1; Business Elite Partner – Tier 2; and Business Elite Specialised Partner

For full details about the new program see issue 223 out on stand 18 June.

With additional by Helen Frost.