Ciena (NYSE:CIEN) has enhanced its channel partner program to better align with the rapidly changing IT landscape. With the new Ciena Partner Network (CPN), Ciena is moving away from traditional, "one-size fits all" partner programs to a collaborative and personalized approach, which is designed to enable and reward all partner business models from a single platform. The CPN program is intended to enable Ciena partners to respond to technology disruptions and market transitions, capture new opportunities, and offer specialized services and solutions.
Companies are automating and/or virtualizing their IT environments to remain competitive, and channel partners' business plans and training programs must continually adapt to intercept this opportunity. To facilitate this requirement, Ciena's CPN is intended to provide greater flexibility and customization to all partners, including managed service providers, resellers, integrators, distributors, or service partners.
The program gives partners customizable training, enablement resources and collaborative joint business planning tailored to the partners' business requirements. It is intended to enable partners to reduce time to market, drive incremental sales, expand technical expertise, and deliver measurable outcomes.
In addition, Partner Academy, Ciena's training and certification program, guides partners on personalized learner journeys to expand their expertise by offering the same sales and technical training as Ciena staff.
Solution Enablement Toolkits (SETs) provide a collection of sales, marketing and services development resources to enable partners to build specialized Data Center Interconnect (DCI) and Ethernet offerings based on Ciena solutions. Resources include training, market insights, competitive intelligence, geo-targeting, sales playbooks and access to industry analysts.
Ciena plans to onboard more than 200 specialized partners into the Ciena Partner Network including Anycomm, CenturyLink, Comcast, Kapsch, LightRiver, Windstream and Zayo.
Sandra Glaser Cheek, vice president, Global Partners and Alliances at Ciena, said: "Our new partner program complements our Adaptive Network approach to help Ciena clients and partners adapt to changing market conditions. By moving away from the traditional program structure to a more collaborative, personalized and empowering approach, our CPN program delivers unprecedented flexibility and customization that harnesses the unique value of each partner."
Anita Dorf, vice president, Enterprise Marketing, Comcast Business, said: "Over the past several years, our partnering relationship with Ciena has helped drive demand and create new content for Comcast Business. We look forward to a continued strategic relationship and exploring the new aspects of the Ciena Partner Network Program."
