Cisco Unveils AI-Focused Partner Program and Study Insights to Bridge AI Readiness Gap

Partner Study Uncovers the Opportunities Ahead for Cisco Partners and Informs New AI Specialization

As the Artificial Intelligence (AI) landscape continues to evolve, organizations must adopt AI effectively to stay competitive. Our inaugural study, "Bridging the Customer AI Readiness Gap," explores the opportunities and challenges facing partners in supporting their customers' AI ambitions. Based on a double-blind survey of over 1,500 partners, the study reveals that IT partners around the world anticipate a transformative wave of AI technology demand that will drive significant revenue over the next four to five years as customers seek to address gaps in their readiness for AI implementation. This new survey builds on Cisco's Customer AI Readiness Index which evaluated global companies' ability to adopt and fully leverage AI. That initial index revealed widespread deficiencies in infrastructure, data, governance, and talent, highlighting a significant gap in customer readiness to implement AI effectively. Insights from the partner-focused survey reinforce the crucial role partners play in addressing customers' AI readiness needs and aspirations. This highlights a tremendous opportunity for Cisco and its partners to collaborate and bridge these critical gaps for our customers. To bridge the AI readiness gap, we're committed to empowering our partners with the necessary skills and knowledge. Insights from our study have informed our AI Specialization program. Earlier this year, we introduced AI Fundamentals for Partners, a successful training program in our Black Belt Academy. This program has seen significant engagement among our partners, with approximately 900 certifications from 600 companies and nearly 2,000 registrations to date. Building on this momentum, we're excited to announce the second phase: AI-Ready Infrastructure for Partners. This specialization is now available to all Cisco partners, free of charge, and perfectly aligned with the data center and AI products launching this week at Partner Summit. We encourage all partners to engage in our AI training programs and join our Early Access Community to gain a competitive advantage. By investing in AI training and enablement, partners can position themselves as trusted AI advisors and capitalize on the growing market opportunity. The AI landscape is rapidly evolving, presenting both challenges and opportunities for organizations. By understanding the AI readiness gap and empowering partners with the necessary skills and resources, we are helping customers harness the power of AI and achieve their business goals. We'd love to hear what you think. Ask a Question, Comment Below, and Stay Connected with #CiscoPartners on social!

Leading through learning with Cisco 360 Partner Program

I've always said that technology is moving faster than people. Should we just accept this? I believe we have a responsibility to help people everywhere build skills they need to leverage emerging technology and stay at the forefront of innovation. Digital skill-building is how we will advance and architect the rapid evolution of our information and communications technology (ICT) industry, where 92% of roles are expected to transform due to AI. Digital skills are also our best line of defense to address the global gap in cyber readiness and the shortage of 4.6 million cyber professionals which puts our world's digital ecosystem at risk. And most importantly, skilling is a pathway to participation - giving all the chance to benefit from the promise of advanced technology. Together, these dynamics create a pressing need for business and government leaders around the world to make sure their workforce is AI-ready and AI-enabled. Today at Cisco's 2024 Partner Summit, we took the stage to talk about the critical need for skilling and how a new vision for Partner enablement at Cisco - will allow us to lead the way. The ability to learn - and rapidly translate learning into action - will differentiate companies competing in today's hyper dynamic AI-driven market. But, we have to think about learning differently and cultivate skill-building as a strategic, ecosystem-wide capability. It's this idea that has leaders asking if they have enough workers with the right skills, and the answer is often "not yet." Instead, we see that: What does all of this mean for Cisco and our Partners as we journey to AI-readiness? It means it's time to go back to school! Cisco 360 is the most significant evolution of our Partner program in 25 years, designed from the ground up to help Cisco Partners build their workforce, enable outcomes, and lead the way for our industry. The "school" we envision at the heart of Cisco 360 is different from schools of the past. It's AI-centric and AI-driven, with learning that is simple, flexible and accessible. And, it includes new approaches and offers like these: As we roll out Cisco 360 over the next 15 months, we are also investing $60 million in our Preferred Partners' learning journey. Qualified Preferred Partners will receive a comprehensive benefits package that includes 10 annual all-access subscriptions to Cisco U., enabling their teams with critical skills and achieve or re-certify career certifications. This investment reflects Cisco's deep commitment to our Partners and our aim to amplify the value of Partner capabilities, performance and engagement. As we gear up for the 2026 launch of the Cisco 360 Partner Program, we will work to make sure the "on ramp" is easy and sets us up for success. Our work reflects significant feedback from our Partners, and we're counting on that feedback loop continuing as we bring Cisco 360 Partner enablement to life. Announcing these new offers has been a highlight of this year's Partner Summit. I especially appreciated the chance to convey in person the deep gratitude we have for the tens of thousands of Partners who scale Cisco around the world and deepen our impact in such meaningful ways. In my 28 years at Cisco, I have seen two important constants - the critical role our Partners play in our success, and the power of education and digital skilling to elevate individuals, communities and companies. Cisco and our Partners have embraced these ideas for a long time now, and our commitment to leading through learning is only deepening as we get ready together for another technological revolution. Learn More: The Transformational Opportunity of AI on ICT Jobs - Cisco Blogs Bridging the Customer AI-Readiness Gap_The Opportunities Ahead for Partners Cisco AI Readiness Index - Cisco