C1 Secures Elite Cisco Status, Redefining IT Partner Value

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – May 4, 2026 – In a move that signals a significant shift in the IT services landscape, solutions provider C1 announced it has achieved Preferred Partner status across all six designations of the new Cisco 360 Partner Program. The accomplishment makes C1 one of the first national partners to earn this comprehensive recognition, validating its deep and broad expertise across Cisco's entire technology portfolio and heralding a new era focused on delivering integrated, lifecycle-based customer outcomes.

The achievement places C1 at the vanguard of Cisco's reimagined partner ecosystem, a strategic overhaul designed to meet the complex demands of modern enterprises navigating AI adoption, hybrid work, and digital resilience. For customers, it provides a clear marker for a partner capable of delivering holistic solutions rather than fragmented, product-based sales.

A Paradigm Shift in Partnerships

The Cisco 360 Partner Program, which officially launched in February 2026 after a 15-month co-design process with partners, represents a fundamental departure from the channel models of the past. The program retired the long-standing Gold, Premier, and Select partner tiers on January 24, 2026, replacing them with a more nuanced, portfolio-specific framework.

Under this new model, partners are no longer measured primarily by sales volume or certifications alone. Instead, they are continuously evaluated on their ability to deliver tangible business outcomes and manage the entire technology lifecycle for customers. The program establishes six distinct designations: Networking, Cloud and AI Infrastructure, Security, Splunk, Collaboration, and Services. Achieving 'Preferred' status in any of these requires demonstrating advanced technical skills, robust lifecycle and adoption practices, and a proven track record of customer success.

This shift is designed to better align partner capabilities with customer needs. In an environment where businesses buy solutions to solve complex problems, the program rewards partners who can design, deploy, manage, and optimize integrated systems that drive measurable value over time. It moves the focus from selling individual products to owning customer success across multi-domain environments.

C1's Across-the-Board Achievement

While many partners may specialize and achieve Preferred status in one or two areas, C1’s success across all six designations is a rare and powerful differentiator. It serves as third-party validation from Cisco that C1 possesses the architectural depth and operational maturity to deliver consistent, high-quality results across the entire IT stack—from the data center and cloud infrastructure to the network, security fabric, and collaboration tools.

“C1's business is built on owning outcomes for our customers, not just implementations and ongoing long-term support,” said Jeffrey Russell, CEO at C1. “Earning Preferred status across all Cisco 360 Partner Program portfolio designations reflects how we help customers move faster and more reliably from initial investment to impact—while delivering consistent execution at scale.”

This outcome-driven philosophy is precisely what the new Cisco program aims to foster. By mastering all six portfolios, C1 demonstrates its capacity to act as a single, accountable partner for clients, reducing the complexity and risk often associated with managing multiple specialist vendors for large-scale transformation projects.

Powering Modernization, from AI to Security

The practical implications of C1's achievement are most evident in the context of today's most pressing business technology challenges. With validated expertise in the 'Cloud and AI Infrastructure' and 'Security' portfolios, C1 is positioned as a key enabler for enterprises looking to harness the power of artificial intelligence securely and build resilient, future-proofed workplaces.

Successfully deploying AI requires more than just algorithms; it demands a robust, secure, and highly available infrastructure. C1's certified capabilities ensure it can help organizations design and implement the foundational technology needed to support AI workloads while aligning networking and security to manage emerging compute demands.

“The Cisco 360 Partner Program aligns directly with how customers buy today – across lifecycle, not products,” noted Leigh Juul, Chief Revenue Officer at C1. “Preferred status across six portfolios allows us to deliver real value to customers while driving larger, more strategic engagements, expanding recurring services, and creating durable revenue streams.”

This lifecycle approach is critical for cybersecurity, where threats are constant and evolving. A partner with proven expertise across networking, security, and Splunk (for observability) can build a more cohesive and effective defense, helping organizations reduce their attack surface, prevent lateral movement of threats, and respond to incidents more quickly.

A New Benchmark for the IT Channel

C1's accomplishment is more than just an internal milestone; it sets a new benchmark for the IT channel and provides a clear signal to the market. The move is validated by both Cisco and independent industry analysts who see it as a necessary evolution.

“Partners like C1 play a critical role in helping customers realize value and returns from their technology investments,” commented Rhonda Henley, Vice President, Americas Partners Organization at Cisco. “Achieving Preferred status across all six designations demonstrates C1's capability to deliver consistent outcomes and support customer growth across the Americas.”

Zeus Kerravala, founder of ZK Research, emphasized the strategic importance of this shift. “The new Cisco 360 Partner Program is designed to help partners shift from selling products to delivering outcomes, and that requires a very different kind of partner motion,” Kerravala stated. “C1's ability to achieve Preferred Status across multiple portfolios shows it is leaning into that change, not resisting it. Customers now expect multi-domain capabilities across the technology lifecycle. It's encouraging to see Cisco and partners like C1 align so tightly around modernization, security and AI readiness as that is what will ultimately move the market forward.”

As businesses face increasing pressure to modernize securely and efficiently, the ability to identify a partner with proven, comprehensive expertise becomes a significant strategic advantage. C1's achievement simplifies that choice, offering a clear indication of its capacity to handle complex, end-to-end digital transformation initiatives and deliver sustained value long after the initial deployment.