MGX first VERITAS certified training facility in Africa

Following certification by VERITAS Software, local VERITAS eVAR and solutions provider, MGX, has opened its MGX Academy - a state-of-the-art training centre designated to support IT learning initiatives.

According to Morris Kotzen, director of Storage Solutions Professional Services at MGX, the purpose of the new centre is to provide training and knowledge transfer services for end-users in a wide range of disciplines and on a variety of applications. "We intend to offer everything from basic infrastructure training to certified product training, customised to meet specific customer needs," he says.

"MGX has already invested upwards of R2 million in equipment and software, and intends to grow this significantly over the coming months and years," he adds.

As a result of the VERITAS certification process, Kotzen now has the necessary resources to begin product-specific training on VERITAS NetBackup, both at intermediate and advanced levels. "We have already run several training courses and feedback has been encouraging - particularly that concerning the previously disadvantaged individuals (PDIs) we trained.

"Our approach is to combine classical classroom training with hands-on application of the knowledge, reinforcing and evaluating this at the coal-face of the working environment as required," he notes.

In addition to the basic infrastructure instruction and VERITAS-specific courses now offered, Kotzen is working to expand the academy`s offerings to include training on other VERITAS products as well as those of other major software vendors such as Microsoft and Novell.

According to Elizabeth le Roux, channel manager: SA at VERITAS Software, establishment of the MGX Academy is integral to VERITAS Education`s global expansion programme in emerging territories. "The intention is to facilitate provision of a full suite of course offerings for VERITAS products in such regions while remaining cognisant of individual needs within the various countries," she says.

"In the South African context this means that VERITAS provides course materials to MGX free of charge where training for previously disadvantaged individuals is concerned."

Le Roux believes this initiative will go a long way toward addressing the dearth of adequate IT skills in Africa. "We constantly field queries, from our partners and from their customers, about available training on our products. This news should be most welcome to them," she says.

"The relentless march of technological development has been exacerbated by the brain drain and resulted in the acute shortage of IT skills. The MGX Academy is seeking to address this by assisting businesses in SA, as well as those further afield on the continent, to develop sorely needed expertise," concludes Kotzen.