When former IBM and Lenovo exec Mark Enzweiler joined Red Hat as vice president of North American Channel Sales in October, channel providers were hoping Red Hat would become more channel-friendly. Their wishes appear to have been granted, with the launch of Red Hats CSP (Certified Service Provider) initiative.
Since Enzweiler came on board, Red Hat has been working closely with its channel partners to create the CSP. The Program, which is now active in North America and will launch globally in the future, is designed to encourage the growth of open-source service practices through collaboration between Red Hat Global Professional Services and service-oriented channel partners with open-source expertise and resources.
Red Hat announced that through the CSP Program, partners will have the ability to learn and implement Red Hat methodologies for core service offerings including Core Build, Health Check, and Satellite Implementation Services.
The Core Build service standardizes the build and deployment process, allowing clients to deploy and manage hundreds of thousands of systems effectively, according to Red Hat. The Health Check service aims to enable clients to “fully optimize” their IT infrastructure through an on-site check by experienced consultants at client facilities. For users with 20 or more servers, the Satellite Implementation Service involves designing, installing and configuring a Red Hat Network satellite, allowing for premium system management.