The development of the digital landscape is accelerating at an unprecedented rate for Cisco, our ecosystem of partners, and our mutual customers.

We're seeing unprecedented opportunity as our customers -across all vertical markets -are going full speed to quickly becoming digital organizations. Their goal is to disrupt their industry, create new business models, create competitive edge, delight customers and employees, and achieve higher profitability. IT transformation is at heart of this move. And, Cisco and our partners are at the center of this opportunity -orchestrating digital solutions to drive this for our customers.

Our most profitable and productive partners clearly understand that the digital transformation race cannot be won alone. Cisco, Value-Added Resellers (VARs) and Ecosystem Partners need to team up to drive highly relevant digital conversations (often with the Line of Business) that lead to successful business outcomes.

Driving Digital Takes an Ecosystem

Here's the great news -the powerful combination of Cisco's well-respected brand and our partner ecosystem is a game changer as we drive digital solutions.

A new category of Cisco partners, our Digital Solutions Integrators (DSIs) -or Consulting Firms -are at the forefront of digital
transformation. It's all about driving new digital conversations, and DSIs help partners quickly steer those discussions to the'why'. They define the digital journey in terms of investments and business outcomes.

They also help partners sell more software and services, increase deal sizes and access new buyers.

Digital Solutions Integrators Deliver

Cisco's DSI partners help deliver desired business outcomes for our customers by becoming their trusted advisors. They do this by engaging with customers at the consulting and deep systems integration level, individual customer workshops, assessments, and proof of concept engagements. This helps move the digital conversation to new buyers, including C-Level and relevant Line of Business (LoB) decision makers.

Here's how a current partnership with a consulting firm is driving partner growth and delivering tangible outcomes for the customer:

Xentaurs, a Cisco Digital Solutions Integrator, partnered with a Cisco VAR to evaluate a network refresh opportunity for a high profile customer.  What could have remained a seemingly ordinary business opportunity instead holistically evolved to focus on the much greater need for automation and microsegmentation required to deliver the overall needs for the customer's business.

As a result of Xentaurs' workshop and assessment practices, the VAR + Consulting Firm partnership is now driving DevOps, big data and next generation data center opportunities (delivery services and product sales) in ways that would not have been uncovered without the participation of the Digital Solutions Integrator and the evolution of the collective engagement.

Examples like this one bring home the reality of the type of influence and new perspectives needed to impact the customer's ability to transform their business at a much higher level.

Cisco's DSI areas of expertise includesconsulting and systems integration practices with a focus on:

• Security
• Core
• IoT
• Collaboration
• Big Data & Analytics
• Cloud & Hybrid Cloud
• Vertical Expertise (Healthcare, Manufacturing, Finance etc.)
• DevOps, SAP, Microsoft & more

Another important value DSI Partners bring are their strong working partnerships with Independent Software Vendors (ISV's). Customers often work with their ISV's first when creating business outcome solutions and services. DSI Partners orchestrate the joint sales efforts of ISVs, Cisco Sales and VARs using their Digital Transformation expertise, resulting in improved business models, next generation IT platforms, improved customer experience and workforce innovation.

Get Started Today with Cisco's Digital Solutions Integrators

What can DSI's bring to your customers? Are there new and expanded deals they can help you deliver?

I encourage you to get to know this new breed of Digital Solutions Integrators and learn how they can help you drive greater profitability, while truly delighting your customers.

Engage with our Digital Solutions Integrators today on our Cisco DSI Hub.