Global Knowledge investment in Remote Labs gives enterprises
added flexibility in IT training
Global Knowledge, Europe’s largest and most
successful provider of IT training and skills development services,
has announced the full opening of its new Remote Labs facility at
its headquarters in the UK. The Labs facility has been
developed with the full support of Cisco Systems – one of Global
Knowledge’s leading vendor partners, and is equipped with all the
very latest technologies from the world-leading networking
solutions company.
The venture represents a multi-million Euro
investment by Global Knowledge. It will enable the company’s
advanced curriculum of courses to be delivered anywhere, using
up-to-date and fully tested, remotely accessed equipment. The
Labs are hosted in a datacenter which is the largest facility of
its kind in the EMEA region. It is currently being used to support
courses right across Europe and as far as Russia, Singapore,
Australia, Brazil and North America.
The purpose-built facility – which is located
in the company’s European Headquarters in Wokingham – is capable of
supporting over 80 different courses and as many as 1000 delegate
students simultaneously, using the very latest Cisco Systems
equipment.
“Our Remote Labs infrastructure provides
trainers with everything they need to run a full curriculum of
Cisco courses”, says EMEA President of Global Knowledge, Richard
Pryor-Jones. “The lab environment has the benefits of emulating the
real world. In today’s global datacenter, engineers rarely
physically touch the equipment – the Remote Labs allows delegates
to learn the skills to manage, monitor and configure equipment
remotely from their desktop.”
The facility offers Global Knowledge, its
partners and its customers a number of advantages, Richard
Pryor-Jones notes. “The lab investment is providing fantastic
support to our vendors and their channel partners by allowing
advanced technology skills to be delivered in countries and regions
where it is difficult to provide the right equipment on-site. A
standard internet link permits access to the very latest equipment
and provides delegates with a very high quality training
experience.”
The investment in the Remote Labs is part of
Global Knowledge’s on-going commitment to growth and expansion of
its business in Europe. With over 40 dedicated training centres in
11 countries offering more than 1000 courses, Global Knowledge is
the leading provider of training across the region and is expanding
rapidly. It is the leading accredited provider of training and
skills development in both Microsoft and Cisco Systems technologies
in Europe and also offers a growing range of professional IT skills
and project management courses in areas such as ITIL and
PRINCE2.
Global Knowledge’s Learning Services
proposition provides enterprise organisations with a comprehensive
solution to all their IT training and skills development
requirements and the company’s iConnect web portal gives customers
a very easy way to view, book and manage training programmes
on-line.
The company is investing significant amounts
in developing both its course schedule and its training facilities
and resources right across Europe throughout 2007 with the aim of
further growing its business and underlining the company’s position
as the leading provider of high quality IT training in the EMEA
region. “There is a growing realisation that quality really matters
when it comes to IT skills development”, says Pryor-Jones.
“Global Knowledge is an ambitious company and
one that is founded on the principles of quality and value. IT
plays a vital role in all enterprise organisations and to compete
effectively in today’s global markets, they need to derive maximum
value from their investment in technology. The training we provide
is designed to provide employees and IT workers with the skills
they need to get the very best from software and systems and from
themselves”, says Pryor-Jones.
The company is working much more closely with
many of its customers to develop and adapt courses to suit the
specific long-term needs of their organisations. “We know from
experience that intelligent investments made in quality development
of staff today will drive business growth tomorrow. This is why
large enterprises are increasingly making the on-going development
of IT skills a key pillar of their strategy going forward.”
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About Global Knowledge
Global Knowledge is the largest privately held provider of
training and enterprise learning services for information
technology (IT) and management professionals. The company offers a
broad array of hands-on IT, project management, and professional
skills training featuring proprietary core and custom curriculum,
as well as content from leading companies, including Cisco,
Microsoft, Nortel, and Red Hat. Delivered in classrooms, at private
facilities, or over the Internet, Global Knowledge has helped
Fortune 500 companies, organizations and government agencies
leverage learning to turn knowledge into productivity for
employees, customers, and channel partners. Founded in 1995, Global
Knowledge employs more than 1,200 people worldwide and is
headquartered in Cary, N.C. The company is owned by New York-based
investment firm Welsh, Carson, Anderson, and Stowe. For more
information visit http://www.globalknowledge.net/.
Media contacts:
Harminder Sangha
Global Knowledge EMEA
+44 (0) 1189 777 766
Email: sanghah@globalknowledge.net
Neville Street
Stella Six
Tel: +44 (0) 1743 240917
Mobile: 07967 717258