Ricoh Germany relies on Microsoft training and certification to drive business transformation
Ricoh Germany is driving new business by movingfrom document hardware and printing to eight lines of business, including managed document services and IT infrastructure. Its employees rely on Microsoft training and certification to stay abreast of tech trends and better serve customers.
Best known for its printer and copier business, Ricoh Germany embarked on a new business direction.It now focuses on eight lines of business, with managed document services at its core. Other initiatives include providing IT infrastructure to clients, production printing services, communications services, and workplace services.
To achieve this new direction, Ricoh Germany has given its tech employees access to extensive Microsoft training to help them shift from a hardware focus to one centered on IT and support. To date some 1,000 Ricoh employs have taken training and earned certifications on subjects ranging from Windows Server 2012 to Windows 8.1. Earned certifications include Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA),Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP), Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA), and Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE).
“The needs and scale of technology we needed to learn grew dramatically in the past few years,” says Roman Loos, Chief Manager of Technical Training for Ricoh Germany. “We had to make a decision about how we wanted to train our engineers and how they would learn the IT skills we need for our changing business needs.”
Ricoh finds Microsoft training a must
Ricoh realized that they needed more training on Microsoft products and services. “After a few years, we realized we were receiving more and more requests for Microsoft-Certified specialists.” In response, Ricoh changed its training programs to take advantage of Microsoft courses and certifications.
Today Ricoh sends most of its engineers down a path that begins with earning a Microsoft Technical Associate certification on network security and operating system fundamentals. This is Microsoft’s introductory program for understanding these key IT concepts. “Once our people have mastered the MTA program, we split them up and train them more on operating systems, on desktop infrastructure, and with Windows 7 or Windows 8,” says Loos. “The MTA certifications gives our employees a great start at mastering more complex IT subjects. We’ve found that our success rate in more advanced courses in much higher when our staff has an MTA certification as a foundation.”
As employees move up the certification ladder, many also earn MCSA and MCSE level certifications in subjects such as Windows Server 2012 and Microsoft SQL Server.Having a culture of continuous learning helps Ricoh stay current with the latest technologies and services as well.“We’re very happy that Microsoft now offers courses in virtualization,” says Loos of the Windows Server training. “Virtualization is extremely important for the future and we need our people to fully understand how to implement virtual solutions.”
Benefits for Ricoh Germany
Loos says that offering Microsoft training and certifications confers two benefits on Ricoh. For one thing, it improves the quality of Ricoh’s internal IT department.“We are using Windows 7/Windows 8 in our internal IT infrastructure, and that needs to be supported by our internal IT, so they have to be certified as well,” says Loos.
Having a certified workforce also shows prospective clients who use Microsoft products that Ricoh’s IT specialists are up to date on the latest technologies and applications built on Microsoft offerings. Ricoh employees certified in Microsoft technology are also able to disseminate their knowledge throughout the company.
“It’s a must to have well-trained engineers,” Loos adds. “If we don’t have that, we can’t sell anything, and we can’t install and maintain it.”
To date Ricoh has trained some 300 of its IT staff in Germany to the level of at least one Microsoft Certification. Across Europe, some 1,000 certifications have been earned, with some employees earning multiple certifications.
Employees find training valuable
Ricoh employees who have been trained and certified on Microsoft products say it makes them more effective in their jobs, and that earning certifications has made their jobs more satisfying. “I used to be a straight-up mechanic.Now I get to install our software products. I think my work has improved because of that,” says Juergen Schuermann, IT Service Engineer.“Certification has changed my work significantly.I’m now positioned to implement our software better.If problems crop up, I’m better able to correct them because I have the corresponding knowledge. I’m very satisfied with the job I do now and with the fact that I can work more on the software level and don’t have to be tightening bolts on hardware anymore.”
Ricoh’s engineers also appreciate thatMicrosoft courses help prepare them for the rigorous exams.“The Microsoft training…is very comprehensive.It offers people quite a few options for professional development in various areas, whether in servers, clients, or the cloud, Azure, and Office 365,” says Simon Knappe, Technology Consultant.“Going through training like that, you learn so many new things you didn’t know before, and it accordingly prepares you for the exam so that you have relatively few problems on the exam answering questions, and it’s also very easy to increase your skill level.”
Certification supports success with customers
Of course, the training and certification Ricoh offers to its employees benefits not only Ricoh’s internal IT department, but also Ricoh’s customers.
Schuermann pointed out that having a certification makes it easier to work not only with your colleagues, but with your customers.“When you are working onsite for your customer, you work eye-to-eye with the administrators.You can communicate better with them because you’re on the same page, and they also notice that you’re familiar with the environment and with Microsoft products.”
Knappe added, “I was definitely surprised that customers nowadays place much more value on certification than they did a few years ago.The added value of training or an examination is of course much greater in connection with customer relationships.”
Loos says that Microsoft training has helped Ricoh support its transition to a company focused more on IT services than hardware products. “We have really seen the value that training and certification offers,” he says. “The Microsoft Certifications give our customers confidence that we can meet their needs. And our employees take great pride in earning the certifications, and appreciate that they help them succeed in their careers with Ricoh.”