IT corporation, Cicso Systems, has launched a new Global Services Alliance programme which will offer co-branded technical support services through partners.  The company says the consistency in support is made possible by tightly integrating the Cisco SMARTnet technical support offering and Cisco services' best practices with the partner's value-added IT services.

'Our global customers want partners that can provide flexible and consistent services worldwide. The Global Services Alliance allows Cisco and its channel partners to align service portfolios to a single complementary platform that provides greater flexibility and value to our shared end customers,' said Wim Elfrink, senior vice president, Cisco Customer Advocacy. 'Through this program, Cisco and its Global Alliance partners will provide a broad portfolio of end-to-end network services that address all aspects of issues with geography, technology, and applications through globally consistent and integrated IT-level support capabilities.'

This move follows its Global Commerce Specialisation aimed at supporting partners which have a global presence and proven support capability. "These developments further expand the opportunities for Cisco end users to make value-based choices from a variety of partners," said Paul Mountford, senior vice president for Cisco Worldwide Channels.

To be eligible for the Global Services Alliance program, interested Cisco partners must have achieved multinational certification in two of Cisco's three multiple country regions (Europe, Middle East, and Africa; Asia-Pacific and Americas International) and Cisco Gold Certified Partner status in the United States and Japan. In addition, Global Services Alliance partners will need to make ongoing investments, such as linking their internal support systems to Cisco's support systems, to facilitate an integrated services offering.