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Fifth U.S. Cisco channel partner gains Master Unified Communications Specialization

10 June, 2007
By Chris Talbot
www.echannelline.com

Few in the channel have achieved the level of Cisco Systems' Master Specialization certifications, and according to the newest Cisco channel partner to complete the audit for the Master Unified Communications Specialization, there is still work to do to get the word out to customers about what the Master Specializations actually mean.

As the fifth Cisco channel partner in the U.S. to achieve the Master Unified Communications Specialization, Greenbelt, Md.-based Presidio Networked Solutions moved up the food chain from the Advanced Unified Communications Specialization. According to Dave Hart, CTO of Presidio Networked Solutions, the Master Specializations are a great thing Cisco has done to help its partners differentiate themselves, but the one area Cisco hasn't done a great job is in getting the word out into the market and letting end-users know exactly what the specialization is and how it differentiates partners.

"I think that's just a matter of time. It's not a lack of interest on their part in doing it," Hart said. Presidio is hoping to educate customers more on what the Master Specializations mean, he added. The Master Specialization demonstrates the capabilities of the channel partner, and the requirements are so rigorous that very few (currently, seven around the world) will meet the requirements. When there are 37,000 other Cisco resellers in the U.S., it can be a struggle to differentiate oneself, Hart said.

"I think today it helps us more transactionally than it does strategically," Hart said of the Master Unified Communications Specialization.

Part of the reason Presidio wants to educate end-users more on what the specialization means is because it could become a more strategic element in differentiating itself, he added.

To get accredited as a Master Unified Communications Specialist, Presidio had to undergo an audit by a third-party designated by Cisco. The company had to deal with a case study in a roleplaying situation, going through the business and technical processes they would have to deal with when dealing with a real customer.

"It's a big bar to jump over, no doubt about it," Hart said.