What a difference a year makes. Or in this case, less than a year. Rewind to mid-2009. Cisco Systems had a limited, somewhat flawed managed services partner program. Fast forward to the present, and a growing number of solutions providers are signing on to earn Cisco’s Managed Services Master Certification. The two latest examples involve BlueWater Communications Group and Insight Enterprises. Here are the details.
add a comment
Cisco Certified MSPs Gaining Critical Mass
Posted February 17th, 2010 by Joe Panettieri
Cisco Makes Infrastructure as a Service Move
Posted January 25th, 2010 by Joe Panettieri
After overhauling its managed services partner program in 2009, Cisco Systems is pushing into another new area: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). The networking giant says it now has an IaaS offering for service providers that want to tackle computing-on-demand, network-on-demand and storage-on-demand. Here are some details.
Cisco to MSPs: Think Bigger
Posted September 1st, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
At first glance, Cisco Systems’ revamped Managed Services Partner Program allows small VARs to leverage NOCs (network operation centers) from larger Cisco partners. But Cisco has another key message for larger MSPs that want to move into new markets.
Cisco’s New Managed Services Partner Program Launches September 1
Posted August 27th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Cisco Systems’ overhauled managed services partner program is set to launch September 1. I expect to have a deeper briefing with Cisco within the next 24 hours or so. But in the meantime, here are some initial perspectives on Cisco’s MSP partner strategy.
Update: Will Cisco Build Managed NOC?
Posted June 4th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
When Cisco Systems announced a revised managed services strategy this week, the company said it expected VARs to offer white label NOC (network operating center) services to each other. It begged the question: Would Cisco build a NOC of its own for established and aspiring managed service providers to leverage?
Cisco Revising Managed Services Partner Program
Posted June 2nd, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
During the Cisco Partner Summit 2009 in Boston, Channel Chief Keith Goodwin announced plans for a new managed services program for VARs and MSPs. The effort includes lower barriers to entry. Here are some quick details.
Live From Cisco Partner Summit
Posted June 1st, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
I’ll be at Cisco Partner Summit in Boston, today through June 4. In addition to MSPmentor’s managed services industry coverage (here are some stories we’re working on), we’ll spend considerable time this week exploring Cisco’s managed services strategy. And our sister site, The VAR Guy, takes a look at Cisco Channel Chief Keith Goodwin’s response to the HP-Microsoft Unified Communications partnership. If you have questions for Cisco’s channel team, feel free to email me (joe [at] NineLivesMediaInc.com).
Lucky Number 13 for Verizon Business Managed Services
Posted March 20th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
On the enterprise managed services front, Verizon Business says it now holds 13 managed services designations from Cisco Systems Inc. We told you a bit about Verizon’s MSP momentum in November 2008. If you think you’re a successful MSP, look at some of these quick stats.
AT&T, Verizon: Big Managed Services Moves Coming
Posted February 3rd, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
AT&T Business Solutions and Verizon Business continue to polish their respective managed services strategies. It begs the question: Are the telecom giants really a competitive threat to small MSPs? I expect to find some answers later this month. Here’s why.
Zenoss: Open Source Meets Managed Services (Again)
Posted December 15th, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
I’m hearing a familiar trend in the managed services market: MSPs seem to be embracing more and more open source tools. The latest example involves Zenoss, a commercial open source company that specializes in applications, systems and network monitoring.
Cisco’s Managed Services Strategy for 2009 (And Beyond)
Posted November 19th, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
Cisco Systems is starting to pull back the curtain on a broader, more aggressive managed services strategy — with an emphasis on empowered branch offices. The company made several MSP-oriented announcements yesterday and hosted a virtual trade show to brief customers. But that’s just the start.
Get Started: Visit our new 
