Designed to Improve Service Provider Performance and Growth
Transform the Challenges of Change into Business Opportunities
In an environment of technological innovation, your business customers and prospects face continuing pressures to improve profitability and productivity while protecting assets and reducing costs.
At the same time, new technologies for accessing multimedia content on PCs, phones, televisions, and a host of smart mobile devices are creating pressures for you to provide rich, integrated experiences for your customers, in addition to your traditional communications services. In this competitive arena, Cisco® and the Cisco Powered Program can help.
Having chosen Cisco as your partner in building out new services, you are already taking advantage of a new and improved suite of business and consumer service offerings powered by the Cisco IP Next-Generation Network (IP NGN). Your innovative network opens many possibilities for new revenue and stronger customer loyalty.
The Cisco Powered Program serves members in all aspects of the service lifecycle: from envisioning and launching a service, to marketing and selling it. As a Cisco Powered Program member, you can use Cisco's expertise in creating network-based services, as well as the strong Cisco brand and its reputation among businesses, to launch and sell sophisticated and differentiated new services.
Differentiating Your Service
A Cisco Powered service designation makes it easy for business customers to make the right decision when choosing a service provider and gives you an advantage in the marketplace.
Research has shown that a Cisco Powered designation delivers:
• Increased customer confidence in your products and services
• Validation of the high standards you put into the planning, design, implementation, and operation of your services
• Recognition for your innovation and ability to provide high-value services
The Power of the Brand
Brand recognition boosts service acceptance, and the Cisco Powered brand is one that business customers know and trust. The logo has been recently refreshed to align visually with the Cisco corporate logo. Added to your Website and marketing materials, the Cisco Powered logo assures your customers that, whether you are offering a single service or a far-ranging portfolio of customer experiences, they are being delivered over a network based on Cisco technology - an attribute associated with security, compatibility, reliability, quality, and performance.
New Cisco Powered Managed Service Designations
To maximize the revenue opportunity from the burgeoning managed services market, service providers, systems integrators, and value-added resellers (VARs) need to win the confidence of enterprises and small and medium-sized businesses.
Therefore, Cisco has created new Cisco Powered Managed service designations, in collaboration with the Managed Services Channel Program (MSCP). This new program, unique in the industry, helps differentiate managed services by providing objective validation from a third-party auditor and also helps managed services providers increase profitability and reduce client turnover.
Providers of Cisco Powered managed services that qualify under MSCP receive all of the benefits of Cisco Powered Program membership and the following new benefits:
• Financial rewards: Special pricing on Cisco customer premise equipment (CPE) associated with qualifying services
• Global consistency: Consistent and predictable terms to ease adoption of Cisco solutions globally
• Branding opportunities: A new Cisco Powered Managed Service badge that means the service has passed a rigorous, annual independent audit validating that it meets accepted industry standards and Cisco best practices
The following service types are eligible to apply for a Cisco Powered Managed Service badge:
• Managed Connectivity
• Managed Security
• Managed Unified Communications
• Managed Mobile Communications
• Managed Data Center
To apply, providers must complete an onsite audit, during which requirements for staff expertise, policies, procedures, and technologies, based on best practices derived from the industry and the experience of Cisco, are reviewed. For information about how to apply, visit the Managed Service Channel Program Website: www.cisco.com/go/mscp.
Envisioning Your Service
Cisco wants to help you envision and create new services based on Cisco technology. To this end, Cisco offers the following resources to give your new services a solid foundation.
The Cisco IP Next-Generation Network Architecture
By choosing to build your services on the Cisco IP Next-Generation Network architecture, you have selected the foundation for a robust, differentiated portfolio of business and consumer services. It positions your business for long-term success by transforming your network into a more profitable, service-rich, and flexible engine. The IP NGN also enables you to deliver new services faster, increases infrastructure efficiencies, and provides enhanced network and service control.
Practical Marketing Intelligence
Cisco has commissioned primary third-party research about the future of business and consumer services in markets around the world. Cisco makes this market intelligence available to help you identify revenue opportunities that align with your business goals.
Business Analysis Tools
You can use a return on investment (ROI) calculator and a total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis tool to help you quantify the benefits to you and your customers of managed services based on Cisco technology.
Envision Resource Kits
Cisco has organized its service-creation resources into convenient kits on the Cisco Powered Program member Website. In one place you will find market research, business planning guides, market service descriptions, and business-analysis tools that are based on many years of Cisco's experience in working with service providers to launch successful services. The comprehensive kits make it easier to envision and create new services based on Cisco technology, including managed VPNs, managed security, and managed unified communications.
