CompTIA cosies up with Intel

Organisation launches its first vendor certification for Intel as it looks to drive value for its members

CompTIA has developed a vendor certification on behalf of Intel - its first ever certification for any vendor - to help deepen the trust between resellers and their customers.

The Intel Server Specialist Certification will demonstrate expertise in Intel server products, allowing resellers to offer a better service through all stages of the server life cycle as a result. This will ultimately increase customer confidence in their abilities.

The certification builds on the established base of online and face-to-face training that Intel already offers to its channel partners.

Richard Peel, membership sales EMEA at Intel, said: "The market is changing, and selling great technology is no longer enough. To stand out and succeed, technology providers need to understand customer problems, recommend and install the right solution, and provide ongoing support.

"CompTIA was the right choice for us in developing this certification. It has experience and expertise in designing vendor neutral certifications, and we were able to draw on this to develop our own certification. Involving CompTIA guaranteed that the certification meets industry expectations and will deliver real, independently approved value to our partners."

Matthew Poyiadgi (pictured), European vice president of CompTIA, said: "CompTIA has built up considerable expertise through designing vendor neutral certifications for the IT industry. This is the first time we have designed a vendor certification, and we recognised it as an excellent chance to support one of our largest members and the many resellers that rely on Intel's technology.

"The project has also helped grow our own experience and will generate revenue which can be reinvested in supporting our members."

To find out more about the certification, click here.

Background lowdown

The certification will be available to all Intel partners, with successful completion earning. Resellers with the certification will be able to:

• Identify and recommend Intel Xeon Processor-based solutions using Intel Server Boards and SystemsBuild, configure and install correctly sized servers at a customer site to a deadline

• Recommend the best disaster avoidance and maintenance package for that customer

• Be able to troubleshoot with minimum disruption to a customer