IPexpert Wants to Help You!

Over the past several months, CCIE candidates have been making public mention (on various lists, forums, etc) that they have purchased CCIE Voice training from Internetwork Expert, but have not received what they paid for. To be honest, we have been happy to have a good number of them give up and come to IPexpert and we have remained quiet about it.

Yesterday, some of those being kept on the hook began speaking out loudly on the Group Study email list. In response, Anthony acknowledged the continued delays and gave assurance of full refunds…

from    Anthony Sequeira <asequeira@internetworkexpert.com>
reply-to    Anthony Sequeira <asequeira@internetworkexpert.com>
to    ccie voice <danmccie@gmail.com>
cc    ccielab@groupstudy.com
date    Thu, Jan 8, 2009 at 11:08 PM
subject    Re: Internetwork Expert – Worst Voice CCIE Vendor

Please contact our Customer Service or Sales department with your information and I am sure they will provide you with a full refund. So sorry about the delays. I am sure they are a result of our desire to create some of the best materials available. We always strive to do that.

Anthony J. Sequeira, CCIE #15626, CCSI #23251
Senior CCIE Instructor

I will not be a hypocrite here; I acknowledge that IPexpert has slipped on release dates ourselves in the past. I second Anthony’s assertion that some slippage is permissible, when necessary for the assurance of the best-possible product. However, there comes a time when the customer needs to be served and sometimes that means letting them move on. One of the guys in the ongoing Group Study thread questioned “why a product which was announced in October of 2007 still hasn’t been completely released.”

For a CCIE Voice candidate that is resigned to the idea of waiting for the new blueprint change, perhaps they don’t mind more waiting for the IE products they purchased. However, the guys that are really hurt are the ones hoping to pass on the CURRENT blueprint. It’s a shame that their needs have not been held with the highest priority. :(

An offer from IPexpert…

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Tags: ie, internetwork expert, Products, Voice, waiting

Yesterday, Internetwork Expert put on a show that was promoted heavily as a “major corporate announcement.” Yes, I am serious, that’s what they called it. What a show it was!

Fascinated, I watched the big announcements again carefully and thought I’d share some of my own, personal thoughts about the way I personally perceived the news…

ANNOUNCEMENT #1: 10 months ago, IE decided NOT to take part in Cisco’s 360 program

The main theme of their webcast/commercial was about how they DIDN’T join Cisco’s CLP (Cisco Learning Partner) program and are not going to sell the 360 training; a decision they apparently made 10 months ago. Since when does deciding NOT to do something 10 months ago qualify as news, worthy of such hype? Maybe next week we can learn how Brian decided NOT to go skydiving or some other “almost/maybe could have, but decided not to” kind of event.

There were some questionable statements made throughout the presentation… starting with the FIRST slide!

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Tags: 360, brian, Cisco, clp, ie, internetwork expert, partner

A report by the IT Industry’s Leading Provider of Third-Party Validation   

Background Story  

This summer, IPexpert and Internetwork Expert made public claims to being the “leader” in CCIE training. These claims sparked entertaining conversations internally at our company, and a scurry for stats at Internetwork Expert.    We conducted a poll to learn which criteria were actually important to CCIE hopefuls as they select a training partner. Since both camps have their own set of loyal customers that will defend their vendor-of-choice, we thought it would be valuable to have a third-party, unbiased entity evaluate the two vendor offerings and provide feedback.  

The Solution  

IPexpert sought out the foremost name in the IT industry for conducting independent comparison studies, then reporting the results of their findings, good or bad. The Tolly Group has been commissioned by reputable firms such as:

• Cisco
• Nortel
• 3COM
• Riverbed
• Symantec
• Foundry Networks
• Siemens
• and hundreds more!

A trusted analyst, based upon their Fair Testing Charter, The Tolly Group was selected by IPexpert to conduct a review of the competitive offerings from the perspective of a CCIE candidate assessing the top training vendors.  

The Criteria  

Comparative analyses are valuable only in “apples-to-apples” scenarios and in specific areas where both are serious contenders. In the interest of complete fairness, recognizing that Internetwork Expert (IE) has historically been primarily focused on the CCIE R&S track, the comparative study was primarily focused on this track alone.   Believing that fair-minded people would acknowledge that both IPexpert and IE provide quality training products and courses, that fact is not contested in this review. We commend IE for providing great CCIE R&S materials.   That said, The Tolly Group evaluated the value (what you get for the money) delivered by each vender, based on five criteria:

• Classroom Training: What types of classes are offered and at what frequency?
• Self-Study Programs: What programs / materials are available and at what cost?
• Rack Rental Options: What equipment resources are available to students for lab purposes? A what costs?
• Success Stories (the topic that sparked the debate!): How many students have earned certification through the vendcor traiing programs? In what technical areas have they been certified? Have students come back to a trainng vendor for additinoal certifications?
• Service Guarantees: What programs does the training provider put in place to guarantee to the student that his / her training investment is protected and that the student will receive the proper training and preparation to pass the CCIE lab exam?

The Results  

To our delight, but certainly not to our surprise, Tolly Group found that IPexpert delivers a more cost-effective set of training solutions for the CCIE Routing and Switching track than Internetwork Expert.   It is doubtful that hard-core IE fans could be swayed by any evidence, and that’s fine. However, for those candidates evaluating vendors, this evaluation authored by The Tolly Group may be a more valuable tool than the emotionally-charged rallying by individuals on various online communities.   

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT HERE

Tags: comparison, evaluation, internetwork expert, ipexpert, tolly, validation