Celebrating shared successes at this year's Cisco Partner Summit

We attended the Cisco Partner Summit 2023 in Miami earlier this month. The event is at the heart of Cisco's strategic partner engagement – an annual event bringing together partners from around the world. This exclusive experience offers a unique and more candid platform for the more than 2,000 attendees to delve into inspiring keynotes, connect with Cisco leadership, and explore the latest advancements in products and solutions.

A meeting of minds

It was a great opportunity for our leadership to reinforce our commitment as a valued Cisco distributor. Our executives had a chance to meet with Cisco leadership, which is strategically important as these meetings contribute to our companies working together and how to continue delivering the best for the channel and end customers. The strategic importance of these engagements cannot be overstated, as they contribute to the overall success and growth of the partner ecosystem.

Cybersecurity and AI take centre stage

The Cisco Partner Summit 2023 was both insightful and forward-looking. Cisco’s acquisition of Splunk was highlighted as a powerful statement of their intent to strengthen their software business and boost cybersecurity in an AI-driven world. It showcases Cisco's commitment to staying at the forefront of cybersecurity.

Cisco and Comstor are making the largest ever multi-year investment in distribution as part of the strategic goal to drive the market leading Cisco Security solutions with partners.   

Celebrating success

The Cisco Partner Summit isn’t just about learning and networking. It’s a time when Cisco celebrates accomplishments and recognises outstanding contributions. This year, we were honoured to receive several awards for Distributor of the Year in multiple locations.

We won Distributor of the Year in the following regions:

• Netherlands 
• Norway 
• Sweden
• North Europe

Willem De Haan, Executive Vice President - Comstor Europe & International GT, had this to say about our award wins:

“We're humbled and delighted to be distributor of the year in these areas, and it's a reinforcement of our commitment to our partners and is a testament to our expertise that we demonstrate with Cisco every day to strengthen our relationship, but above all to stimulate greater growth and profitability for our partners.”

As well as these fantastic accolades, one team member won the Distributor Star of the Year award. Congratulations Johanna Berggren in Norway on their achievement.

Elevate

Larissa Crabb, our Comstor Sales Manager in Australia was nominated to go to the Partner Summit as part of Elevate, Cisco's Next Generation Partner Leadership program. Attending under the umbrella of Elevate meant she received a VIP ticket to the Partner Summit, giving her additional networking opportunities and reserved seating at the global keynote sessions, including a Q&A with Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins and his leadership team.

The Elevate program is another way that Cisco demonstrates their desire to strengthen relationships with the distribution channel.

Greater Together

Cisco's commitment to its partners was a recurring theme throughout the summit. The company reinforced its dedication to collaboration and innovation, emphasising the role of distribution and its partners plays in Cisco's success.

Cisco's theme of "greater together" and their commitment to partners is echoed by our relentless pursuit of Partner Success. Coming together at this summit and empowering business communities is a shared value and we're excited for the future.

Until next time

As we look forward to the next chapter with Cisco, their Partner Summit remains a cornerstone in fostering growth, innovation, and lasting connections within the ever-evolving landscape of technology and business. We’re excited to continue working closely with Cisco to deliver exceptional value to our partners and shape the future of technology.

Find out more about our work with Cisco.