When creating 2020 resolutions, many VARs are looking to grow and accelerate their business. To help them do that with all things Cisco, the Comstor team offers VARs access to a team of experts who can guide them through every stage of developing a relationship with Cisco – from QuickStart and onboarding as a new partner to building a Cisco practice and beyond.
We recently sat down with Shawn Motley, Comstor Senior Manager for Cisco Business Development, to discuss the EDGE program and how it is evolving to help VARs in 2020. Motley is passionate about helping partners navigate Cisco and he believes, “Comstor and SYNNEX have the best team in the business to help our partners achieve success.”
Here is what he had to say about future opportunities for VARs and the EDGE Program:
EDGE360 Editors: Where do you see the big opportunities for VARs in 2020?
Shawn Motley: In 2020, there are a few areas where we see opportunities for VARs. The first area I’d call attention to is services. Cisco continues to add subscription service solutions to their portfolio, which creates a huge opportunity for partners to build a recurring revenue practice.
In addition, I believe security will continue to be a major focus, and with the Cisco acquisition of Duo (multi-factor authentication), the portfolio becomes an even stronger solution for end-to-end network security.
Finally, the launch of the Meraki Cellular Gateway (MG) product line is a massive partner opportunity enabling a wireless cellular signal to be converted to wired Ethernet for primary or failover connectivity.
EDGE360 Editors: What technologies are going to make the biggest impact this year?
Motley: I expect that 5G and WiFi6 will continue to grow, and networks need to be prepared for the bandwidth these technologies support. Additionally, SD-WAN will continue to have a large impact in 2020, reducing the cost and need for proprietary WAN connection lines.
EDGE360 Editors: For VARs looking to grow their Cisco practices in 2020, what should they be thinking about/working toward?
Motley: There are a couple of recommendations. First, VARs will need to develop and build on their expertise (sales and technical) to competently deliver Cisco solutions. In addition, there is opportunity to develop or continue to grow a recurring revenue practice. And, finally, VARs will need to focus on customer experience (CX) by delivering functionality and ensuring it’s being utilized to drive businesses outcomes.
EDGE360 Editors: Tell us about any updates in terms of the Comstor Progression Programs. How can VARs take advantage of them? Any new opportunities?
Motley: The EDGE Progression Programs continue to evolve and have been proven to help partners build and grow their Cisco practices at an accelerated rate. As partners opt into the EDGE programs, they gain access to our EDGE Focus Tool (EFT). This tool enables them to track and customize their development journey, assign tasks, enroll in training, view sales progress toward rebates, and more. EFT simplifies Cisco for our partners, consolidating content in a one-stop-shop portal, saving time for them and enabling them to get up to speed quickly.
We also have a team of Cisco architecture experts available to consult with partners on how to develop their journey to a successful Cisco practice. They can be reached at EDGEPrograms@comstor-na.com
EDGE360 Editors: How would you summarize your predictions for 2020?
Motley: 2020 will be the year of accelerated growth. Partners who prepare and develop their Cisco practice will find the most success. The Comstor EDGE Progression Programs position them to recognize that success and accomplish their goals faster.
