D&H Distributing Co. has introduced a program designed to help its reseller partners sell and support products from Cisco Systems Inc.‘s Meraki line of networking, security, and mobility management solutions.
The Driven for Cisco Meraki program seeks to provide all of the resources channel pros need to receive product training, acquire product certifications, and capitalize on discounts, back-end rebates, and market development funds for sales and promotional efforts.
“The Driven program for Cisco Meraki focuses on enablement, delivering every possible resource we can to ensure our resellers can increase their profitability with this solution,” said Peter DiMarco, vice president of VAR sales at Harrisburg, Pa.-based D&H, in prepared remarks.
The new offering targets VARs who often lack the resources needed to clear the qualification bar for higher tiers in San Jose, Calif.-based Cisco’s partner program.
“We focus on support of the more independent VAR, who may not normally be able to leverage the same caliber of programs as their upper-tier counterparts,” DiMarco said in his press statement. “The program gives those resellers the ability to move upstream and enjoy the benefits that Cisco certification and specialization can yield, bringing them to a new height of prosperity and competitive advantage.”
Included in the Driven program is a self-service Partner Performance Tracker that resellers can use to monitor their progress as Cisco partners and collect benefits as their status in the program rises. The portal includes tools for uploading MDF proposals and applying for rebates as well.
Enrollees in the Driven program also enjoy access to half-day Meraki360 remote training sessions, Cisco Express Networking Specialization training vouchers, and a dedicated team of Meraki Driven support personnel.
D&H bills itself one of only a few channel players with a Certified Meraki Masters Trainer on staff. The distributor keeps its sales and technical employees up to date on the latest additions to the Meraki portfolio as well through an ongoing series of in-house training courses.
“The Driven program for Cisco Meraki demonstrates that D&H is delivering the support and resources that our mutual partners require to succeed,” said Andrew Sage, vice president of Americas Distribution at Cisco, in a press release. “D&H is delivering new ways for resellers to become more specialized and skilled providers of cloud managed networks.”
In January, D&H highlighted “mesh” Wi-Fi solutions from Meraki and other vendors as a major opportunity for SMB resellers.
In November, meanwhile, managed services software maker ConnectWise unveiled a major Cisco alliance of its own. That agreement helps MSPs provision and manage offerings in Cisco’s Meraki, Spark, Umbrella, and Stealthwatch portfolios, as well as virtual machines and storage from Amazon Web Services, via Tampa, Fla.-based ConnectWise’s new Unite solution.
