CISCO PARTNER SUMMIT 2004, HONOLULU, February 12, 2004 - As part of its continuing effort to help improve channel partner profitability, Cisco Systems® today announced that it will double the IP Communications rebate awarded by its Value Incentive Program. Channel partners enrolled in the previous period, will also enjoy an additional two-percent growth incentive rebate for achieving or exceeding specific program sales milestones.
The Value Incentive Program was designed to reward Cisco channel partners with proven expertise in the IP Communications and VPN/Security technology areas for accelerating the adoption of Cisco IP Telephony and VPN/Security solutions. The Value Incentive Program, launched just over one year ago, has helped increase Cisco market share position in both of these advanced technologies. The second, six-month phase of the Value Incentive Program, which ended on January 24, 2004, generated a more than 30 percent increase in IP Communications sales and more than 40 percent in VPN/Security sales when compared to the first six-month phase of the program that ended July 26, 2003.
"The investment in building an IPC converged practice is greater than many realized," said Edison Peres, vice president of Advanced Technologies, Worldwide Channels at Cisco Systems. "By increasing the IP Communications rebate of our Value Incentive Program, Cisco is helping partners recoup these additional costs and rewarding its channel partners for building advanced technology practices."
"It has been exciting for us to participate in helping Cisco succeed in the IP Communications market space," said Jim Teter, president, Avnet Enterprise Solutions.
"We are pleased that the Cisco Value Incentive Program has not only rewarded us for this commitment, but also helped us grow overall revenue and deliver profitable services practices to our clients."
Ensuring Customer Satisfaction
Rewarding partners for their customer satisfaction has been one of the key elements of the Value Incentive Program. Partners participating in the program are significantly exceeding the target Customer Satisfaction score of 4.20.
Value Incentive Program Information
The Value Incentive Program focuses on two advanced technology categories, IP Communications and Services and VPN/Security and Services. Channel partners can apply to participate in both programs simultaneously and qualify by fulfilling a variety of category-specific requirements, including specialization, customer satisfaction, and other business-specific requirements. Partners who are interested in learning more about the Value Incentive Program should visit http://www.cisco.com/go/valueincentive.
