qSkills™: Strategic Cooperation in the ITIL Environment

IT-Training provider qSkills™ and the management consultancy INFORA start strategic collaboration for IT Service Management (ITSM) training / Training supports alignment with IT-related service processes according to ITIL

Nuremberg, April 7, 2008. The Nuremberg IT training provider qSkills™ deepens its certified training offering in the ITSM sector according to the guidelines of the international framework ITIL (IT Infrastructure Library) through a new cooperation with INFORA GmbH. The focus of qSkills™' offering is on training in Service Management according to ITIL, PRINCE 2, and ISO/IEC 20000:2005. Target groups: IT managers, IT consultants, and executives with IT service responsibilities.

Continuous and optimal processes represent a significant challenge for internal company structures. An example: the alignment of IT Services Management (ITSM) processes according to ITIL. The framework allows companies to use their IT resources more efficiently while maintaining IT service quality and meeting service levels with customers.

Collaboration with INFORA – Added Value for Participants
The independent training provider qSkills™ enhances its competencies in the field of ITSM training through a close cooperation with the recognized consulting firm and accredited training company INFORA. Both companies will now conduct joint training sessions at the qSkills™ location in Nuremberg. The alliance focuses on IT Service Manager training – from the ITIL Foundation course to the IT Service Manager with final examination and certification according to the ITIL standard. In the seminars, participants acquire the internationally recognized "Manager’s Certificate in IT Service Management" according to ITIL after passing the relevant exams.

"Through close collaboration, we create synergies and optimal training conditions to achieve the best results for the participants. Thanks to our expertise, we can provide participants with the necessary knowledge in a well-founded manner and prepare them optimally for the upcoming exams," says Kurt-Jürgen Jacobs, Managing Director of qSkills™ GmbH & Co. KG.

And Thomas Höhn, Managing Director of INFORA GmbH, adds: "Our lecturers all have profound knowledge and certificates in the ITSM field, which they regularly apply in the conception and implementation of IT-supported infrastructures in authorities and companies. Due to the above-average expertise, INFORA is not only one of the consultants to the federal government in IT Service Management but has also already trained around 1,000 participants from the private sector and public administration in ITIL. Through close cooperation with qSkills™, we can combine our strengths in the ITSM training market and jointly provide participants with an optimum of methodological tools."

Training Offers: Established and New
ITSM training offers significant advantages for companies. A standardized strategy can increase the impact of IT investments and process quality, leading to a clear Return on Investment (ROI) with sound planning in the medium to long term. qSkills™ recognized early on the added value of providing practice-oriented training to deliver targeted methods for demand-oriented IT Service Management. Thanks to the current ISO 20000 standard, organizations can now significantly present their IT in accordance with recognized guidelines.

qSkills™ has strategically expanded its portfolio and offers new training courses according to ISO/IEC 20000:2005. The range includes Introduction courses to Internal Auditor training. From mid-2008, qSkills™ also plans to conduct Lead Auditor courses. In addition to the Service Management seminars ITIL® and ISO 20000, qSkills™ offers training based on original training materials from BSi for Information Security Management Systems (ISMS) according to ISO 27001:2005, as well as practical seminars on Business Continuity Management according to BS25999.

Furthermore, qSkills™ is expanding its training offering to include the project management method PRINCE 2™ (Projects IN Controlled Environments), which helps better control corporate and project risks. PRINCE 2™ is based on the principles of professional project management, including clear project timelines, goal definition, and project responsibilities. The start date for PRINCE 2™ training is scheduled for June 2008.

Conclusion: qSkills™ consistently aligns its training offerings with best practices and also offers customer companies the opportunity for groundbreaking further education to optimize key areas in the entire IT environment. The collaboration with INFORA is another example of the high quality standards of the training provider.

For more information on the training sessions and schedules, interested parties can visit:
qSkills™ Workshops


Short Profile qSkills™
qSkills™ GmbH & Co. KG is an independent training center specializing in conducting high-quality training in the IT and IT management fields. The main training focuses include storage, operating systems, databases, and tools. The company also focuses its range of services on IT Service Management (according to ITIL), Security according to ISO 27001, Business Continuity (BS 25999), and Business Intelligence. As the only company in Germany, qSkills™ offers its ISO 27001 and BS 25999 training according to the internationally recognized certification guidelines of BSI™ Management Systems.

Special features of qSkills™: The company not only conducts the common and classic IT basic training but also special workshops – the so-called integrative "bridge or combination workshops." These workshops mainly focus on knowledge of networking and integration of multiple systems into an existing heterogeneous IT environment. In designing the IT training, qSkills™ relies on its own training materials, supplemented by proven manufacturer information to ensure maximum benefit for the training participants. The headquarters and the innovative training center with 200 modern PC workstations and an in-house data center (hard disk capacity of over 80 terabytes) are located in Nuremberg. Nationwide, the training specialist collaborates with around 170 experienced trainers. In the past business year 2007, qSkills™' revenue was around 4.3 million euros. qSkills™' customer base includes medium-sized and large companies from the regions of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland in industries such as energy supply, financial services, trade, information and telecommunications technology.

About INFORA:
For more than 25 years, INFORA GmbH has been an innovative, highly specialized, and manufacturer-independent consulting firm. With locations in Cologne, Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, and Dresden, it supports customers from the initial concept idea to successful implementation. INFORA places particular emphasis on the practice-oriented design and effective transformation of business and automation processes.

Its consulting clients in the industrial sector include companies such as DaimlerChrysler AG, Vissmann, INA Schaeffler, Deutsche Airbus, Henkel, Minolta, Procter & Gamble, and Schering, while in the public sector, customers include the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Federal Employment Agency, and the Federal Chancellery.
www.infora.de

Press contact:

Birgit Jacobs