South African companies are realising the benefits of adopting open source solutions in their operations but are often limited by a lack of trained staff. However, Obsidian Systems provides a host of resource offerings to address the needs of any organisation irrespective of size and industry.

To ensure that the open source skills within an organisation are well balanced, Obsidian has partnered with CTU Training Solutions, offering training that empowers technical resources and end users to effectively and efficiently use the open source applications and services within their IT environments.

“With more than 12 years’ experience in supplying Red Hat training to the corporate market, CTU Training Solutions can provide companies with experienced and certified consultants that have significant practical know-how of open source in the corporate environment,” says Muggie van Staden, MD of Obsidian Systems.

Red Hat training was one of the first Linux certifications available and has been in the market for more than 15 years. It runs the entire range of Linux knowledge so it does not matter if it is an open source newcomer or experienced user who undertakes it.

Certification covers different tiers so a Certified Administrator will have the equivalent of three years’ experience, a Certified Engineer with five years, and a specialist providing additional expertise in specific areas.

“The fact that Red Hat has been around for so long means that the basic skills are transferable to whatever flavour of Linux an organisation runs. Even if people do not use Red Hat, they still look for those certifications because this will give them the broad skills required,” adds van Staden.

Van Staden believes that the combination of its experienced trainers with practical skills in a range of implementations mean that Obsidian is perfectly positioned to help grow the open source market in the country.

“These are exciting times for the open source market in the country. Obsidian empowers companies with the skills they need to successfully adapt this technology to their organisational requirements that will improve their efficiencies and reduce costs,” concludes van Staden.