OpenText launches RedDot certification program 18 September, 2007 By Patricia Pickett

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However, "partners were really asking for a better system by which they could not only go through classroom training ... but go to the next level," said Hervey. The RedDot certification program, which covers North American partners, is an "opening of the kimono and a sharing of best practices and tips and tricks," which takes the program beyond classroom training and gives it a mentoring aspect, he said.

The program will also give partners a chance to "put a feather in their cap" and advertise that they are certified, have been mentored and are experts in RedDot's technology, Hervey said.

Certification includes two levels of expertise that match with the two different capabilities of the RedDot product, Hervey said. First, there are the basic Web content management capabilities of creating, editing and finding content. Partners that master that aspect of the product are termed RedDot Certified Developers.

The next generation of RedDot's solution involves more content delivery, personalization and other Web 2.0 capabilities. While in the past this product was called Live Server, RedDot is moving away from that term, as the new capabilities are now part of the single product. Partners that master those next-generation capabilities receive the designation RedDot Certified Master Developer.

"The feedback that we receive from partners tells us that they have those two different folks on staff working on a project," which required the differentiation between the two levels, Hervey pointed out.

Tying in with the two skill levels are the different levels of the partner program -- the basic RedDot Partner as well as the Advanced and Premier levels. RedDot Partners must have one Certified Developer on staff; meanwhile, Advanced partners require one Certified Master Developer and Premier partners must have two Certified Master Developers. This helps differentiate between partners that are just starting to build their capabilities with RedDot, and those that have invested years into the vendor's offerings, Hervey said.

Stefanie Lightman, RedDot's vice-president of marketing, added that the differentiation allows individuals to work on their own credentials and skill sets, without having to worry about the bigger picture of the organization's requirements. In general, the certification is expected to "help partners grow in their engagements and really provide an extended level of service," she said.

The certification program was designed to include a process the partner follows, during which the partner can be evaluated on practical experience in product implementations as well as product knowledge. The partner first attends the classes, and then someone from RedDot's education group will help the partner scope out an initial project, do code reviews, and collect customer requirements. "During that process, (the education group) will get exposure to that partner and will be able to see whether they need more implementations under their belt, or the partner can request more." Although RedDot initially did not want to include a test because it didn't want to make the process too onerous, partners requested it to "make sure that the quality of the new folks coming on board is the same," Hervey said.

RedDot launched the certification program with participation from current partners including Premier partners Enthink, MarketNet and Purple Monkey; and Advanced partners Miller Systems, Indelible Media, Oshyn, Thrillworks, POP, Beaconfire, and Infused Solutions.

Hervey pointed out that the vendor has a points system in place whereby partners earn a certain number of reward points per dollar they bring in as part of licensing revenue. Those points can go toward a number of activities, including training. When partners first sign up for the general RedDot partner program, they automatically receive 320 points to start them off.