Synergy, Cisco, e-Hosting centre unveil $2m remote lab

Synergy Professional Services, an ICT training organisation based in the Middle East, together with Cisco Systems and e-Hosting Centre, recently launched a $2 million Synergy Remote Lab - which is the largest Cisco laboratory facility in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The Lab, which is a learning environment that provides access to real training equipment for both Cisco solutions and broader technology topics, will be hosted at the e-Hosting facilities at DIC.

Individuals, Cisco partners and education institutes around the world will be able to access the Lab around the clock, and get hands-on training and practice.

The Lab has the capacity to run more than 25 advanced courses simultaneously, serving Synergy's many branches and affiliates in the region.

"We are very excited with this announcement as it represents another milestone in our vision to establish Synergy Professional Services as the leading ICT services company in the Middle East," said Melad Ghabrial, president and chief executive of Synergy Professional Services.

"Following our recent expansion into Europe with the establishment of our Vienna and Madrid offices, now we are able to provide a first-of-a-kind Cisco training facility for individuals and education institutions in the Middle East, Europe and Africa region."

Additionally, Ghazi Atallah, regional director of Cisco, said: "Synergy Professional Services has performed remarkably over the last few years, placing itself in the top handful of Cisco Learning Partners across Europe, Mena.

"Synergy has the technical capabilities and depth of expertise in Cisco solutions to make this project a success. The set-up will help us raise the bar of the technical expertise available to our customers."

The lab, which is hosted in the e-Hosting Centre at DIC, will provide courses seven days a week, 24 hours a day, over the Internet.

"The e-Hosting Centre is part of our mission to offer leading edge IT infrastructure services to help companies in this region compete on a global basis," said Farid Faraidooni, director of telecom, technology business unit, e-Hosting Centre.

By hosting their labs in our centre, Synergy can focus on its online training programmes with the confidence that the availability and security of its services are being closely monitored."