Colorado Springs, CO – October 26, 2010 – HDI, a global association for IT service and technical support professionals and the premier certification body for the industry, today announced it recently conducted its inaugural HDI Support Center Director (HDI-SCD) certification and training program in Bangalore, India, in partnership with QAI (www.qaiglobalinstitute.com). QAI serves as HDI's exclusive implementation partner in India and they played a key role in the success of this event. The event was attended by thirteen senior management professionals from some of the top IT service support organizations, banking majors, and technical support organizations in the country.

Gaining senior management support and effectively communicating the pivotal role of the support center is crucial to any support operation's success. For this reason, the support center director must serve as a support leader and strategically align the support center with the organization. HDI Support Center Director training focuses on the development and execution of strategic plans that take the organization to the next level. It is aimed at helping the participants realize greater return on investment, develop and maintain formal procedures for increased productivity and consistency, and manage customer perceptions.

The training reviews crucial topics like executive leadership, business planning and strategy, support center processes, tools and technology, metrics and quality assurance, people management, organizational development, and marketing to help support center directors gain the knowledge of service management best and common practices necessary for strategically aligning their departments with organizational goals.

HDI’s managing director, Craig Baxter, stated, “The reaction from India’s top-tier IT support leaders who participated in the event was unanimous – this program is mandatory for advancing IT service and technical support operations. Each and every one of these seasoned leaders stated that they walked away with insights into how they can improve their strategic planning, business alignment, and customer satisfaction.”

Tom Ticknor, QAI Global Institute’s COO, said, “The support center director must act as a support leader and strategically align the support center to the organization. After the initial enthusiastic reception of the HDI courses in India, we are very happy to conduct HDI-SCD training in the country and help support center directors benefit from global best practices.”

HDI selected QAI based on its performance to date, having trained more than 140,000 and certified in excess of 40,000 professionals globally in more than forty-three countries, in multiple domains like project management, IT service management, software testing, innovation management and others. HDI’s certifications are based on internationally recognized open standards developed by a committee of worldwide industry leaders, help desk and support center experts, consultants, and practitioners, for the benefit of the support industry. HDI has trained and certified more than 50,000 technical support professionals worldwide.

About HDI (http://www.thinkhdi.com) HDI is a global IT service and technical support membership association and the industry’s premier certification and training body. Guided by an international panel of industry experts and practitioners, HDI is the leading resource for IT service and technical support 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 & Expo. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, CO, HDI offers training in multiple languages and countries. For more information, visit www.ThinkHDI.com or call +1 719.268.0174. HDI is part of UBM TechWeb.

About UBM TechWeb (http://www.ubmtechweb.com) UBM TechWeb, the global leader in technology media and professional information, enables people and organizations to harness the transformative power of technology. Through its core businesses—media solutions, marketing services, and professional information—UBM TechWeb produces the most respected and consumed brands, applications, and services in the technology market. More than 14.5 million business and technology professionals (CIOs, IT and IT Support managers, Web and digital professionals, software and game developers, government decision makers, telecom providers and business executives) actively participate in UBM TechWeb’s communities. UBM TechWeb brands include: global face-to-face events, such as Interop, Game Developers Conference (GDC), Web 2.0, Black Hat, and VoiceCon; large-scale online networks, such as InformationWeek, Light Reading, and Gamasutra; research, training, and certification services, including HDI, Pyramid Research, and InformationWeek Analytics; and market-leading magazines, such as InformationWeek and Wall Street & Technology. UBM TechWeb is part of UBM, a global provider of media and information services for professional B2B communities and markets.

About QAI Global Institute (www.qaiglobal.com, www.qaiglobalinstitute.com) QAI is a leading global consulting and workforce development organization addressing operational excellence in IT, BPO, and knowledge-intensive service organizations. QAI Global Institute, the competency development division of QAI, focuses on creating international education and training products and services to address competence development and develop assessments and certifications that cater to the large pool of manpower that requires skills for increased employability. QAI currently serves over 300 clients in thirty countries and has regional bases in the United States, India, China, Singapore, and Malaysia.