Training Partners for HiPath 4000

[NYPQ-EN]

Good afternoon all,

I want to thank you all for your input on the last question I submitted on training.

It looks like I am finally getting around to my Management that we ne
ed training and basically we are in the 12th hour.

Next week the old Rolm PBX will be powered down for good and the HiPath will be it, without us having the basic training.


My question is 1. Should we go with the Unify Academy training or go with a Unify Partner?
2. Black Box is trying to convince my Management that they could provide "what we need" training ( I dont feel comfortable to hear that) as opposed to the Basic Course that Unify offers. Is Black Box a Training partner with Unify?


3. Where can I go to search for Unify Training partners that will provide the knowledge and training that we need? or is it better to go with UNIFY themselves?


4. Last question - is there a place where I can review Unify Training partners and the programs that they offer? Like a Consumer Reports or a Better Business Bureau?

I feel like Black Box is rushing to get out of our installation project and is making all sorts of promises when it comes to Training and once my management signs off on the project, we will be left holding the bag without proper training.

This is our moment of truth (when I say we or our, I am talking about the 3 techs that are charged with supporting the HiPath system - none of us hae taken the Basic Course).

Please provide any advice or information that you can so that I can bring it before management , before the Rolm gets shut off next week.

Thank you all once again and may you all be blessed in your careers.

Eric Nieves

 

[donb01]

I buried the cost of training in my install project because I knew the company would be too cheap to pay for it. I got all my training from the Unify Academy and Black Box paid for it (from money I paid them). I did have to wait almost a year before the first class was available, but H ad already been working on 9006 for 15 years and the 4K for 4 - based on training I did receive from the Black Box techs during the install, and for some time after. I also have a Parts/Remote Repair/Monitoring contract with them, and that allows me to ask questions and have remote consults with some of the staff that is covered by the contract. I will tell you the Black Box guys can teach you some of the day to day stuff, but there is a LOT more you will get out of the official classes that you will not get from them, and in the lab classes from unify they will give you an 8GB USB Dongle (that you provide) and make you completely build/configure a switch from the ground up, and then break it in a few different ways and be able to figure out how to fix it. I have 5 or 6 legal pads of notes from my classes, plus cell photos of stuff on the whiteboards. There are also some online self paced courses and web courses that are part of the program. Get whatever you can that Black Box is willing to give you, but I would get yourself on the waitlist for the classes you want. Unify waits for a number of people to be on the waitlist before scheduling classes sometimes.


Don Bruechert, Voice Comm Analyst II
CareTech Solutions @ Holy Family Memorial
Manitowoc, WI, USA

 

[NYPQ-EN]

That is what I thought.

I am trying to convince my Management to go to the source and get Unify training.

Is Black Box a Unify Partner?
Are they certified to train in the HiPath?

Will Black Box provide study materials and documentation?
It is always good to have a hard copy of system administration and maintenance guides.

 

[donb01]

Black Box is a high ranking Unify partner - they do remote system monitoring, remote maintenance, and have full access to Unify high level tech support if you have a Unify software contract. I have been using them since 1984 (aka Norstan Communications). When I went from the "big orange beast" (CBX 8000) to 9751 v 9006 I received most of my training from them from their MN training center, but I am not aware of them doing any training now - although my goal was to be tech certified and self maintaining. I have taken the whole north american service curriculum from Unify in TX, but never took the test. There are questions on the practice test about products we never studied in class, and I have yet to get a passing score on the practice test!

That said, the Intro to Admin using Assistant course is web-based and I think it was only around $695. The is a 4000 Back-Ups course that I highly recommend - you can learn a lot about the system architecture (platform linus, vs the 4 VMs that comprise the working parts of the system, etc) and that there are at least 10 different things you can do to backup your system for disaster recovery. That class is inexpensive. There are several on-demand courses that are also inexpensive. Ultimately you want the "real" training that comes in the lab - where you have actual systems you can destroy and put back together, and build up the (stones) knowledge to do some of your own upgrades, etc.

Of course if you can get them to send you to Germany - hee hee... all the better!

Don Bruechert, Voice Comm Analyst II
CareTech Solutions @ Holy Family Memorial
Manitowoc, WI, USA