EMC UnveilsAccreditation, certification program for channel partners in EMEA

Information storage provider, EMC Corporation, has announced the roll-out of its EMEA Partner Accreditation & Certification Programme, which is aimed at assessing, developing and helping select EMC business partners.

"The EMC Partner Accreditation and Certification Programme will help ensure that EMC customers will not perceive any difference in technical support when EMC solutions and services are delivered, installed and serviced either directly by EMC or via Accredited and Certified Partners," says Frank Touwen, country manager of EMC SA.

The programme allows both the individual and their company to receive accreditation. At the individual level, sales personnel can become EMC Accredited Sales Professionals, with pre-sales technical staff able to seek the EMC Accredited Pre-sales Technical Professional designation. Individuals can opt for standard accreditation, with a focus on specific products aimed more at the mid-market space, or advanced accreditation, which encompasses EMC`s entire product line.

"Professional services personnel can become certified as EMC Proven Professionals," says Touwen. "The more stringent requirements reflect the critical nature of the work that data centre implementers are involved in. We are offering them a much more rigorous level of training. Customers will know that this level of certification means these professionals have received the highest levels of training from EMC."

At company level, the benefits of successfully completing the accreditation programmes include increased marketing support, as well as the use of EMC logos, increased lead generation programmes and account management support.

"This is not aimed at reducing the number of channel partners. We will make sure all of our partners have access to our products and programmes, especially those that buy through distribution," says Touwen. "They can still sell our products if they haven`t been accredited, but we are looking at partners that focus on the long-term benefits and that is the main objective of this programme."

EMC is offering training workshops in 25 cities across EMEA in local languages where they apply. The programme will then continue on a quarterly basis, which will allow personnel to go through about 25% of the curriculum at one time.

The company will also offer a fast-track programme under which an entire firm`s personnel can be trained and accredited in a couple of days.