Novell channel partners are now thoroughly equipped to provide their customers with an IT solution based on the latest Novell technology, following the company`s recent REDucation weekend held at the Emerald Safari Resort in Vereeniging.
"Instead of presenting the standard product information sessions, we decided to show our business partners, business experts and NAECs (Novell Authorised Education Centres) exactly how to put the latest Novell technology to work in the business environment," says channel manager Manoj Bhoola. "Today`s businesses prefer to deal with suppliers that can offer a value-added solution, as opposed to merely dropping off a box. The REDucation weekend was geared to equipping our channel partners to do just that."
During the course of the weekend, resellers were afforded the opportunity to put the latest Novell technology, as well as tried-and-tested solutions to work in a realistically simulated business scenario. "They used iChain to join network elements into a unified system and saw how the product can be used to make that system secure," Bhoola explains.
"Digital content was delivered to imaginary employees, customers and partners using OnDemand Services, while Novell Portal Services was shown as the ideal solution to provide a browser-based, single point of access to network and Web resources."
According to Bhoola, feedback from the delegates has been overwhelmingly positive and most described it as the "best knowledge transfer session" they have ever attended, owing to the fact that they were able to acquire first-hand experience of the technology using simple examples. "We have had repeated requests for a similar format next year," he adds.
Besides the information sessions, delegates also participated in various team-building exercises and were tested on their newly found knowledge in a challenging exam. "The best performers in the exam received awards in various categories," says Bhoola.
Comztek was named the Most REDucated Distributor, while Durban-based Netwize and Johannesburg`s Unihold respectively won the Most REDucated Business Partner and Most REDucated Business Expert awards. CS Education received the prize for the Most REDucated NAEC, and Mia Papanicolaou of Channel Reseller News won the Most REDucated Press Person category. The award for the Most REDucated Individual went to Dave Stewart, MD of Easy Access.
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Novell, Inc is a leading provider of Net services software that secures and powers all types of networks - intranets, the Internet and extranets; corporate and public; wired to wireless - as one Net, across leading operating systems.
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