SolarWinds unveiled major advancements in its Customer Success program.
The enhancements will help speed time-to-value when deploying the company’s software to improve performance across networks, systems, and applications.
The company launched an assisted onboarding program called Smart Start, which gives customers direct, one-on-one access to experts who help them configure, deploy, and optimize their software to meet business goals. It also unveiled a new generation of its professional training and certification program, SolarWinds Academy.
The new customer success initiatives are the company’s latest moves to enable a simple customer and partner experience, from trial, through purchase, and into full deployment.
Smart Start is a new offering aimed at helping customers quickly achieve a high return on their software investments based on SolarWinds-recommended best practices. It gives customers and partners one-on-one expert guidance, enabling them to quickly and effectively configure, customize, and optimize their SolarWinds environments. In particular, the offering focuses on helping customers expertly implement key features according to best practices, tailored to the customer’s business need.
Smart Start is available immediately for most SolarWinds products. Customers may purchase Smart Start concurrently with their software license, or at a later point in time to address scenarios such as onboarding their new personnel.
The training and certification program now includes several major enhancements: First, customers with active maintenance can now access SolarWinds Academy’s entire library of courses, which also has been expanded to include a broader set of the company’s products. In addition, SolarWinds Academy added sessions to accommodate a wider set of time zones, making it easier for international customers and business partners to participate.
“A key value-add we provide all our customers under active maintenance is a full access subscription to SolarWinds Academy,” explained Cal Smith, director, SolarWinds Academy. “This means customers can access our full library of training content and don’t have to budget additional dollars for it.”
SolarWinds Academy has also completed revamped its professional certification program, the SolarWinds Certified Professional (SCP), which is available now as annual subscription. The new program builds on the company’s extensive global network of certified professionals, and focuses more broadly on enabling the effective use of SolarWinds networking and systems management products. In addition, it now provides access to exclusive SCP webcasts and live events.
SolarWinds collaborated with three of its partners to provide SCP preparation courses — Prosperon, Atlantic Digital, and Loop1. All three companies offer comprehensive classes that prepare examinees with the required knowledge needed to be a successful SCP candidate.
“The SCP certification clearly separates a SolarWinds administrator among their peers,” said Bill Fitzpatrick, CEO, Loop1. “We've seen it firsthand with our clients and in our own recruiting. SCP certification also creates tremendous value for the people and organizations our clients support. We look forward to the new generation of SCP exams to further strengthen the status of being SolarWinds certified.”
In 2018, the company will continue to expand the SolarWinds Academy instructor-led online curriculum to cover additional network and system management tools, as well as its SolarWinds Cloud full-stack monitoring and SolarWinds MSP offerings.
The SolarWinds Certified Professional program is available immediately and includes one re-take exam. In addition to updates for product enhancements and support, SolarWinds includes a subscription to SolarWinds Academy instructor-led courses for customers under active maintenance.
SolarWinds Smart Start engagements are available immediately. This program gives customers and partners one-on-one expert guidance, enabling them to quickly and effectively configure, customize, and optimize their SolarWinds environments.
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