Cisco Plays Up Reseller InitiativesCisco Plays Up Reseller Initiatives

Cisco Systems is promoting a number of initiatives that it says will boost reseller profits and sales of its communications equipment. VP of worldwide channels Paul Mountford told attendees Tuesday at Cisco's Partner Summit conference in Las Vegas that it's a company priority to increase reseller profitability--since that, in turn, means they'll sell more Cisco equipment.

Among the initiatives laid out in the speech are cuts in administrative and licensing fees, incentive programs that will reward resellers with rebates for selling high-margin products such as IP-telephony equipment, and a new portfolio of products designed to make it easier to sell to small and medium-sized businesses.

Cisco has cut the number of its certified resellers nearly in half over the last two years, to 3,500.