IPVG unit to put up new training facility in RP

IP Converge Data Center Inc., a unit of publicly-listed information technology and gaming conglomerate IPVG Corp., is building a new training facility in the Philippines, its third in Asia, as part of the company’s regional expansion drive.

In a statement, IP Converge said the establishment of a new regional training center is in response to the huge demand for customer relationship management services as more and more companies turn to on-demand, software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications and subscription-based models to drive business growth and achieve operational efficiency.

IP Converge has partnered with San Francisco-based Salesforce.com which delivers Web-based enterprise software.

The new training center is in addition to the existing facilities in Hong Kong and Singapore.

According to IP Converge, Salesforce.com will provide original materials, curriculum and content for the training sessions while IP Converge takes care of training and logistics on a quarterly basis.

“Customers in the Philippines and Asia Pacific region are adopting Salesforce applications and the Force.com platform in ever increasing numbers,” said Steve McWhirter, Salesforce.com president for Asia Pacific.

“We are committed to empowering our customers with the knowledge and techniques to make them successful with Salesforce.com. As our customers’ businesses grow, these regional training centers will help ensure their continued success and help them refine their strategies and solutions,” he said.

IP Converge president and chief operating officer Reynaldo Huergas, for his part, said:  “As Salesforce.com becomes more prevalent in the region, we made sure that we have personnel equipped with the right tools to make us the practical destination for Salesforce.com training. IPConverge is an authorized consulting partner of Salesforce.com with authorized consultants who will train users around the product sets.”

Salesforce.com licenses the use of its software over the Internet, eschewing the traditional model of buying software out-of-the-box. This model is seen as an ideal solution for small companies who do not have enough resources to put up the necessary hardware infrastructure.

IP Converge’s long-term plan is to expand its cache of financial solutions and services to meet the needs of companies across industries.