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Good news: Cisco distribution visibility (DSV) is now available for Ingram Micro partners

March 07, 2017


Cisco DSV is evidence that Cisco takes its partners’ feedback seriously, and it’s fully committed to putting one-tier and two-tier partners on a level playing field.

Many channel partners prefer to procure Cisco hardware and software products from a specific distribution partner for the support and services that can add so much value to their Cisco solutions. But the process for ensuring that partners receive the credit deserved for their two-tier purchases hasn’t always been a smooth one. For various reasons, including disparity between distributors’ and Cisco’s ordering systems, two-tier orders could be delayed by 5 to 10 days. And, in some cases, channel salespeople had to make multiple contacts to their vendor and distributor account reps to manually coordinate each step of the sale and to ensure all credits and incentives were properly awarded.

Cisco made a positive step to resolve these problems in 2009 with the release of Channels Booking Neutrality (CBN), a program that guaranteed two-tier partners an equal buying experience if their orders met specific criteria, such as a minimum $100,000 net cost.

Based on partner feedback about CBN, Cisco replaced the old program with DSV to further simplify ordering and fulfillment for orders placed through distributors. One notable improvement with DSV is that orders can be placed through distribution without order size minimums. Plus, through DSV, channel partners receive credit at the time of distributor booking—the same as orders booked directly to Cisco. Order-cycle times are dramatically reduced when distributors fulfill orders from inventory, improving customer satisfaction. DSV rollouts began Q1FY16 in a phased rollout with smaller distributors outside the U.S, and the Cisco DSV program became available to Ingram Micro’s Cisco resellers earlier this month.

Why DSV is so great for distributors—and channel partners 

The one big challenge that existed prior to DSV was the ordering system disparity between Cisco and distributors, mentioned earlier. Because of this, there were a lot of manual data entry processes, which forced account representatives to unnaturally manipulate orders between the two disparate sales systems to make the two systems “communicate.” With DSV, Cisco provides its distributor partners with a direct tie-in to its ordering system, which is updated every hour, so all the manual processes are reduced exponentially. This is the key to reducing sales-cycle times from weeks to less than one day and providing our Cisco channel partners with immediate bookings credit for all validated Ingram Micro bookings. 

So, the good news for channel salespeople is that whether they work directly with Cisco or use a value-added distributor partner like Ingram Micro, the process is now the same. If you’re a registered Cisco and Ingram Micro partner, you automatically have access to this program. Our account managers are looking forward to working with you to determine the best way to fulfill your approved deals to meet your customers’ needs—whether from Ingram Micro’s inventory or drop-shipped from Cisco.

For more information, reach out to your dedicated Cisco Support Team.