Juniper is also launching Advanced Security, Enterprise Networking and Service Provider Infrastructure technology specializations. Only partners that have earned these specializations will have access to the products associated with them, Kothari said.
"They've seen things at Cisco that work but they're not trying to create a duplicate of the Cisco model," said Steve Fuller, president of NetWorks Group, a security solution provider in Brig-hton, Mich. Juniper offers margins three times higher than what NetWorks Group makes on comparable Cisco security products, he said.
One partner who asked not to be identified said Juniper's choice to accept industry-equivalent certifications could open the door for too many Cisco partners to join top-level Elite status, thereby diluting its value.
Kothari said the Elite level would include the smallest number of partners of the three levels but did not specify how many of Juniper's 400 to 500 partners would fall into each category.
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