Hewlett-Packard has mapped out its future and it is Open IT. That, we already knew, since the company has been touting Open IT for about a year now. Now the company is backing up that Open IT philosophy by designing a training and certification program that focuses on the technology, not the product set. Here are the details.

“We realized that to be able to promote this idea of an open, standards-based network that encompasses all facets of the data center, from networking to storage to security and beyond, we needed to empower our channel partners by giving them the skills they need to be able to work on the whole data center, not just parts,” said Lyle Speirs, director of sales and marketing for Global Certification and Learning at HP.

ExpertONE, which the company announced at Interop New York, is a set of certifications that focus on teaching IT professionals about the technology rather than on a product set. IT folks already credentialed by other vendors — such as these who have Cisco CNE certification, for example — can be “fast-tracked” through the program based on their existing knowledge.

“Our goal is to not make them sit through a class for something they already know,” said Mike Galane, senior director of Enterprise Server, Storage and Networking Channel Marketing and Strategy, Americas.

ExpertONE trains professionals in the design, deployment and operation of open, standards-based networks and converged infrastructures. Courses are offered online, in person or on site. Currently there are about 15 certifications in myriad networking areas, from wireless to IP telephony to network security.

For partners, the ExpertONE program offers the opportunity to broaden their skill set and work across multi-vendor networks. Having at least a basic knowledge in all elements of a converged infrastructure can only help in the sales process, HP asserts.

ExpertONE is definitely an idea whose time has come. It’s not entirely clear how HP’s program differs from one offered by CompTIA or another trade association, since those certifications also tend to focus on the technology rather than the products. The proof, as they say, will be in the pudding.

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