Cisco aims to help its technology provider partners and resellers expand their customer base and resources through new solution designation benefits.

During the past year, we have focused on delivering expanded toolsets and resources to our Solution Partner Program members, empowering them to connect with resellers, reduce costs and integrate with additional Cisco technologies. Today, I'm excited to share with you how we are continuing to help you grow your business.

We have introduced two new solution categories: Platform Ready and Co-Resident. These new categories will allow you to differentiate your solutions, reach new customers and make your solutions easily identifiable with specific, searchable solution designations in the Cisco Marketplace Technology Solutions Catalog.

Sound good so far? I hope you're as excited as I am about these new solution categories. Let me take a moment to tell you a bit more about them and some of the benefits for you, your customers and resellers.

Platform Ready

With 43,000 customers, our Unified Computing System (UCS) is a great market to tap into. OurPlatform Readydesignation tells people your solutions work with UCS, so it's a great way to start reaching those customers.

It's easy to meet thePlatform Readycriteria, so you can go to market, fast. And your solutions will stand out in our Technology Solutions Catalog, where our customers and resellers can easily search for them.

Learn more about the Platform Ready Requirements

Co-Resident

Our-Co-Residentdesignation lets people know your solutions are authorized to co-reside on our Business Edition 6000 and 7000 communication platforms. That's a market of 30,000 servers, 3 million users, and$4.3 billion of potential value. Just waiting to be tapped.

It's easier than ever to achieveCo-Residentstatus, so you can start getting your share in no time. And if you get your solution in our Technology Solutions Catalog (add hyperlink), even more customers and resellers are bound to notice it.

Learn more about the Co-Resident Requirements

With solutions that are Platform Ready or Co-Resident, you and your solutions will stand out from the crowd.

So, what's in it for resellers? Solutions with these new designations provide resellers with confidence that these solutions meet a specified Cisco standard. Resellers gain an opportunity to sell a broader portfolio of tested solution offers without having to build it themselves and get more upsell, cross-sell and services opportunities.

Customers will have the confidence these solutions will work in their Cisco environment and meet Cisco's interoperability or co-resident standards thereby reducing cost and risk for them. But most importantly, they're available -and will work for you -right away.

What's Next?

For Solution Partners

Log into your Solution Partner Program dashboard, and make sure that your solution is associated with the UCS platform (Platform Ready) and/or the Business Edition 6000 and 7000 servers (Co-Resident).

For Resellers and Customers

Search for Platform Ready (under the category Unified Computing) or Co-Resident (under the category Collaboration) solutions in the Technology Solutions Catalog.  Solutions that have met the requirements will be listed with the corresponding solution designation.

Not a Member of the Solution Partner Program?

What are you waiting for? Get access to a ton of great resources and tools to help you build, test, market, and sell your solutions. Join the Solution Partner Program today.

I'd Like To Hear From You

Let me know what you think of our new solution categories. Your feedback is helpful to us. It will let us know what we should do to make sure you're getting what you need from us. Please add a comment below and let's talk.