Q & A
EDITOR ’ S
HOW CAN RESELLERS BRIDGE THE SKILLS GAP THROUGH TRAINING AND PARTNER CERTIFICATION PROGRAMMES ?
We live in the new normal . The pandemic has had a significant impact on the global economy . In the Middle East and Africa ( MEA ), extensive lockdowns have led to changing consumer attitudes and a shift to online channels for meetings and learning . During lockdown , customers and partners across the GCC , focussed on reaching out through online channels . The priority for reseller businesses in the next normal must be to manage the immediate impacts of the crisis on customer demand .
“ Business as usual ” is a thing of the past . COVID-19 bought in a lot of changes to the workplace environment . But as resellers settle into the reality that the current state of things might be the new normal , they need to change their focus from ad-hoc arrangements to a fresh approach to your organisational strategy . For any business that relies on direct sales to drive revenue , it ’ s time to systematically update your sales organisation for the world we are living in now .
The tech talent shortage has solution providers in the EMEA channel scrambling to ensure that employees brush up on the latest skills and technologies that facilitate business agility . Among the domains in the highest demand : cloud computing , Machine Learning , data science , software engineering and cybersecurity . Industry pundits share tips for fruitful partner training , certifications , reskilling and cross-training schemes aimed at bridging the skills gap and how to build the next generation of channel leaders .
PRASHANT MENON , CHANNEL MANAGER – UAE , CHECK POINT SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGIES , MIDDLE EAST
The tech talent squeeze in the channel means resellers must build deep leadership benches . Training and certifications have been a key driver for most channel businesses . It has become an important strategy to stay relevant . We at Check Point Software take this very seriously and would recommend our partners to also make use of some of the global initiatives that we have in place . Check Point Software is helping to address the global cyber skills shortage through a range of free education initiatives that help to train the next generation of cyber warriors via leading educational establishments worldwide .
Building skills and staying current with the latest is an ongoing process . Nurturing talent and empowering employees to actively develop throughout their tenure motivates and helps them to perform at their optimum levels . This benefits the company directly . Businesses that implement an effective , efficient and business-focused strategy significantly outperform their peers . This is something very symbolic to strategic partners .
Check Point Software offers a wide range of professional certification training courses . These training courses are available from our global network of Authorised Training Centres ( ATC ). The ATC partners provide professional instructors , facilities and training resources customers . The partners can leverage their technology experience and research to equip IT professionals with the skillset and training needed in these critical domains . Check Point SecureAcademy is a comprehensive cybersecurity academic programme for
institutions of higher learning to address the cyber skills shortage in these domains through a range of free education initiatives that help to train the next generation of cyber warriors .
Check Point Software is a global provider of cybersecurity solutions . To effectively reach out and ensure that we are able to cater to the training needs of global pool of cybersecurity professionals is an ongoing effort . Providing consistent training , needs for simplifying messaging , breaking language barriers , increased virtual training needs due to ongoing pandemic are some of the aspects we work diligently to address .
Going forward , distributors and resellers are expected to work hand in hand along with the vendor community to have an effective and sustainable business model . Increased training and skills awareness is an important part of the strategy and the distributor helps to get the desired reach in the market while resellers are very close to customers and understand their specific training needs .
INTELLIGENT TECH CHANNELS 51