Peter Stravopolous

The answer is yes , says Peter Stravopolous , director of technology for Infostream Systems , a systems integrator for Cisco , Brocade , Veritas , HP and IBM , if the reseller and vendor commit to it properly.Stravopolous is pleased with Cisco's programs , for example , particularly with the way they help differentiate the vendor.That's what they do well.Cisco has positioned that training to the partners and customers really well , Stravopolous says.It means something , and it helps partners get real Cisco solutions and keep the Cisco name real..

Stravopolous has an employee involved in a Cisco training program run by Dalhousie University in Halifax.The employee goes for two or three weeks every few months , and will eventually end up with a Masters in Internetworking.He says the training is expensive but necessary.What winds up happening is that many companies set up certifications , and more certifications entitle you to more discounts.But in order to get there , you have to sacrifice huge amounts of money and time from consultants and systems engineers.It means they're constantly studying here , at home..

Of a consultant's possible 210 billing days in a year , each one trains for 90 to 120 days a year.That reduces billable time to around 100 days -- if the person is running at 100 per cent , which , of course , rarely happens.