Dell announces cloud certifications

Dell (NASDAQ:DELL) is putting the finishing touches on its first partner certifications around cloud computing.

Bob Skelley, Dell’s executive director, Global Certified Partner Programme, confirmed at the vendor’s Storage Forum in London: “We’re very close to launching the first phase of our cloud certification.”

The new certification will be divided into three categories, depending on the type of partner: Cloud Builder, Cloud Provider and Service Enabler – as well as a fourth specialisation based on Dell’s acquired technologies, Boomi and SecureWorks.

Dell plans to rollout the first Cloud Builder competency soon. “We want to get it out as early in Q1 as possible,” Skelley told Channel Pro, adding that if the vendor waited to have all three in place it would take too long.

The Cloud Builder track is geared towards traditional resellers and will resemble existing Dell certification programmes most closely. It will also require least investment from partners. Cloud Provider will target partners that have their own datacentre capabilities and already offer private or public cloud services such as application hosting or disaster recovery. The third tier, Service Enabler, is aimed at companies managing a customer’s entire cloud environment.

There will also be cloud competencies around Boomi and SecureWorks. The addition of both Boomi, which customers to move data and applications between cloud and on-premise systems, and managed security offering Secure Works, help to build out Dell’s cloud portfolio.

Skelley (pictured) also said Dell was looking at making the cloud certifications an advance competency which could elevate Preferred Partners up to Premier Partner level. He said partners’ commitment to the new cloud certification was equivalent to two of Dell’s existing specialisations in storage, servers or networking. This means that instead of choosing two specialisations, Preferred Partners could achieve Premier Partner status with just one cloud qualification.

He also said the firm may work with training organisations like CompTIA on some cloud-based certification for partners.

Barry Coombs, senior technical consultant at Dell Premier Partner, Computerworld, is interested in what Dell has to offer with the certifications. “It’s time to understand what cloud means to us a reseller,” he told Channel Pro. “I’d like to find out more from Dell."

Although not going into details around the technology involved in its future cloud offerings, Skelley said Dell firm was “working together with partners to leverage Dell solutions to be the backbone of the cloud.”