Global Knowledge provides solutions to a variety of training needs, from the standard to the most complex custom solution. There have been many instances where Global Knowledge was the only solution for a customer who needed a large, complex training program implemented with both speed and quality. This section describes some of the stories behind the solutions that we've provided companies around the world.

Curriculum Planning Service Helps Top Financial Holding Company Strengthen Its Competitive Edge

Profile: A Top Financial Holding Company

A top financial holding company (TFHC) realized that to prosper in a rapidly changing and highly competitive environment they needed to provide responsive and reliable client services and foster an environment that would enable their employees to learn, grow, and be fulfilled in their work. Their level of commitment to staying competitive was reflected in the awards and commendations they had earned for their quality of service and excellence in performance. In 2007, they were ranked #1 in customer service satisfaction among primary mortgage servicing companies, according to a nationwide study by J.D. Power and Associates. Additionally, they were ranked in Training Magazine's "Training Top 125" list for quality of employee training programs.

Challenge: Quickly Train IT Staff for Supporting a Cisco Platform Migration

In early 2008, TFHC decided to migrate their two North Carolina data centers that supported 2000 locations in the Eastern US and Canada to a Cisco platform. "We embarked on this project to help us support our anticipated growth as well as provide our customers with future feature capabilities, additional tools, access and utilities," the Operations Manager said.

They wanted to implement this new technology quickly and knew the best way to maximize their technology investment and reduce migration time, costs, and risks was to train their technical staff effectively.

Unfortunately, the majority of their technical staff was not well versed on Cisco products. They would require foundational- and advanced-level Cisco training. "We wanted an experienced training partner who could quickly assess our technical team's current skill level and identify the baseline and job role training needed to migrate to this new network," TFHC's Operations Manager said. TFHC also needed a training provider who could deliver the required training within their timeframe, could accommodate the large number of students, and could provide any future functionality training that may be needed.

Solution: Targeted, Flexible, and Scalable Training Program

Global Knowledge was recommended to TFHC by its Cisco representative as a solid training provider experienced in designing and delivering customized and flexible training solutions.

The migration-training project was broken into two phases. During phase one of the project, TFHC's core group of staff (approximately 24 people) would be trained quickly to ensure they were ready to support the initial data center migration in two locations. In phase two, the core team and remaining staff members would be trained on other products throughout 2008 and 2009.

Global Knowledge was able to design an effective training solution through its Curriculum Planning Service. This service included providing a program manager who acted as a single point of contact to manage key activities, coordinate resources, and schedule assessment interviews. The service also included an on-site Global Knowledge Subject Matter Expert who conducted interviews with key client technical personnel and the management team to assess the current skill levels of the technical staff and deliver a curriculum map organized by job role. According to TFHC's Operations Manager, "Global Knowledge delivered a comprehensive Training Recommendation Report with assessment results, customized training outlines, and pricing."

The Training Recommendation Report was approved and the work began with the core team training (based on the course, Routing and Switching I) delivered as a 5-day Cisco Workshop. Labs were developed and used by the team to aid preparation for the workshop. They were also utilized by the team after the workshop to reinforce what they had learned. All course modules were provided so the students could review them at a later date to further enhance their training experience. A CCNA Boot Camp was delivered to the core team several months later, and additional future functionality training will continue to be developed and delivered.

Phase Two of the program has begun with training being delivered to the additional technical staff members. Global Knowledge plans to deliver CWENT/CWLMS, Routing and Switching II, CIPT 1, and CVOICE e-Learning in 2008.

Results: A Sharpened Competitive Edge

The Global Knowledge Curriculum Planning Service enabled the company to reduce migration costs, increase project effectiveness, and reduce their risk of failure in migrating to a new network over a short period of time. Through a comprehensive, targeted training program TFHC's employees were able to receive the exact training they needed to support the new network platform and stay abreast of the latest technology.

The organization continues to strengthen its position in the financial industry by providing solutions that have been requested by their clients, improving customer satisfaction, generating more sales, providing a reliable network experience, and taking advantage of future functionality the Cisco network has to offer.

TFHC has been very pleased with the solution. According to its Data Center IT Director, "Global Knowledge understood our direction and requirements and developed a training program that helped us achieve our goals."