First Technology wins prestigious Compaq award

First Technology, one of SA`s largest, independent IT solutions providers, has been named Compaq SA`s "2001 Most Accredited Partner of the Year".

Gary de Menezes, Channel and CRM Director at Compaq SA, says the award was based on a comparison of the technical ability of all Compaq`s local partners.

"An audited investigation of our partner database revealed that not only had First Technology invested the most in terms of training on the Compaq brand in 2001, the company also has the highest number of accredited Compaq engineers in each region as well as nationally," he explains.

According to Marco Vieira, System Administrator at First Technology, there are three different levels of customer-focused Compaq certifications - and First Technology has qualified personnel at each level.

"We have 20 APS (Accredited Platform Specialist) engineers; 10 ASEs (Accredited System Engineers) and four ASE Master Engineers. These accreditations assure our customers of First Technology`s depth of skill, high competency levels, quicker response times because of the availability of skilled staff, faster problem resolution capabilities and ability to deliver higher levels of service and satisfaction," he says.

Apart from its Compaq certifications, First Technology boasts high-level skills across a wide range of product areas including networking, printer and software solutions.

"As a broad-based solution provider, First Technology must be equipped to offer quality service for those solutions. To achieve this, we invest a considerable amount in skills training - a fact which has now been acknowledged by Compaq," Vieira concludes.