Cisco Powered Marketing Summit
You are invited to attend an annual gathering focused on the creation and marketing of high-value managed services for business and consumers. It is a unique opportunity to learn from respected Cisco service-creation experts, industry marketing and branding leaders, Cisco management, and your managed service provider peers from around the world.
Building Your Service
The next step after envisioning your service is building it. The Cisco Powered Program helps you take that step by giving you access to a comprehensive set of Cisco resources. These resources can equip your network engineering professionals with the technical and training tools they need - from training to certifications to industry forums - to design, implement, and optimize your networks.
Service Architectures
Cisco has created a suite of service architectures for the most crucial services, including unified communications, security, multiservice IP VPN, and Metro Ethernet. Because these architectures are standards-based, using industry best practices, testing, and feedback from business users, they can help you create services faster and with less risk.
Networkers at Cisco Live
Networkers at Cisco Live is the annual technical user conference that puts your networking professionals - the people who are actually building your services - into a high-performance learning and sharing environment with peers and with the "best and brightest" from Cisco. Cisco Powered Program members receive onsite special benefits and can also take new classes about topics of interest to service providers.
Online and Classroom Technical Training
Ongoing training is critical to maintaining the high-performance services that you build for your customers. The Cisco Powered Program features a wealth of online technical training modules and classroom training about topics of critical interest to service providers. Members also receive a complimentary subscription to Cisco Networkers Online, an online library of the technical classes presented at Networkers at Cisco Live.
Professional Services to Support Your Success
To maintain your services at the highest level of performance from preparation to optimization, Cisco offers lifecycle advisory services. Cisco advisory services are fee based and include:
• Preparation and planning services to put in place a flexible platform on which to deliver your managed services
• Design and implementation services for smooth deployment of technology and services
• Operation and optimization services to sustain your managed services both today and as they evolve
Marketing and Selling Your Service
The final step in a successful service is to market and sell it. A variety of marketing resources is available to help you ensure that the service you have envisioned and built over a Cisco infrastructure gets the audience and customers it deserves. These tools help educate and equip your sales and marketing teams and can increase both service adoption and customer retention.
Sales Readiness Resources
Cisco offers resources to help you develop more effective sales teams, including:
• Web-based and in-person training about technology and service benefits, executive selling, and alignment with campaign messaging and ROI goals
• Comprehensive guides on the managed services opportunity for service providers and benefits to end customers as well as a "How to Sell Managed Services" video on demand
• Customized "virtual classroom" Web portals to teach, track, and test participants - with access to sales tools, news clips, Cisco designation course material, field content maps, and more; available by application only
Sales and Marketing Resource Toolkits
Cisco offers professionally developed collateral off the shelf - from customer presentations to telemarketing scripts, sales toolkits, and success story templates - that help you quickly introduce new marketing campaigns for your services. The sales and marketing resource toolkits contain materials appropriate for large and small businesses and for services including managed security, multiservice IP VPNs, and managed unified communications. The toolkits also include vertical industry guides that map the value proposition of your managed service to industry-specific challenges for education, retail, healthcare, and government.
Custom Consulting for Lead Generation
Customized lead-generation campaigns designed jointly by your company and Cisco produce high-quality leads. Apply for joint consulting with Cisco on strategic planning, creative development, media and list planning, results tracking, and sales training. If your target market includes small businesses, consider eCollaborate, a joint marketing Web platform that gives your prospects access to educational materials such as solution overviews and white papers, and gives you access to prequalified prospects for your service.
Public Relations, Exhibition, and Advertising Opportunities
After you are accepted into the Cisco Powered Program, you can benefit from a variety of promotional resources that give your business valuable exposure. The Cisco public relations team will work with you to announce your membership in the program and to promote your services and customer successes based on Cisco technology. You will be invited to exhibit at selected trade shows, including the annual Networkers at Cisco Live user conference, which exposes your business to thousands of enterprise Cisco users. In addition, Cisco global advertising campaigns encourage businesses to seek out members of the Cisco Powered Program.
Cisco.com
Cisco recommends Cisco Powered Program members to customers on its award-winning Website, www.cisco.com. Visitors can click "Find a Service Provider" to search based on service type and geographic area served. If you match the search criteria, the prospective customer can view a detailed description of your company and click through to your Website - yet another source of qualified sales leads.
Selecting Cisco Powered Program Resources
No matter what your business need, the Cisco Powered Program has resources (Table 1) that can help you be successful. Request access to Cisco Powered program benefits at www.cisco.com/cpn/register.
