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5-STAR WINNER PARTNER PROGRAM GUIDE
Ciena Partner Program Transformation Better Serves Partners
Q. What does having a 5-Star Partner Program mean to Ciena? A. The Ciena Partner Program has gone through an amazing progression over the last few years, and we made our most significant modification in 2022 to adopt an ecosystem model for the program, developing it into the Ciena Partner Network ecosystem (CPNe) program. We have been extremely pleased by the overwhelmingly positive response from our current partner base. Winning the CRN 5-Star award for the CPNe program is incredibly exciting and only reinforces that we made the right decision in taking the ecosystem approach. Q. Why did Ciena choose to adopt an ecosystem model for your partner program? A. Prior to an ecosystem approach, we had a tiered model with overall program requirements and benefits that applied to all partners. What we found from gathering feedback from our partner community is that the “one size fits all” just wasn’t working for our diverse partner types. We took these learnings and sought a way to have a more tailored approach in how we partner, giving each different partner type the benefits they find most valuable and creating requirements in a way that allowed each partner type the opportunity to qualify for the program based on their business model. Ciena can also play a key role as a facilitator in our partner community by bringing complementary partners together to create a solution-first approach for customers. This generates long term benefits for the customer, our partners and even Ciena since together we can deliver a complete end-to-end solution. Q. Why does the Ciena Partner Network ecosystem work so well for your partners? A. In the CPNe, partners win by co-selling and building more holistic solutions that deliver the right combination of products, services and support that meet—and exceed—customers’ business goals. Within the CPNe program, we focus on empowerment, collaboration and specialization. The CPNe empowers partners with valuable sales and services training, enablement and market intelligence resources. Partners collaborate with Ciena and other partners in the CPNe to enable joint success and deliver exceptional outcomes to customers. Finally, partners specialize their path to success in the CPNe program and get rewarded when they maximize their unique business strengths. Through these three pillars, the CPNe enables partners to take advantage of rapidly growing market opportunities, such as residential broadband and SD-WAN/SASE, more effectively.
Matt Cook VP, Global Partner Organization
Linda Hutchinson Sr. Director, Global Partner Programs and Operations
Patricia Picco Director, Global Partner Program, Global Partner Organization
Learn more about the Ciena Partner Network ecosystem program. www.ciena.com/partners
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