VMware, Inc., the global leader in virtualization and cloud infrastructure, has said that it has partnered with RCV Innovations’ ThinkCloud as a VMware Authorized Training Center (VATC) in India.

‘ThinkCloud’ is a training and consulting initiative for cloud computing by RCV Innovations, a Hyderabad-based IT company with a focus on healthcare, education and cloud computing. Under the agreement, RCV Innovations’ ThinkCloud will offer VMware-certified training courses to customers, channel partners and the general public on VMware products, solutions and services in Hyderabad and Kolkata.

With RCV Innovations’ThinkCloud, VMware now has 13 training partners in India. This represents another step VMware is taking to meet the rising demand for training in virtualization and cloud computing technologies in India. More than 12,000 students have been trained on VMware technologies over the last three years in India.

“Virtualization and cloud computing are growing sectors within the IT industry in India. VMware has been at the forefront assisting companies to realize the business benefits of virtualization in India and we are committed to enabling our technology to be managed by well-prepared staff by expanding the reach of our training programs,” said T Srinivasan, managing director, VMware India & SAARC. “We are pleased to partner with ThinkCloud to offer IT professionals in India the opportunity to become certified on VMware technologies. We remain committed to developing our training program in India to cater to the specific needs of local markets and IT staff,” he added.

As members of the VMware Partner Network, VATCs gain increased value and visibility as authorized educators for VMware products, solutions and services. “We are delighted to be associated with VMware as an authorized training partner. This partnership will help us meet the growing demands of Indian IT professionals seeking to advance their careers on VMware virtualization and cloud technology,”said Ramkaran Rudravaram, chief architect, ThinkCloud. Other VATCs in India include Dimension Data India, EMC, GT Enterprises, HP, Infocloud Technologies India, Koenig Solutions, Mercury Solutions NIIT, Quint Wellington Redwood India Consulting, Rooman Technologies, Springpeople Software and Venus Technology Park.

The findings of the 3rd annual VMware Cloud Index show that 62% of Indian organizations are increasing their budgets for training internal IT staff to support their cloud initiatives. Beyond internal trainings, 56% of organizations in India are actively seeking to hire new staff with cloud expertise. This is critical, as nearly 76% of Indian IT professionals believe they risk falling behind their peers professionally if they do not improve their cloud-related skills and gain cloud project experience.