The same rules apply to IT services businesses: with the proper tools, the path to building a successful organization is a lot smoother. But the resources available to solution providers can be limited, especially for those with little industry experience or just starting their business. Many solution providers look to their vendor and distribution partners to address the shortfall in channel-specific resources, but their diverse needs can be difficult to fulfill. Identifying and developing the right tools is a significant undertaking for any company, so when they can leverage the work of other organizations, it lessens the burden on the community.
That’s where CompTIA’s channel education program for vendors and distributors compares to none other in the industry. CompTIA offers the ability for IT vendors and distributors to deliver a wealth of business tools, including live channel training courses and educational self-help guides to their partner base, free of charge. The CompTIA education delivery model clearly allows vendors and distributors to cost-effectively support their tier I, II and III partners’ needs for specific training and instruction, while freeing up internal staff and capital for other important programs.
CompTIA also will extend a $100 discount on membership and CompTIA Trustmark bundles to vendors’ and distributors’ channel partners. This makes a great channel program benefit or can be used as a promotion to the partner community.
Now you’re asking yourself, how can I take advantage of delivering CompTIA’s business tools to my partner base? The CompTIA Vendor and Distributor Member ChannelKIT includes partner access to IT training courses, free ‘Quick Start’ educational downloads, discounts on membership and Trustmark credential bundles and promotional tools to help you spread the word to your partner base.
The ChannelKIT includes a wide portfolio of resources, including:
- CompTIA Channel Training Courses: These no-cost, live training sessions can be held at partner conferences and road shows, or in a webinar format. Each training course will be promoted on the CompTIA Course Locator and promotional copy is provided for vendors and distributors to post on their own event registration Web pages. Instructor fees and travel expenses are paid by CompTIA (a $6,000 value).
- CompTIA Education Landing Pages: Vendors and distributor members can sign up for a co-branded page on the CompTIA website which allows their partners to download a variety of educational resources – using a lead capture form and promotional materials. A number of the latest topics are covered, including cloud, healthcare IT, IT security, managed services, managed print services and unified communications. The leads will be sent to the resource page owner each month – a great way to follow up and engage less connected channel partners.
- CompTIA Membership Discount Pages: Vendor and distributor members can extend a $100 discount on membership and CompTIA Trustmark bundles for their solution provider partners. This makes a great channel program benefit or can be used as a promotion to the partner community, with leads passed back to the program owner. For more information, contact Rick Eckstein.
- CompTIA Vendor Trustmark Toolkit: For solution providers looking for ways to improve their expertise and marketability, CompTIA offers two best practice ‘seal of approval’ business credentials. The Security Trustmark and MSP Partners Trustmark are awarded to those who meet specific controls relating to IT security and managed services. The toolkit allows vendors and distributors to spread the word to their partners and give them an extra incentive—a $100 discount on a CompTIA membership and Trustmark bundle.
If you’re a vendor or distributor member of CompTIA, more details can be found on the Member Resource Center. Don’t belong yet? Learn more about the member benefits online or contact Rick Eckstein at reckstein@comptia.org or (630) 678-8422.
