It’s a new year, and with it comes new expectations of the many programs that help partners thrive in the channel. With mounting concerns surrounding budgetary tightening across multiple sectors, partners are looking to ensure their business lines remain robust into the year ahead.
To find out exactly how the EDGE Program has been updated to match the needs of partners today, EDGE360 Online reached out to several TD SYNNEX experts who know best about what is in store. TD SYNNEX’s Shawn Motley, Director of Cisco Product Business Management; Saxton Barnes, Supervisor of Product Business Management; and Ezequiel Rios, Manager of Product Business Management share their thoughts below.
EDGE360 Editors: What is the current state of the EDGE Program in 2023?
Saxton Barnes: The current state of the EDGE Program and Tool in 2023 can be summed up in a single word – refreshed.
The tool has been completely remodeled to capture a more modern look, feel, and user experience. We have changed the program level of Engage, Develop, Grow, and Extend, to meet the partners’ needs based on where they are in their Cisco Partnership journey. The level of the acronym they choose to enroll in will dictate the content and features they have available to them, giving them a more tailored experience to help them focus on their next steps, ultimately fast-tracking their growth to the next level.
The programs have been updated as well. Each platform page in EDGE has undergone a content refresh driven by the architecture lead to ensure information and resources are as up-to-date as possible. Additionally, the team has started leveraging the video platform, Vidyard, to curate video and content libraries pertinent to their focus areas that are housed directly in the EDGE Focus Tool.
Finally, we have launched an EDGE Focus Tool App, giving partners the easy-to-use experience they have on the web page, now in the palm of their hands. The app grants on-demand access to important expiration dates, certification/specialization statuses, portfolio overviews, and much more.
We are excited with the current state of EDGE and look forward to what’s next, as the programs and platform will remain ever-evolving.
EDGE360 Editors: Has the recent merger between Tech Data and SYNNEX Comstor affected the present or future of the program? What can partners expect to remain the same or to change?
Ezequiel Rios: Yes, since the merger, the EDGE Programs have become even more beneficial for partners, both in terms of capabilities within the program and the resources available to them.
We have effectively combined the Cisco Value-add programs and resources from both legacy companies under the umbrella of the EDGE Programs – and to help partners scale the growth, we have also doubled the size of the teams supporting our EDGE Partners.
We now have a more extensive webinar and training catalog where we help partners with entry-level pieces of training as well as highly technical ones such as ECMS1&2, troubleshooting Cisco Data Center, and configuring Cisco Catalyst. We now offer recurring bi-weekly pieces of training for sales and support staff, helping partners train their staff on navigating CCW, CCW-R, submitting deals, claiming MDF, and more.
We are now able to invest even more in tools for partners such as our VIP estimator, where partners can see down to the penny the number of rebate funds they can get on a registered or not registered cisco deal.
EDGE360 Editors: As the channel faces macroeconomic challenges and tightening budgets, how is the EDGE Program evolving to help partners build on their success in 2022?
Shawn Motley: The EDGE programs have evolved with access to content, training, and resources streamlined so our partners can more quickly begin their journey to growing their Cisco business.
There’s much more focus on solution selling, including software and recurring revenue opportunities, that help to overcome supply chain constraints that all industries continue to face. An increased emphasis on how to create and drive lifecycle and customer experience helps our partners capture lucrative rebates while ensuring their customers are activating all features of their Cisco solutions to recognize the maximum value.
We listen to our partners’ needs and are quick to create and deliver customized content and experiences like our Virtual Reality pieces of training that eliminate travel costs while developing a deep understanding of Cisco solutions.
The TD SYNNEX EDGE programs are solely designed to help our partners reduce costs and help drive their business growth. Our partners will continue to see the evolution of the TD SYNNEX EDGE programs to make Cisco simpler and more profitable for them throughout 2023.
To learn more about the EDGE Program, click here.
