Cisco has redefined how it recognises and evaluates its partners worldwide. Under the Cisco 360 Partner Program, traditional titles such as Gold and Silver are being phased out and replaced with portfolio-specific designations. This transition formally comes into effect in January 2026. Cisco Preferred Partner is the highest level in this new structure. It is awarded based on measured performance within a specific technology portfolio, not on overall partner size or legacy status. Proactive Data Systems Pvt Ltd is a Cisco Preferred Partner in India across multiple Cisco technology portfolios, reflecting consistent delivery capability, technical depth, and customer outcomes in each of these areas.
A Cisco Preferred Partner is a partner that has demonstrated proven capability, consistency, and customer impact within a specific Cisco technology portfolio. Unlike earlier partner designations, Cisco Preferred status is not a blanket label applied across all offerings. It is earned separately for each portfolio, such as Networking, Cloud and AI, Collaboration, or Security, based on objective performance criteria defined by Cisco. In practical terms, this means Cisco evaluates partners on factors that directly affect customers, including technical expertise, deployment quality, lifecycle management, and adoption outcomes within that portfolio. Preferred status signals that a partner has shown repeatable excellence in designing, delivering, and supporting solutions in that specific domain. For customers, Cisco Preferred Partner is a clearer indicator of where a partner’s real strengths lie, rather than a general measure of scale or longevity.
For enterprises evaluating Cisco partners in India, the shift to Cisco Preferred designations changes how capability should be assessed. Under the earlier Gold-led model, a single title often masked where a partner was truly strong. Networking excellence, for example, did not automatically translate into depth in security, collaboration, or cloud infrastructure. The Cisco Preferred model removes this ambiguity by validating partners at the portfolio level. For Indian organisations running complex, multi-location environments, this distinction matters. Portfolio-specific validation reduces delivery risk by aligning the partner’s proven strengths with the technology being deployed. It also brings greater transparency to partner selection, especially for large programs involving security modernisation, network refreshes, cloud adoption, or hybrid work enablement. Cisco Preferred status also reflects a partner’s ability to engage beyond initial deployment. The evaluation focuses on outcomes across the customer lifecycle, including design quality, implementation consistency, adoption, and long-term support. For customers, this translates into fewer handoffs, clearer accountability, and more predictable results. In a market where scale is often mistaken for capability, Cisco Preferred Partner provides Indian enterprises with a more reliable signal: not just who can sell a solution, but who can deliver and sustain it.
Proactive Data Systems has earned Cisco Preferred status across core Cisco technology portfolios. Each designation reflects validated capability within that specific domain, rather than a generic partner classification.
This designation recognises Proactive’s depth in enterprise networking, spanning campus and branch networks, switching, wireless, SD-WAN, and large-scale network modernisation programs. It reflects consistent performance in designing resilient, scalable networks and supporting them across their lifecycle.
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This status validates Proactive’s capability in Cloud and AI infrastructure, including data centre networking, hybrid cloud foundations, and architectures designed to support AI-ready workloads. It signals proven expertise in building and operating modern infrastructure environments aligned to Cisco’s Cloud and AI portfolio.
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Proactive’s Collaboration designation reflects strength in enabling modern workplaces, including unified communications, calling, meetings, contact centre solutions, and hybrid work environments. It demonstrates the ability to deliver collaboration solutions that scale reliably across distributed organisations.
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This designation recognises Proactive’s capability across core security domains, including secure access, network security, identity, and threat protection. It reflects experience in deploying and managing security architectures that support digital resilience across complex enterprise environments.
Explore our Cisco Preferred Security capabilitiesEach of these designations is assessed independently by Cisco. Together, they provide customers with a clear, portfolio-level view of where Proactive’s strengths lie and how those strengths align with specific business and technology requirements.
Cisco Gold Partner status was designed to signal overall partner maturity across Cisco's portfolio. While it reflected investment in people, processes, and scale, it did not always indicate where a partner's strongest delivery capabilities lay.
The Cisco Preferred model introduces a more precise approach. Instead of a single, broad designation, partners are now evaluated and recognised at the individual portfolio level. This means a partner may be Preferred in Networking or Security based on proven outcomes in those areas, without implying the same depth across every Cisco technology.
Another key shift is the emphasis on measurable customer outcomes. Cisco Preferred status is tied not only to technical and sales capability, but also to how effectively partners deliver, adopt, and support solutions across the customer lifecycle. The focus moves from certification counts and breadth to execution quality and repeatability.
| Evaluation Dimension | Cisco Gold Partner (Legacy Model) | Cisco Preferred Partner (Cisco 360 Model) |
|---|---|---|
| Basis of designation | Overall partner maturity across Cisco | Portfolio-specific performance and outcomes |
| Scope of validation | Broad, organisation-level | Individual Cisco technology portfolio |
| Portfolio specificity | Not explicit | Explicit and independently assessed |
| Primary signal to customers | Scale and investment level | Proven capability in a defined domain |
| Role of customer outcomes | Indirect | Central to evaluation across the lifecycle |
| Relevance for partner selection | General qualification filter | Targeted alignment to project needs |
| Use in RFPs going forward | Legacy reference through Jan 2026 | Primary designation post-2026 |
It is important to note that Cisco Preferred is not positioned as a simple replacement for Cisco Gold. Rather, it reflects a structural change in how Cisco wants customers to identify the right partners for specific needs. For enterprises, this results in clearer partner selection, better alignment of skills to projects, and reduced delivery risk.
