Adoption of Google Apps is accelerating around the world with over 3 million businesses that have gone Google. Google Apps Authorized Resellers play a critical role in helping businesses get started. As our partner community has more than doubled in the last year to over 2,500 partners in over 70 countries, partners have been seeking opportunities to demonstrate their expertise and competence to a growing customer base.
We are therefore happy to announce the Google Apps Certification Program, which recognizes IT professionals for demonstrated abilities to sell, deploy, develop, and support Google Apps. Available today globally, is the first of these certifications, the Google Apps Certified Deployment Specialist, which certifies IT professionals who have demonstrated the fundamental knowledge and skills required to migrate to, configure, and deploy Google Apps.
“As we continue to build out our global Google Apps practice, it is essential for us to differentiate ourselves and to gain recognition for the great depth of Apps expertise we have developed with so many customers. The Google Apps Certification Program will help generate new client interest by highlighting our commitment to offering the highest-value consulting services to the market," explains Jon Hallett, CEO of Cloud Sherpas, a Google Apps Authorized Reseller.
Like Google Apps, this certification is 100% web – any IT professional with a browser and an Internet connection can register to take the online proctored exam. It is available in English now, and will soon be available in additional languages. To learn more, go to certification.googleapps.com.
Posted by Stephen Cho, Director, Google Apps Channels
9 comments:
The obvious question that arises is, why do you need Authorized Resellers to sell Utility Computing (aka Software as a Service).
I have never heard of other utility companies like electricity, gas, water using resellers to offer their services.
Excellent great news!!!! I'm completely proud to have in my team a couple of certified engineers to the mexican and NOLA market. Cagratulations!
Luis Fernando Campos
Online Services Manager
Kio Networks
www.kionetworks.com
Good news. There are way too many shoddy "$40 to implement Google Apps!" companies out there.
@Saqib Ali - SaaS solutions still require skills to deploy. It's not as simple as turning off Exchange and pointing everyone to the browser. Authorized resellers help with the transition and advice on best practices. Whether it's in the cloud or on-premise it's still a system change which always requires planning and expertise. That's why.
@Paul,
Training, change management, and organization learning/development is one thing, but when you tell me that I need a "reseller" to come in and "setup" a SaaS offering for me, I get suspicious. This looks awfully like hosted Exchange and hosted Lotus Notes that Microsoft and IBM have been trying to sell for years. Maybe I have been reading the wrong definition of SaaS....
Good news, This will allow Google and its partners to move higher in the IT infrastructure 'Food chain" to deliver/deploy Enterprise Solution and insure an equal quality of delivery accross all geographies.
@Paul Almost two year's before the Authorized Reseller program went live, many of us were deploying Google Apps services. For us, that also included Postini services. Now, many of those first adopters that were helping deploy Google Apps are now resellers and I'll assume many will take the certification.
Will this mean when Google creates a Google Apps for Business Appliance soon there will be an easy upgrade route to get certified for administrating it? ;)
i think its a really good idea my question would be is the Google Apps Certification Program its acualy hard to find people don't really hear about it much will google be advertising it more so more people know about it
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