Do you have a swiss army knife of technical know-how in your toolkit?

[MikeBishop]

In my last blog post, I discussed the topic of just-in-time learning, and how HPE Press Study Guides can fill a particular knowledge gap quickly and easily. In this article, I’d like to go deeper and provide some specific examples of how these guides can be used by technical Presales consultants to do a rapid look-up or fact check while driving the customers’ transformation journey. However, don’t get me wrong. Please don’t read while driving!

HPE’s focus on using technology to accelerate business outcomes adds to the urgency of having the facts at one’s finger tips. Although there is no substitute for hands-on skills and experience, this is also a matter of having fast access to the right information. Once the conversation turns to tools and technologies for updating on-premises IT operations, for example, that’s when a deeper knowledge of how to plan, design, and implement a specific product mix or solution is required.

For someone who’s a quick study, the HPE Press Data Center and Cloud Study Guide can help with recommending optimal solutions when moving critical IT operations to the cloud. Materials provided for self-directed learning include a dozen different videos that allow you to experience the products and solutions in action. These range from a one-minute explanation of hyper-converged systems to a full-on 40-minute tutorial on how to launch a VM instance in Helion CloudSystem led by author and HPE Certified Instructor, Ken Radford. Self-assessment questions throughout the guide help check your savvy at the door. What do you really know about creating an on-demand hybrid IT infrastructure? Moving to the cloud? OpenStack software? And, what are the steps involved in preparing a customer solution proposal, including technical components?

If the customer solution is about how to deploy enterprise workloads, that’s when the Master ASE Server Solutions Guide will come in handy. With its strong focus on ways to meet business, financial and technical goals, the guide serves as a practical on-the-job reference to describe and plan advanced HPE server solutions. In addition to providing in-depth treatment of key platforms such as HPE Apollo, Moonshot, and Integrity Superdome X, the guide takes you beyond the technology to how to position the solution based on customers’ unique circumstances and needs. Topics to drill down-on include discussions with decision makers, IT management domains, facilities requirements, conducting a site survey, and, on the business side, working with the customers’ financials.

Available in eBook format, this guide can be downloaded to your tablet as an on-the-go reference for use on a plane, train or at a customer site. Additionally, there are HPE Press Study Guides that cover the latest converged hybrid infrastructure and management tools such as Synergy and OneView. Visit HPE Press to see all the available publications. .As I suggested the last time, when you curate your own content library your customers will be sure to benefit. Wishing you safe and speedy on-the-job learning!