Avnet Cloud Solutions Group Expands Partner Training

Value-added distributor Avnet Technology Solutions (NYSE: AVT) has created a new education framework to help its VAR, ISV and MSP partners in the United States and Canada compete more strongly in the off-premise cloud computing market.

As part of this new cloud education program, Avnet has teamed up with ITpreneurs to develop additional cloud training offerings. ITpreneurs provides vendor-neutral cloud training programs in collaboration with both CompTIA and the Cloud Credential Council.

Tim FitzGerald, vice president of Avnet Cloud Solutions for Avnet Technology Solutions, Americas, said partners who wish to remain relevant in the cloud market (and who can honestly say they don’t?) “must elevate their role to that of a trusted adviser who can help their customers adopt cloud computing to create business advantages.”

The transition from the sale of on-premise solutions to annuity-based cloud services can be challenging for a lot of partners, FitzGerald said. That’s not exactly an epiphany, as it’s something many VARs have been struggling with as the cloud becomes a more vital part of the overall IT world and, by necessity, a larger part of their businesses.

The new training and education will be offered through the recently launched Avnet Cloud Solutions. The three initial training programs include:

Presumably, more cloud training courses will be available as the partnership between Avnet and ITpreneurs matures and more partner needs become evident.