Fujitsu Re-Launches its Select Certification Centre

Fujitsu has refreshed its Online Certification Centre. Renamed SELECT Certification Centre, it has been redesigned to make it more convenient for channel partners to get their certification as either a SELECT Partner or a SELECT Expert. The new features include the option for resellers to get their basic certification as a SELECT Partner entirely online, without having to leave their desk.

Channel partners often lack the time and the budget to attend training for certification. Taking this into consideration, Fujitsu has given its online SELECT Certification Centre a new twist: Certification is easier than ever been before.

The SELECT Certification Centre is at the heart of Fujitsu’s SELECT Partner Program, which was rolled out as a global partner program in March 2008. In order to graduate to the SELECT Partner level, a partner needs certification in either Fujitsu Mobility or Server & Storage designation, or both, if they wish. These certifications are the cornerstones of the SELECT Partner Program and can be achieved fully online, helping the partner to enhance sales.

“The more a partner knows about our products, solutions and services, the more successful that partner will be in consulting with customers, helping them to establish the IT infrastructure they need for their individual business,” says Fred Saayman, Fujitsu’s Distribution Manager. “And the more business we do together, the closer our partnership will become in terms of leads and benefits.”

Another advantage for partners is that they can easily upgrade their certifications, becoming SELECT Experts. To achieve the SELECT Expert level, more interaction is required, including some face to face installation training which has been added to the online courses provided in the SELECT Certification Centre. Following Fujitsu’s Dynamic Infrastructures strategy, the current specializations for SELECT Experts are Server Infrastructures, Storage Infrastructures and Infrastructure Solutions.

To guide a partner through certification, Fujitsu has equipped its SELECT Certification Centre with an intuitive structure and easy-to-understand content. Graphics and images dominate over text to save partners time and a video tutorial explains the SELECT Partner Program, its structure and the use of the SELECT Certification Centre. This next generation of the online SELECT Certification Centre also offers web-based training with many interactive features. Instead of just consuming monotonous content, the training provides animated slides, underlying speaker text and a very practical, easy approach with no time-consuming flash animations to divert trainees’ attention.  The portal also offers a convenient training calendar for browsing through the virtual classroom and training offerings, as well as for the booking of courses. The My certification feature also gives the partner an overview of the certifications they have already achieved and points to the certifications gained by their colleagues.

All Partner Certificates acquired online come into effect immediately so partners lose no time in doing successful business with Fujitsu. “With our re-launched SELECT Certification Centre, we have created a very pragmatic tool that helps partners save time and money on certifications and training – and enables them to become Fujitsu partners quickly, without time-consuming bureaucratic processes,” says Saayman. “This proves once again how serious we are in our commitment to the channel and how open we are to partners.”