Allasso to offer Symantec training

Vendor to be followed by rival distributor Unipalm

Allasso became the first distributor to offer Symantec training in the UK last week, but the vendor said rival distributor Unipalm will follow soon.

Next month Allasso, which was recently acquired by InTechnology, aims to begin reseller certifications with courses and exams at its Reading training centre.

The courses, consisting of various topics covering technologies such as firewall and antivirus, are designed to help resellers become Symantec Certified Engineers.

Symantec has made several moves in recent weeks to boost its relationship with resellers in the UK, including free, fast-track accreditation for VARs.

Scott Duncan, Allasso UK's managing director, claimed this latest move would strengthen Symantec's channel push even further. He said reseller partners need recognition for their skills with vendor products.

"End-users are increasingly demanding that appropriate certification has been gained by the people they trust with the security of their business," he added.

Symantec's other UK value-added distributor, Unipalm, has said it is on the verge of agreeing to a similar deal.

Dave Ellis, director of e-security at the firm, said he hopes an agreement will be finalised "very soon".

Ellis added that in the past Symantec had trained resellers itself, but claimed resellers prefer distributors to offer training.

"VARs prefer to come to distributors because they get products and other value-add services in a one-stop shop," he said.

Nick Morse, managing director of distributor Mindshare, said vendors gain better access to resellers if they use distributors as training centres.

"Distributors are closer to the resellers than training establishments," he said.

"It is good if the reseller can use the distributor as a single point for products, support and training. VARs are happier working with people they already have a relationship with."