TechQuarters targets VARs with cloud training scheme
Cloud reseller offers white labelled training portal for Office 365 and Windows 10
Cloud reseller TechQuarters has said its new channel training arm will help it "skyrocket" to the next level.
The London cloud consultancy - which specialises in cloud migration services - has been offering its training products since March under the TechQuarters Cloud Academy brand. It claims the division is going so well, it could eventually end up "taking over the business".
TechQuarters Cloud Academy is a hub of training material including a web portal featuring a regularly updated stream of training videos, web seminars and "hints and tips" clips for those getting to grips with Office 365 and Windows 10.
The site is white labelled and sold to fellow resellers and cloud providers in order for them to help their customers get trained up. On top of the training, users are able to gain certifications to prove they have watched and understood the content.
TechQuarters chief executive Chris Dunning (pictured) told CRN that the idea behind the training academy was Microsoft's push to encourage the use - and not just the sale - of its cloud products such as Office 365.
"[Microsoft was saying] the key thing is consumption, consumption, consumption, especially on Office 365," he said. "In the mid-90s I had my own training company so I thought ‘why don't we do a training thing?' because that will help the consumption. I am of the firm belief that this will skyrocket TechQuarters to the next level because the deal I am cutting at the moment is for companies with 10,000 users and more."
He said although this training is available to TechQuarters' own customers, the main aim of the Cloud Academy is to sell the offering to other resellers.
"It's the peers and the larger corporates and the larger LSPs [we're selling to]," he said. "When you get into the larger corporates with thousands of seats, they want their own portal so it is white labelled. We are just the content creator - we are part of the chain. We sell it to our own customers too but that's not the gambit."
He said if things continue the way they are with the Cloud Academy, it could end up a massive part of the TechQuarters business.
"We are scratching the surface really at the moment but so long as you are fast and furious, you can grow anything really," he said.
"I think it has a very good chance of taking over the business. I honestly think it will be huge - I am in conversation with some very senior people at the moment and it is very well received. I've invested quite heavily in it - we've got the site, the channels, all the legals are done, the marketing and brochures are done and we are selling it. We've got meetings coming out of our ears."