Many of our partners are having great success selling our Meraki solutions into their SMB accounts. If you are one of them, congratulations! If not, join the party.

Did you know that Meraki not only provides fast, reliable, and simple connectivity, but also provides a platform partners can leverage to deliver managed services and improve their SMB customers' security and safety as well?

Security continues to be a top priority for SMBs with 66% of SMBs saying they have experienced an incident in the past year.^[i]In fact, SMBs are increasing their spending by 12% this year on security to a whopping$77B USD.^[ii]

In a previous blog, Your Customers Need Better Security, I shared my thoughts on why Cisco partners -who have a rich history of improving their customers' networking with Cisco products -should consider expanding their offerings to also include Cisco Secure.

Now, let's take your security business with Cisco one step further. Here is how you can increase revenue and profitability, along with managed services, by providing your SMB customers an end-to-end Cisco security solution leveraging Cisco Meraki.

Take a complete approach to security with your customers

Today, partners frequently first deploy Cisco Meraki into their SMB accounts to improve connectivity, with switching, WIFI, and SD-WAN.

From there, many partners then add cybersecurity by integrating Cisco security software and appliances. As an example, partners often deploy Umbrella and Cisco DUO to help protect against threats on- and off-network. Cisco DUO Mobile MFA was recently awarded Top Pick from Wirecutter, for the best combination of compatibility, security, usability, and reliability.

Extend security beyond the firewall

In a recent study, we learned cloud-based business applications are being adopted faster by SMBs than any other segment to support their digital transformation. Applications such as M365, NetSuite, and Oracle Cerner keep SMBs running. 84% of SMBs say that HR applications like Workday are critical to their business; 89% say the same for accounting/finance applications like QuickBooks.^[iii]

Using cloud-based applications can create vulnerabilities that you can help secure.  For example, solutions built with Duo and Umbrella can ensure that only the right personnel access these applications.  ThousandEyes helps partners monitor application performance and always stay a step ahead of problems. Regardless of which application is running, Cisco delivers customizable solutions to ensure SMBs can focus on running the business instead of the network.

Deliver physical and environmental security

Your role in protecting SMBs extends beyond cyber security, to physical security as well. Partners can easily add  Meraki MV Smart Cameras and Meraki Sensors to their existing Cisco Meraki deployments quite literally with the push of a button.  Meraki smart cameras and environmental sensors can help SMBs keep their employees, customers, and offices safer, smarter, and more secure. Meraki MV Smart Cameras and Meraki Sensors represent an incredible upsell opportunity for partners who already sell Meraki today.

And, when you deploy Meraki cameras and sensors, you upsell into new predictable, recurring revenue streams. For instance, when you sell Meraki Cameras, you not only book the product margin, but also 37% of the sale turns into recurring software license revenue.

Leverage Meraki Marketplace to offer turnkey solutions

Additionally, partners can also leverage the Meraki Marketplace to offer pre-built, turnkey security solutions for their customers. Here are three use case examples.

• Prevent unauthorized access and protect inventory: With the help of Meraki cameras deployed with Everyangle inventory protection, a policy can be set up for managers to receive a notification when someone walks into the back storeroom or warehouse (see figure 1).

• Increase physical safety: With Meraki cameras and PPE Detection, SMB manufacturing customers can set up policies that protect workers who are not wearing the correct equipment or standing too close by shutting off the machinery before a dangerous situation occurs.
• Prevent food spoilage: With the help of installed Meraki environmental sensors, policies can be set up to alert when the freezer temperatures change to help protect from food inventory loss.

While these examples show the power of leveraging Meraki cameras, sensors, and the Meraki Marketplace, your comprehensive security conversation with your SMB customers should not stop here; you also have an incredible opportunity to upsell managed services.

Offer your managed services expertise

SMBs have limited IT budgets and only 7% have in-house Security IT staff.^[ii]They often lack the expertise and resources necessary to design, deploy, and manage a comprehensive security solution. For this reason, SMBs are increasingly turning to partners to manage their security. In fact, SMB IT spending through managed service providers (MSPs) is expected to grow by 11% to USD311 billion this year!^[iiii] This is where you can upsell your managed services, such as creating and establishing security policies or providing ongoing management.

The new Cisco Partner Program Provider role is designed to empower and reward our MSPs who grow and differentiate themselves by providing new managed services offerings. Cisco Partners can start today by enrolling in the Cisco Meraki for MSPs Partner Journey where you will receive the information, tools, and free Black Belt Academy training necessary to build your managed service with Meraki.

Want to tap into this incredible opportunity? Check out these resources:

• Learn how to build differentiated practices with the new SMB Black Belt training curriculum, which includes highly informative topics, such as SMB, MSP, Security, Meraki, Hybrid Work and Sustainability.
• Deliver security with these partner offers.

Finally, leverage these security marketing resources available like the Secure SMB Toolkit to learn more about how to capture your share of the opportunity selling Cisco security solutions and managed services to your SMB customers.

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^[i] 2019 Global State of Cybersecurity in Small and Medium-Sized Businesses

^[ii]TechAisle SMB Trends 2023

^[iii]Analysys Mason SMB Business Applications Usage Trends

^[iiii]Analysys Mason Top SMB Technology Trends in 2023