As organisations update their evaluation criteria and RFP language for 2026 and beyond, Cisco Preferred Partner becomes the more relevant signal to assess portfolio-specific capability, while legacy Gold status serves primarily as historical context.
As Cisco partner designations evolve, verification becomes more important than logos or legacy claims. Cisco Preferred status is portfolio-specific and must be validated against the partner’s current standing within the Cisco ecosystem.
Cisco publishes partner designations through official, customer-facing tools. The Cisco Partner Locator reflects current partner status and portfolio designations and is the most reliable reference point when shortlisting partners. You can validate these partner designations at the Cisco Partner Portal here.
Verification should go beyond a generic partner label. Customers should confirm:
A partner may be Cisco Preferred in one portfolio and not in another. Verifying the designation against the specific technology being evaluated helps ensure alignment between stated capability and actual delivery strength.
As Cisco transitions fully to the Cisco 360 Partner Program in 2026, organisations reviewing or updating their partner evaluation criteria may see a shift away from legacy labels toward portfolio-specific designations. Validating Cisco Preferred status as part of due diligence helps ensure that partner capability aligns clearly with the technology being considered, particularly where earlier requirements referenced Cisco Gold Partner status.
Clear verification reduces ambiguity, improves partner selection quality, and ensures that enterprise projects are backed by proven, portfolio-aligned expertise.
Proactive Data Systems operates with a delivery model designed for Indian enterprises that manage scale, geographic spread, and long-term operational complexity.
Headquartered in Delhi, Proactive has established on-ground presence in key technology and business hubs, including Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, and Hyderabad. This footprint supports consistent engagement with customers across regions while enabling proximity during design, deployment, and post-implementation phases.
Proactive’s delivery approach combines centralised architectural governance with local execution. Solution design, standards, and lifecycle frameworks are driven centrally, while deployment, adoption, and support are executed through regionally aligned teams. This structure allows enterprises to maintain uniform technology outcomes without sacrificing responsiveness at the local level.
For customers, this model reduces variability across sites, improves coordination across projects, and ensures continuity from initial planning through steady-state operations. It also supports large, multi-location rollouts where consistency, accountability, and long-term support matter as much as technical capability.
This India-focused presence, aligned with Cisco Preferred portfolio validation, enables Proactive to deliver Cisco solutions at enterprise scale while remaining grounded in the realities of local execution.
Cisco Preferred Partner designations are awarded based on demonstrated capability and outcomes, but they do not exist in isolation. They are supported by foundational practices, operational maturity, and delivery discipline built over time.
Proactive Data Systems’ Cisco Preferred status is underpinned by a combination of long-standing Cisco alignment and execution-focused credentials. These include:
While Cisco Gold is being sunset as a designation, the operating maturity, investments, and delivery frameworks built under the Gold Integrator and Provider programs continue to form the foundation of Proactive’s Cisco practice.
This reflects depth in customer lifecycle management, including onboarding, adoption, optimisation, and renewal support, which directly aligns with Cisco’s outcome-led evaluation model under the Cisco 360 Partner Program.
Proactive’s managed services portfolio supports ongoing operations, monitoring, and optimisation across networking, security, collaboration, and infrastructure environments, reinforcing lifecycle ownership beyond initial deployment.
These certifications reflect disciplined quality management and information security practices, supporting consistency, governance, and risk management across enterprise engagements.
Proactive has delivered and supported Cisco solutions for large, distributed organisations across India, building repeatable frameworks for design, rollout, and long-term support.
Together, these elements provide the operational and governance backbone that enables Proactive to meet Cisco’s portfolio-specific Preferred criteria consistently, rather than as a one-time achievement.
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Exploring the shift from Gold to Preferred status and what it means for enterprises.
Exploring the shift from Gold to Preferred status and what it means for enterprises.
Exploring the shift from Gold to Preferred status and what it means for enterprises.
Exploring the shift from Gold to Preferred status and what it means for enterprises.
Exploring the shift from Gold to Preferred status and what it means for enterprises.
Exploring the shift from Gold to Preferred status and what it means for enterprises.
Exploring the shift from Gold to Preferred status and what it means for enterprises.
Exploring the shift from Gold to Preferred status and what it means for enterprises.
Cisco Preferred Partner status is a portfolio-specific designation that validates a partner's proven capabilities in delivering, supporting, and driving customer outcomes within a particular Cisco technology domain. It represents execution excellence rather than just certification breadth.
Unlike Cisco Gold which was a single portfolio-wide designation, Cisco Preferred is awarded at the individual portfolio level. It emphasizes measurable customer outcomes and delivery quality over certification counts, providing clearer visibility into where a partner has proven expertise.
Proactive Data Systems holds Cisco Preferred status across core technology portfolios including Enterprise Networking, Cybersecurity, Unified Communications, and Data Center Infrastructure. Each designation reflects validated capabilities and proven customer success in that specific domain.
Working with a Cisco Preferred Partner ensures you're engaging with a validated expert who has demonstrated success in your specific technology area. You benefit from proven deployment methodologies, specialized technical expertise, and comprehensive post-implementation support frameworks.
The Cisco Preferred model focuses on execution quality and repeatability throughout the customer lifecycle. Partners are evaluated on their ability to deliver, adopt, and support solutions effectively, ensuring that customers receive consistent, high-quality service and measurable business value.
