It’s no secret to anyone working in the technology space that SaaS has become a high priority for IT manufacturers. This is especially true of Cisco Systems. While Cisco has rapidly increased their SaaS portfolio over the last few years, their focus on Enterprise Agreements (EAs) has grown alongside this portfolio expansion. The Cisco Enterprise Agreement is a multiyear contract software buying model that allows for ease of expansion, locked-in pricing – regardless of price increases, and predictable budgeting, all with a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) to the end user. With the latest iteration of Cisco EAs, EA 3.0, partners can sell multi-architecture software agreements and even include Cisco services like SWSS, Solution Support, and Success Tracks within the solution.
End users are searching for innovative ways to lower their IT budgets and administrative overhead. With a single contract, all managed in a single location, and a lower TCO, IT and Finance leaders can find common ground that meets both of their needs. This means less time spent by purchasing, financing, and operational departments managing multiple contracts with varying term dates, and fewer management portals and provision licenses for IT departments to manage.
In combination with Cisco’s initiative around Customer Experience (CX), EAs can help Cisco partners become reliable, consultative advisors to their customers while maintaining consistent market share. Once an EA has been sold, the partner who has sold it becomes the partner-of-record for any growth, management, and maintenance for the solutions included on an EA. Some of Cisco’s hardware comes with a mandatory license attached. Should another partner sell this hardware to your customer, Cisco’s Buying Program Awareness will discount the attached licensing and add it to the EA that you have sold – allowing you to recognize that revenue.
Proactivity is key for building a proper EA designed to fit your customer’s needs over the next few years and can set the stage for a smooth consultative relationship between partners and end users. During a webinar on August 9, participants learned the foundations of Cisco Enterprise Agreements, who to engage for additional training and support, and even how to sell Cisco EAs if you do not meet the standard requirements.
View the full enterprise agreements webinar here.
