The new offers Cisco is announcing include:

Business Critical Services (BCS) 3.0

Packaged expertise, analytics and insights guiding customers to perform and transform. The services' actionable insights, recommendations and automation are powered by artificial intelligence and ML with access to Cisco and partner experts.

BCS 3.0 was built to address key needs for the architecture, engineering, NetOps, SecOps and DevOps functions. New BCS 3.0 packaging (essentials and advantage) allows partners and customers to choose how best to integrate BCS 3.0 into their environments.

Solution support

Solution-level coverage and coordination for all Cisco technology portfolios that resolve complex issues on average 44% faster than device-level support. Customers and partners get access to a primary point of contact with product and solution expertise across 30+ Cisco solutions, 250+ Cisco products and 100+ technology providers.

Cisco is now extending this offer to cover software subscriptions. Support for Collaboration is now available, followed by Cisco Digital Network Architecture and Security in Q2 — and others to follow.

Operate offers

An updated portfolio of managed services that help partners simplify IT operations and ensure the availability of their customers' networks. Packaged for partner resell, allowing partners to rapidly deliver managed services capabilities from Cisco while adding to or creating new managed service practices.

These offers draw upon industry-leading orchestration and automation capabilities to proactively identify and resolve issues before they occur. The three new offers are Managed Detection and Response, Managed Secure SD-WAN and Unified Communications Manager Cloud.

New partner programme incentives focussed on the Lifecycle

The new Lifecycle Incentives programme rewards partners that successfully drive software activation and adoption with customers, and for expanding existing deals into new opportunities.

There is also the introduction of an additional reward for activating more Cisco DNA Centre use cases — the new Use Accelerator bonus (available now through to the end of Q3). Cisco is making new additions to the industry-leading programmes and incentives that now cover the full lifecycle and increases partners' profitability.

It is taking a lifecycle-first approach, with its Partner Lifecycle Model. Cisco has expanded the incentives and created the first business specialisation focussed on customer experience. The overall model to help partners monetise, operate and organise for lifecycle selling, and guidance on how partners can modernise their services practices.

"We've been extremely excited about this new offer (Cisco) is bringing to market around Managed Detection and Response via Cisco Managed Services, and our ability to tap into that capability without necessarily having to build it on our own allows us to get to market way faster and help our customers get the most out of their investment," says Brian Ortbals, VP global engineering team WWT.

"We are, today, embracing the shift to software, subscription and lifecycle services, so that tomorrow we can engage with our customers at an even deeper level and together with Cisco, we can unlock new possibilities for all of us," adds Mark Rogers, CEO Logicalis.

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