Tag: certifications

Citrix goes channel cert nuts

cloud 2Cloud company Citrix said it has revised its certification programmes, with less examinations and a simplified system.

It is offering three certifications to its channel, all relating to XenDesktop 7.

Those are Certified Associates, Certified Professionals, and Certified Experts.  These all relate to apps and desktops.

Citrix said it will add similar certifications for networking and mobility in the next few months.

Tom Flink, VP of worldwide channels at the company said: “We continue to evolve our channel program in an effort to make it easier for our partners to do business with Citrix, and help them identify and capitalise on new revenue streams. The new simplified structure and guidelines make it easier for our partners to achieve and stay up-to-date on the latest Citrix certifications. Through the new certifications we are also providing our partners with the comprehensive skills and expertise they need to sell end-to-end, holistic solutions that will differentiate them from competitors and allow them to generate more Citrix-related revenue.”

HP rejigs certifications again

HPHP has made some updates to its PartnerOne programme which it promises will make doing business with the company “easier” and “more predictable”.

There’s a range of specialisations in new areas, as well as more rebates to go along with its compensation model, better partner portal navigation, role based certs, and “a consistent membership structure”.

New specialisations include platinum for software and converged infrastructure, gold for cloud builder, Vertica, ServiceOne Enterprise, and ServiceOne Printing and Computing, while silver certs include Autonomy, Vertica, ServiceOne Enterprise, and Workstations in Printing & Personal Systems for EMEA.

HP insists that racking up ExpertOne certified sales will make partners more likely to close further deals. The company points out it slashed technical certifications by half and put together role based certs in their place, leading to less time out of the office for the courses.

Partners can now take a gander at rebate rates at every PartnerOne level on the partner portal, building on the compensation model introduced in June this year.

Other announcements include HP’s Cloud Partner Solution Navigator, to check up on details of partner specialities, and listing them for the customer to pick, particularly with cloud migration. Top partners will be promoted through an HP marketing campaign, which are to be listed by membership level on HP’s Global Partner Locator.