The new feature will enable Cisco partners to assess a customer’s network and identify performance issues within a couple of weeks. The service is designed as a stepping stone to delivering trusted, differentiated and profitable managed services.
Using quick and seamless API integration with Cisco Meraki, Catalyst and ThousandEyes technologies, Highlight enables partners to quickly onboard new customers, assess the network, make recommendations and transition the customer from a one-time assessment to an ongoing managed, recurring revenue relationship.
The service enables providers to demonstrate to their customers that they understand their network, including any current issues and frustrations. A comprehensive report with detailed evidence enables fact-based discussions on where and how to make improvements. This strengthens the relationship between service provider and customer, and gains customer trust, while allowing the provider to deliver accurate advice and upsell services.
Martin Saunders, chief operating officer at Highlight, said, “Modern IT departments are struggling with ever growing demands and expectations on their time and resources. Despite huge advances in simplifying the management of networks through cloud platforms like Cisco Meraki, many IT leaders are looking to their partner to manage the infrastructure that underpins IT. Customers are also looking for partners they can trust to become virtual members of their IT department.
“However, the managed services model can be a complex shift for some partners to make. With the Network Assessment feature, Cisco Partners have a tangible and easy way to prove their ability to remove the network management burden from IT, whilst setting the foundation for building longer term recurring revenue relationships with their customers via a managed service.”
Partners can tailor the Highlight network assessment service to investigate and address any problems and frustrations that a customer is experiencing on their network. Once a Cisco Meraki API key is entered, Highlight will discover the full network in minutes, showing the scale and complexity of the network with an inventory report. The report can include bandwidth statements and licensing information to demonstrate that the provider has full visibility of the network.
Within a week, the Network Assessment will show performance of the network and indicate problem locations, making critical issues apparent and easily identifiable. After a fortnight, the assessment will show which locations are overloaded and ready for increased capacity, as well as any locations that are being underused, for possible cost savings.