The 3 Most Important Things To Know About Cisco's New Partner Logos

With an eye toward honing the tools solution providers use to make the most of their relationships with Cisco Systems, the company has revamped its partner logo system.

The new system is designed to be simpler, making it easier for solution providers to tap into the well of cash available to them as Cisco partners, Michelle Chiantera, Cisco vice president of global partner and commercial marketing said in recent blog post.

"Cisco's brand is valued at $32 billion," Chiantera wrote. "In addition, our research shows that 40 percent of customers would pay a 35 percent premium to purchase from a Cisco partner, and perhaps even more."

The new logos, Chiantera said, offer partners a new way to market themselves with Cisco.

"Companies need their brands to be clear, relevant, and consistent from top to bottom in order to gain, and deepen, customer trust," Chiantera wrote. "In a post-digital world, a strong brand is critical to help customers make buying decisions faster."

Here are the three most important things for partners to know about Cisco's new logo system.

Keeping Partners Relevant

Chiantera argues that the complex and rapidly changing market for IT products and services makes it especially important for solution providers to differentiate themselves and remain relevant. The new logos, she writes, "make it clear that a company is a Cisco partner first and foremost." The logos also open a figurative door for customers curious to know more about a partner's particular relationship with Cisco.

It's Customizable
The new logos feature the familiar Cisco corporate logo with 'Partner' beneath it. Partners are then able to add up to three credentials under the main logo, 'Gold Certified,' or 'Master Specialized in Networking,' for example. Partners can reconfigure the logo to tailor it to whatever sales campaign they're pursuing, or audience they're targeting. Partners can also strip the logo down to the bare-bones 'Cisco Partner' when trying to keep things simple.

It's Intuitive
The new system knows which credentials partners are eligible to use, so partners can simply log into Cisco.com and find those credentials ready and waiting for them. The partner then selects the credentials they want to use and the system automatically generates a logo based on those selections. Considerations like color and spacing are handled by the system itself. Partners can then download a file that contains everything they'll need for print, web or video.