Juniper (JNPR) added some more value to its Partner Advantage program with new professional and support services intended only for its Elite-level partners.

The services are offered as Juniper Partner Advantage Services housed under two specializations—Partner Support Services (PSS) and Partner Professional Services (PPS)—and are reserved for partners who have met certain training and performance goals indicative of a higher investment in the relationship, the company noted. "The idea is to equip partners to provide expert back-end local support to Juniper’s networking solutions and services.

Partners only stand to benefit from the new revenue sources, added value and differentiation and improved profits that the services offer, said Emilio Umeoka, Juniper Worldwide Partners senior vice president.

"Juniper Partner Advantage Services amplifies our investment in partners and services by providing unique tools and opportunities that will help drive growth, increase profitability and reward partners that deliver a truly remarkable customer experience," he said. 

Of the two specializations, the PSS, an outgrowth of Juniper’s Operate Specialist program, allows partners to handle traditional maintenance and some advanced network equipment support calls from customers, thereby tapping into a market the vendor pegs at some $20 billion. Partners gain the PSS designation by earning a new troubleshooting certification, the Juniper Networks Certified Support Professional (JNCSP), for routing, switching and security, and gain direct access to advanced support engineers within the Juniper Networks' Technical Assistance Center. Value-based financial rewards also are tied to the PSS specialization.

Juniper’s other new specialization, PPS, concentrates on partner-led and partner-delivered network design and planning services, a market the vendor estimates at some $15 billion. The PSS designation aims to arm partners with domain and technology expertise to lead a customer service engagement, generate more revenue per engagement and increase profitability through their services practice.

Darragh Richardson, Agile Networks' managing director, said the Juniper support services offering indicates a strategic shift in the vendor’s thinking to redirect more services opportunities to partners.

"The introduction of Juniper Partner Support Services represents a fundamental shift whereby partners are entrusted by Juniper Networks to deliver more value in support and improve the customer experience,” he said. “This ultimately means quicker problem resolution, better customer retention, and improved profitability—key to the success of any reseller."