SCO announced that anyone can now purchase the company’s Linux and UNIX courseware for the purpose of conducting training and certification, but only “authorized partners” will get the best deals.The Authorized Education Partner program, or AEP, gives IT testing and training centers the opportunity to offer SCO’s courseware, including the new UnitedLinux Certified Expert designation.
Partners are eligible for discounts and other benefits that are not available to the general public, but they must meet certain requirements, such as minimum revenue of $10,000 per year, and must agree to submit monthly revenue reports and allow random annual training activity audits.
In return, partners get to use SCO logos and receive some of the benefits of SCO’s marketing activities.
The move integrates SCO’s education partners with its TeamSCO, a “solutions partner” program that was carried over from the Caldera days. TeamSCO now includes the developer network and the “extreme rewards” program, which SCO says provides “high-margin, high-demand products and services.”
The UnitedLinux Certified Expert program, slated to be included with courseware materials provided to AEPs, was developed in conjunction with the Linux Professional Institute (LPI).
