Asigra Inc., a Toronto-based cloud backup software company, has expanded its training for channel partners and for their clients.
“Over the past 12 months, the area we’ve focused on first and foremost and thrown resources at is revamping our L1 and L2 training,” said Sean Leclair, Asigra’s director of technical support and services.
Its Level 1 training, called Asigra cloud backup foundation training and Level 2, called additional component and configuration training, now include more hands-on material, rather than a primarily theoretical approach.
Asigra held these new courses, which are geared toward managed service providers, for the first time about two months ago. “It’s been received extremely well,” Leclair said.
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It has also developed more advanced courses for learning beyond the L1 and L2 courses. Those advanced courses could focus more in-depth configurations for Asigra offerings, such as its mobile offering.
The company has also launched e-learning courses for end clients. “This training is to … educate the ecosystem more about what backup and recovery is with a very strong focus on the Asigra solution,” he said.
Asigra sells 100 per cent through the channel and will rely on its partners to deliver the new e-learning initiative. The courses are sold in bulk and partners can either resell them to end customers or give them free to customers to improve the business relationship.
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The company is also considering a co-branding opportunity with partners for the e-learning offering, but that is not yet available, Leclair said.
“In addition to all e-learning material that we’ve put out to our partner or to our client, they all have exams and tests at the end,” he added. The vendor will also soon offer a certification program for partners, which is doesn’t yet have. “(It) would go hand in hand with our road map around training.”
Asigra also recently partnered with CoreVault Inc. to open a new training facility in Oklahoma City. “We had a lot of requests from our North American partners to have a location somewhere in the United States that they could travel to,” Leclair said. Asigra will offer its first L1 course at the Oklahoma location this month, with the L2 course soon after.
The companies had an existing relationship, which made it a good fit. CoreVault’s central location was also ideal for U.S. partners, he added.
Asigra already has a training facility at its Toronto headquarters and another in the U.K. Leclair said the company ensures its training is consistent throughout its locations. He said it has no plans to close its Toronto training centre; the new U.S. centre allows its partners there to avoid passport and international travel hassles.
