In response to customer demands, Novell has announced the introduction of Novell Professional Services in South Africa. Although Novell will continue to provide support from Germany and the Netherlands, Novell Professional Services will be offering consulting, pro-active analysis team services and education services to the local market. The consulting services will focus on accelerating the adoption of new products in the market and will also provide design and planning services that will generate more implementation projects for the channel.
According to Novell SA managing director Richard Beytagh, Novell Professional Services will enable Novell and its resellers to provide an extremely high level of professional consulting services to fulfil the demands of the local customer base. "The worldwide demand for Novell Consulting services has increased dramatically and this is a strong growth area for Novell. In the past, Novell South Africa could only provide Professional services through our US or European operations, typically proving to be very expensive for our customers. With the introduction of Novell Professional Services in South Africa we can now provide this service locally and far more cost effectively. Standard training and consulting methodologies will ensure the high standard of Novell`s consultants are maintained and we can provide the same set of services in-line with our worldwide operations."
Novell`s products have become very strategic in large corporate IT infrastructures and Beytagh stresses that Novell Professional Services are aimed at providing research and recommendations on complex networks, rather than the implementation thereof. In close cooperation with its channel partners, he says, Novell Professional Services will provide its customers with the close vendor relationship they demand and tight project management required to roll-out the complex networks of today.
The service provided by the pro-active analysis team will provide in-depth review and audit of established network sites. The resulting comprehensive report will include recommendations for enhancements, cost savings, upgrades and new directions for the customer`s configuration.
The Advanced Technical Training (ATT) and Technical Seminars will supplement Novell`s very successful CNE courses and provide in-depth exposure to the very latest technology from Novell. "We believe there isn`t a customer who should not be thinking about or implementing a Directory Service today. Its effectiveness at reducing the cost of the network and improving its usability cannot be ignored," says Beytagh. "However, this is new technology and, as yet, is not well understood. ATT will ensure the skills needed to implement Directory Services and the applications that use them are available in South Africa. We believe the more customers understand about Novell products, the more value they will derive from them."
Novell Professional Services have been implemented in a number of countries around the world and the introduction in South Africa will go a long way to satisfying the demands placed on Novell South Africa to provide these services. Novell resellers will benefit from the increased exposure to Novell`s high-end product set and customers that view Novell as a strategic IT partner, will enjoy the close working relationship they deserve.
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