Novell rejigs training programme

Novell has revamped its training programme for specialist engineers and sales people and is offering added course incentives to ensure adequate channel skills are available to support the vendor's push for NetWare 5.

Ilion Faculty and Xenon Training have been chosen to deliver Novell's channel academy programme, which encompasses courses for both certified Novell engineers (CNEs) and certified Novell sales people (CNSs).

Novell is augmenting its corporate emphasis on NetWare 5 with a drive to garner improved support from CNSs in the field. The PowerSell CNS course is free, and has been consolidated into a one-day course - which includes an exam - that focuses on Novell's recent product enhancements.

To develop the expertise of channel engineers, Novell has also reduced the price of the f NetWare 4 to NetWare 5 accreditation course for NetWare 4.x CNEs from $1,285 to $308. The price includes a free testing voucher and course materials.

Samantha Mudd, corporate sales manager at Novell, told PC Dealer that the incentivised courses were necessary to stimulate a rapid influx of attendees that could respond to the pressing need for Novell skills in the channel.

'Our business experts and business partners have already made a huge commitment to educate their staff up to NetWare 5 accreditation level, but we realised that they would have trained more if they could have afforded to and that's the motivation for us introducing the channel academy programme.

'Demand for our products among customers is now so high that we urgently need our partners to get more of the right skills to support that demand.'

Meanwhile, Novell last week announced it had acquired Netoria, a privately held developer of directory enhancement software based in Orem, Utah.

Over the next several months, Novell will integrate Netoria's technology into its product line.

Netoria's operations will be included in Novell's new products initiative group.

Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.