IT training in tough times

IT Training providers claim business has been down by between 20% and 30% this year - less than the market for hardware or software products but enough to spark concerns that the organizations are not getting the level of education they need.

Training is often one of the first expenses reined in when corporate budgets are assessed in times of fiscal prudence. Equally, when companies are delaying purchases of new technology, the appetite for training becomes understandably subdued.

Doing the Opposite Increased Productivity

Mazen Jabri, managing director for MEA and emerging markets at Global Knowledge, a specialist provider of Cisco and Microsoft training courses, argues that organizations should be doing exactly the opposite in the present economic cycle, as training can lead to increased productivity among existing resources and allow companies to "sweat their assets" until normal investment levels resume.

He warns that organizations who scale back their training investments could find their actions prove to be counter-productive in the long run. "The issue they face is that when things start picking up again they will lose the edge against their competitors who have invested in skills, so they will not be able to adopt the new technologies and new solutions that are coming out from vendors," Jabri added.

Global Knowledge Bidding on MEA

US-based Global Knowledge ventured into the Middle East two years ago by acquiring Synergy Professional Services, which had built up an impressive professional and technical IT skills training portfolio.

The Middle East business now spans one office in the UAE, two in Egypt and three in Saudi Arabia, plus more than 40 classrooms across the region that are directly owned and operated by the company.

 "Global Knowledge's claim to fame is that we are probably the largest learning partner to Cisco in the world with a revenue of roughly US$350m per year and around 1,500 employees worldwide and operations in more than 40 countries," said Jabri, emphasising the global scale of the company.

Although more than half of Global Knowledge's sales are linked to its Cisco expertise, the company is certainly no one-trick pony. Besides serving as a major learning partner for Microsoft - and offering courses in Oracle and Symantec - it has pushed into higher tiers of the IT training business, notably in terms of virtualisation, with VMware and EMC, and specialized security, with Cisco Iron-Port and Blue Coat.

Global Knowledge has weathered the storm well so far, pointing out that profit generation - rather than revenue gain - takes firm precedence in the company's list of priorities. The Middle East and Africa business, he adds, remains one of its most profitable global units.

Global Knowledge covering a bigger geographic region, entering new markets, changing the way we engage with their partners, vendors and end-customers, and launching multiple new innovative programmes that are more geared around solutions than products. All of the above is happening in 2010 with all the organisational change and procedural change that goes with it.

Where Global Knowledge Can Make the Difference?

Data Center

Today's organizations face the demands of storing and processing large amounts of information. They require dedicated areas to process, compute and save their data in an infrastructure that guarantees flexibility, mobility, high availability and a responsible utilization of resources. Well designed and implemented Data Centers therefore become more and more important these days.

Global Knowledge is the Cisco learning Partner of the year with technical expertise and highly educational skills in the Data Centre area, which guarantees a high level in product and technology related training and a highly satisfactory result for organizations. Always being on line with the latest developments and trends in Data Center technologies ensure and underline GK commitment to the high quality in technical training.

Unified Communications

Moreover, GK has been early to market in recognizing the challenges that organizations face and the demand on new skills that are required for both their IT department and their workforce. With a strong background in telecommunications training, along with a unique vendor relationships has given GK early access to the demands of this changing market.

This expertise has allowed developing a solution that addresses the training needs of any organization that is currently implementing a Unified Communications strategy regardless of which hardware or software that they adopt, focusing on single and multivendor learning solutions...

Security

Organizations using Cisco Network Security Solutions rely on their experts to maintain and protect the integrity of their network. Global Knowledge provides these professionals with the necessary knowledge and skills through expert, hands-on training in various areas through a broad-based security curriculum that includes the latest in skills-building and vendor specific training from Cisco, Microsoft, Bluecoat, ISC², Red Hat Linux, and EC-Council. We combine expert instruction with hands-on labs for results-oriented Security training.

Wireless/Mobility

Through mobility partners, customers, employees and assets can connect anywhere, anytime to improve convenience, enhance customer responsiveness, and increase competitive advantage.

GK offers Cisco professionals the necessary knowledge and skills to design, install, support and operate a mobile wireless solution. In the IP Transfer Point area, GK has a truly unique position, being the only Cisco Learning Solutions Partner offering expertise in this area.