Training for entry level resellers, to help Middle East SMBs enter Internet age
There is a host of small and medium business in the Middle East that would like to make the transition from basic networking systems to a system with the performance and security that can allow them to enter the Internet age. At the moment, SMBs’ networks are often little more than a few PCs connected by a hub, with one machine connected to the Internet by modem. Even basic Internet applications such as e-mail are limited to a single shared account.
At the same time, there is a growing trend for resellers who previously concentrated only on PC and server hardware to move up to selling entire solutions, including LAN and WAN devices. To help these resellers bridge the skills gap before they can undertake full certification, Cisco has created a two-day workshop covering the basics of installing and configuring switches and routers.
“Often these resellers struggle with some of the more intricate parts of the set-up. There is a dire need for cost effective and fast-track training, allowing them to get the basics with-out needing to take several days off work.
This is why we introduced the Basic Cisco Switch and Router Configuration training workshop,” said Badrudin Salahudin, Reseller Account Manager at Cisco Systems.
Cisco is partly subsidizing the cost of running the workshop for selected resellers. The workshops are being held in conjunction with Cisco’s authorized training partners, Fast Lane and Synergy Consulting. The first workshops took place in July and early August, with more than fifty resellers attending. More workshops are planned around the region on a regular basis. This second phase of rolling out these workshops will bring them to Saudi Arabia and Egypt, and later to Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait.
