Tech Data is offering the RHCT and RHCE certification classes through TDEducation, the IT products distributor's technical training and certification services team. TDEducation will provide Red Hat resellers with an array of services to ease the certification process, including pricing, scheduling and registration assistance for training courses nationwide. The Red Hat TDEducation courses are designed for resellers wishing to get the certifications or to offer as customer training.

The gold standard of Linux certifications is the RHCE. While specific to Red Hat Enterprise Linux, it is the most well-known Linux network and system administrator certification. The RHCT, like the vendor-neutral LPIC-1 (Linux Professional Institute Certification), is an introductory level certification.

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The RHCT certification is designed to help candidates help customers transition part or all of their operations to a Linux-based platform. RHCE expands this expertise to network configuration services and security on Red Hat servers. RHCE is ideal for resellers delivering comprehensive Red Hat products and services to their end-user customers, while RHCT provides the necessary systems-administration skills to manage existing Linux systems.

"Partner enablement through education, training and certification is a key value-add Tech Data provides our reseller customers," said Stacy Nethercoat, Tech Data's software product marketing vice president, in a statement. "The addition of Red Hat training courses to TDEducation will help our customers more effectively capitalize on the demand for these Linux solutions by enabling them to also provide end users with a wide range of highly profitable support services."

Mark Enzweiler, Red Hat's vice president of North American Channel Sales, said in a statement, "Our partnership with Tech Data has enabled us to expand our partner base, and today's announcement further strengthens our ability to provide those resellers with the support they need to expand their Red Hat business. Earning the RHCT and RHCE certifications are important milestones for our resellers, creating new opportunities for them to grow their services revenue through Red Hat solutions."