HDI® Announces Three New and Revised Certification Offerings for IT Service and Support Professionals

New HDI Support Center Director Certification, Online Delivery of HDI Support Center Analyst Certification Training and HDI Knowledge Management Foundations: KCS® Principles Certification

LAS VEGAS, NEV. – May 2, 2007 – HDI® (http://www.thinkhdi.com), the world's largest membership association for help desk, IT service and support professionals and the premier certification body for the industry, today announced its new HDI Support Center Director Certification preparatory course and examination. HDI also announced that its HDI Support Center Analyst Certification preparatory course is now available online, and that its Knowledge Management Foundations: KCS® Principles course now includes a certification designation. The announcements were made by Rick Joslin, HDI’s executive director of certification and training at the 2007 HDI Conference & Expo (http://www.thinkhdi.com/hdi2007), which is being held this week at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

The HDI Support Center Director Certification preparatory course (http://www.thinkhdi.com/certification/individualCertification/scd.aspx) is designed for directors and experienced managers who provide strategic leadership for the support organization. Participants learn how to use their knowledge and communication skills to align their department with organizational goals, operate effectively under budget and resource constraints, and techniques to market their support centers to upper management. The three-day, instructor-led course assists participants in preparing for the HDI Support Center Director certification exam.

The course focuses on how to: align support strategies with business goals and objectives, quantify the value of the support center, effectively lead the support organization, develop policies and goals and identify strategies for continuous improvement, assess the support center’s maturity, implement IT Financial Management principles, techniques for sourcing, motivating, and retention, strategies for professional development and succession planning, vendor selection and management, ITIL® processes, developing a Balanced Scorecard, Morning Report, Executive Brief, Business Case, Report Distribution Matrix, Succession Plan, ROI Calculator and Decision Matrix.

“This course is ideal for developing leadership skills. Many managers and directors are put into a position of leadership, but not given the tools to succeed. This course cuts through the fluff to help support center senior management. I would recommend it for both new and seasoned directors,” commented Mark Fitzgerald, Boise State University

“I’ve been in IT for 21 years – leading the support organization for two. The peer interaction in this course was fantastic. The tools and templates were great takeaway, and the strategic framework was very helpful,” added Caroline Hanrahan, Healthways.

HDI also announced that its HDI Support Center Analyst Certification preparatory course is now available online. The course focuses on strategies for effective customer care and problem resolution, as well as the fundamentals for support center processes and tools, and an introduction to core ITIL processes. Participants learn to: assess customer business needs and exceed customer expectations, improve critical thinking skills to resolve incidents quickly and consistently satisfy customers by using active listening skills and effective communication strategies, identify and diffuse challenging customer behavior, create win-win interactions with customers, management, and team members and develop an awareness of core ITIL processes.

“HDI provides the best training and material I’ve seen. It was very relevant to all my interests – and my career,” said Allison Virag, Credit Acceptance of the course.

Finally, HDI announced the launch of certification standards and a certification examination to support its Knowledge Management Foundations: KCS Principles training.

Pricing and Availability: The HDI Support Center Director Certification preparatory course is available now. HDI member price: $2,795 per person; Non-member price: $2,895 per person. The HDI Support Center Analyst Certification online preparatory course is available now. HDI member price: $545 per person; Non-member price: $595 per person. The prices for the Knowledge Management Foundations: KCS Principles three-day course are $1,495.00 for HDI members and $1,595.00 for non-members. Pricing for all courses includes the HDI Certification examination.

For more information, visit: http://www.thinkhdi.com/certification/individualCertification/.

About HDI Certification
HDI Certifications are built on standards determined by an independent committee of global industry experts and practitioners. Achievement of HDI Certification demonstrates that individuals understand the customer service skills and support center processes required to provide quality IT service and support. Each HDI Certification is designed to reflect the level of knowledge required for that specific role, ranging from Customer Service Representative to Support Center Director.

About HDI

HDI is the world's largest IT service and support membership association and the industry's premier training and certification body. Guided by an international panel of industry experts, HDI is the leading resource for help desk/support center emerging trends and best practices. HDI provides members with a vast repository of resources, networking opportunities and the largest industry event -- the HDI Annual Conference and Expo. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., USA, HDI offers training and certification in multiple languages and countries. For more information, visit http://www.thinkhdi.com or call +1 719.268.0174.

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Allison Wroe
HDI
(719) 785-5535
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