Go Open Source has announced the establishment of its channel partner program with the main aim of developing the core competencies and skills required to take Linux and open source solutions to the South African business market.

In building its channel partner program, the campaign members are rallying support from channel players through a series of two-day workshops, focused on uncovering the benefits brought to the table by the open source world, the intricacies of running a business focused on services as a primary revenue stream and general business management principals, as they apply to the SME sector. Following these workshops, players interested in the value proposition offered by open source solutions will be offered training for their engineers and support staff at dramatically reduced rates.

The training conducted will include ICDL (International Computer Drivers’ License) modules, as well as LPI (Linux Professionals’ Institute) level 1 certification, which enables services and support staff to install, configure, set-up and support the Linux operating system and complimentary tools. The training modules will also then be rounded out with LPI’s Ubuntu specialisation, which will impart a deeper knowledge of the Ubuntu Linux distribution to engineers.

The project kicks-off in February with workshops slated for commencement at the times and dates listed in the sidebar.
The training portion of the program will take place once the workshops have been concluded. Provisional dates for training are listed in the sidebar.

The objective of the Go Open Source Campaign; aimed at creating greater awareness, understanding and adoption of open source software; is to put South Africa at the forefront of the global trend towards the adoption of open source software.

The GOS campaign is embarking on a unique initiative in strengthening the certification in training and support in the OSS market. With a lack of skills in the Linux market in comparison to the proprietary market, the GOS campaign has established a formal channel program aimed at furthering the proliferation of Linux and open source software in the South African community.