Cisco Unveils IQ Program & Cisco 360 Rolls Forward

Cisco continued the steady stream of information out of its 2025 Partner Summit. Second-day news included a new AI-enabled resource platform and more information about the upcoming rollout of the Cisco 360 partner program.

IQ program, continued changes point to focus on partner enablement

The newly announced Cisco IQ program is the company’s way of leveraging AI to deliver what it says its customers need: more personalized resources in an on-demand, automated delivery vehicle.

The company highlights the following as key ways customers and partners will benefit the platform:

• Anticipate and prevent issues with on-demand assessments covering security advisories, configurations, compliance, regulatory, quantum readiness and custom checks.
• Simplify operations and provide dynamic, real-time visibility of entire asset inventory with planning for last day of support and lifecycle management.
• Accelerate resolution using AI-supported troubleshooting and streamlined case management.
• Benefit from hyper-personalized support with AI that adapts to each customer’s unique
• environment.
• Realize deployment flexibility — SaaS, on-prem tethered, or on-prem air-gapped — with the ability to integrate Cisco IQ into existing systems

“Cisco IQ is our boldest step yet in reimagining how customers interact with Cisco — from planning and design to optimization and transformation,” said Liz Centoni, Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Experience Officer, Cisco. “With AI at its core, Cisco IQ doesn’t just react. It intelligently anticipates, personalizes and transforms how you assess, deploy and operate, providing one connected experience to reduce complexity and empower IT teams to act with clarity and confidence.”

Cisco 360 go-live date moves closer as company promises changes to rebates and other incentives

The Cisco-related news at the top of most partners’ minds, of course, is the upcoming shift into the Cisco 360 program. With a go-live date still scheduled for January 2026, the tech giant is continuing to release more information.

The new Cisco Partner Incentive introduces the Eligible Offers list and rebate rates aligned to accelerate growth and incentivize adoption across key innovation areas—campus refresh, AI, security, and premium services, as well as adopt and renew cycles.

Cisco is also offering bonus programs that partners can unlock based on their activity with Cisco solutions. The programs incentivize deep expertise or greater value and predictable growth with the broad portfolio of solutions.

“The Cisco 360 Partner Program is about more than recognition—it’s about empowering every partner to thrive at the center of Cisco’s innovation. By investing in our partners’ capabilities and giving them the tools and resources they need, we’re enabling our ecosystem to deliver greater customer outcomes and lead in an AI-powered world,” said Elisabeth De Dobbeleer, SVP of the Cisco Partner Program.

Partners will also gain access to new resources designed to accelerate expertise and time-to-revenue. Those include:

• Cisco Partner Learning Journeys: clear, role-based training paths for both technical and sales professionals at every level, with recognition through the Cisco 360 Partner Value Index, accelerating the ability to build the skills that drive business growth.
• Cisco AI Assistant for Partners: streamlined access to high-quality, multi-language content and training, available in Learning Journeys and Partner Experience Platform.
• Advanced dCloud Demo Experiences: customizable virtual labs that replicate real customer environments, allowing Preferred Partners to demonstrate Cisco’s full capabilities alongside their own solutions, while reducing physical equipment needs and lowering training and sales costs.
• Cisco U. AI Skills Expansion: practical training in AI skills, data analysis, and AI APIs usage for designing AI pilot projects, fostering an agile ecosystem that supports partner success, and innovation in a rapidly evolving technology landscape.
• “Learn with Cisco”: now includes an all-new Cisco AI Infrastructure Specialist Certification within the CCNP Data Center Certification track to help partners build and validate skills on Cisco data center infrastructure.

Partner Summit 2025: channel key to Cisco success in the market

Cisco iterated multiple times throughout the week that its partners remain crucial to its success in global markets across product types. For those partners, programs like Cisco IQ and 360 show the giant’s commitment to its channel ecosystem.

“It’s great to see Cisco leveraging AI and building out API stacks that enable partners to deliver even better outcomes for customers. Cisco IQ enhances the traditional services and support model into something that’s far more proactive and predictive, meaning we can help customers identify and solve issues before they impact operations, build digital resiliency, and optimize operations,” says John Tan, the chief customer officer of Data#3. “We’re excited to integrate Cisco IQ into our custom application stack to deliver the modern, proactive and hyper-personalized customer experience that organizations need today.”

“Cisco engaged partners early in the process and took our feedback along the way. We’re excited to see the new program come to life and believe now is the right time for these changes which position us all for the opportunities in the market. We appreciate Cisco’s continued commitment to our mutual success and growth,” said Brian Ortbals, SVP at WWT.