Colorado Springs, CO ? September 2, 2010 ? HDI (http://www.thinkhdi.com), a global association for IT service and technical support professionals and the premier certification body for the industry, today announced the release of the HDI Desktop Support Manager certification program.

The HDI Desktop Support Manager certification verifies that desktop support managers possess the knowledge of best and common practices necessary to successfully manage the operational and tactical components of a support organization while strategically aligning with the needs of the business. The program aims to meet the unique needs of those who manage desktop support functions and is recommended for both new and experienced desktop support managers. The course has been designed to build skills and help individuals prepare for the certification exam.

The certification exam and course are based on the new HDI Desktop Support Manager standard developed by the HDI International Certification Standards Committee.

?HDI sponsored the development of this certification in response to the needs of the industry,? said Rick Joslin, HDI?s executive director of certification and training. ?The desktop support manager plays a critical role in every IT service organization, yet there is a lack of documented best practices and training for these professionals to leverage. Desktop support is only a few decades old as an industry. As the profession continues to mature, best practices must be identified to promote efficiency and effectiveness while delivering quality service. Desktop support managers need to invest in their own professional development and obtain certifications as recognition of their skills and knowledge in the industry.?

The inaugural HDI Desktop Support Manager training class will be held in Chicago, IL, from November 2?4, 2010. Courses have also been scheduled in Los Angeles, New York City, Atlanta, Washington, DC, and Dallas during November and December. The course registration fee includes a certification exam; the certification exam can also be purchased separately. For more information, visit www.ThinkHDI.com/DSM or call 800.248.5667.

About HDI
HDI is a global IT service and technical support membership association and the industry?s premier certification and training body. Guided by an international panel of industry experts and practitioners, HDI is the leading resource for IT service and technical support emerging trends and best practices. HDI provides members with a vast repository of resources, networking opportunities, and the largest industry event, the HDI Annual Conference & Expo. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, CO, HDI offers training in multiple languages and countries. For more information, visit www.ThinkHDI.com or call +1 719.268.0174. HDI is part of UBM TechWeb.

About UBM TechWeb (http://www.ubmtechweb.com)
UBM TechWeb, the global leader in technology media and professional information, enables people and organizations to harness the transformative power of technology. Through its core businesses?media solutions, marketing services, and professional information?UBM TechWeb produces the most respected and consumed brands, applications, and services in the technology market. More than 14.5 million business and technology professionals (CIOs, IT and IT Support managers, Web and digital professionals, software and game developers, government decision makers, telecom providers and business executives) actively participate in UBM TechWeb?s communities. UBM TechWeb brands include: global face-to-face events such as Interop, Game Developers Conference (GDC), Web 2.0, Black Hat, and VoiceCon; large-scale online networks such as InformationWeek, Light Reading, and Gamasutra; research, training, and certification services, including HDI, Pyramid Research, and InformationWeek Analytics; and market-leading magazines such as InformationWeek and Wall Street & Technology. UBM TechWeb is part of UBM, a global provider of media and information services for professional B2B communities and markets.

Colorado Springs, Colo. ? August 5, 2010 ? HDI (http://www.thinkhdi.com), a global association for IT service and technical support professionals and the premier certification body for the industry, today announced its newest members to the HDI Strategic Advisory Board. The mission of the Advisory Board is to formulate informed recommendations on industry trends and directions and to also assist HDI in documenting and communicating the trends to HDI members as well as the service and support industry.

The HDI Strategic Advisory Board is comprised of the service and support industry's leading experts and practitioners. The Advisory Board members follow:

• Darien Chimoff, Help Center Manager, Alston & Bird
• Earl Begley, ITSM implementation project manager, University of Kentucky
• Charles Jumonville, CIO, State of Louisiana
• Ric Mims, Global Service Desk Manager, Dresser Rand Corporation
• Jim Bolton, President & Founder, Propoint Solutions
• Chris Farver, Principal consultant, BMC Remedy
• Malcolm Fry, Founder and Industry Consultant, Fry Consultants
• Greg Hines, Founder, Hines Consulting
• Anna Frazzetto, VP Technology Solutions, Harvey Nash
• Vance Brown, President & CEO, Cherwell Software
• Carrie Battaglia, Director, Global Services, HP
• Dianne Pacheco, Associate Director, IT Infrastructure, Jackson Laboratory
• Jeff Rumberg, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, MetricNet
• Darin Vandecar, Director Worldwide Customer Service & Operations, LDS Church
• Meg Frantz, Vice President for Service Desk Operations and Strategy, CompuCom
• Sophie Klossner, Executive Director, Membership, HDI
• Rick Joslin, Executive Director, Training & Certification, HDI
• Craig Baxter, Global Brand Director, HDI

HDI also has a Member Advisory Board and a Desktop Support Advisory Board . All of the HDI Advisory Boards are independent, non-partisan and broadly representative bodies consisting of a balanced mix of interests that are affected by the association. In addition, Chimoff is the chair for the HDI Member Advisory Board and Begley is the chair for the HDI Desktop Support Advisory Board.

?Through the input and expertise from the Advisory Board our members and the service and support industry will now be better prepared to meet tomorrow's challenges, influence and provide direction to service and support organizations and ensure the quality and efficient delivery of IT service and technical support,? said Craig Baxter, managing director of HDI.

For additional information about HDI and the HDI Strategic Advisory Board, visit www.ThinkHDI.com.

About HDI
HDI is a global IT service and technical support membership association and the industry?s premier certification and training body. Guided by an international panel of industry experts and practitioners, HDI is the leading resource for IT service and technical support emerging trends and best practices. HDI provides members with a vast repository of resources, networking opportunities, and the largest industry event, the HDI Annual Conference & Expo. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., USA, HDI offers training in multiple languages and countries. For more information, visit www.ThinkHDI.com or call +1 719.268.0174. HDI is part of UBM TechWeb.

About UBM TechWeb (http://www.ubmtechweb.com)
UBM TechWeb, the global leader in technology media and professional information, enables people and organizations to harness the transformative power of technology. Through its core businesses ? media solutions, marketing services, and professional information ? UBM TechWeb produces the most respected and consumed brands, applications, and services in the technology market. More than 14.5 million business and technology professionals (CIOs, IT and IT Support managers, Web and digital professionals, software and game developers, government decision makers, telecom providers and business executives) actively participate in UBM TechWeb?s communities. UBM TechWeb brands include: global face-to-face events such as Interop, Game Developers Conference (GDC), Web 2.0, Black Hat, and VoiceCon; large-scale online networks such as InformationWeek, Light Reading, and Gamasutra; research, training, and certification services, including HDI, Pyramid Research, and InformationWeek Analytics; and market-leading magazines such as InformationWeek and Wall Street & Technology. UBM TechWeb is part of UBM, a global provider of media and information services for professional B2B communities and markets. ###

Colorado Springs, Colo., USA ? July 21, 2010 ? HDI (http://www.thinkhdi.com), a global association for IT service and technical support professionals and the premier certification body for the industry, today announced that Saudi Aramco?s EXPEC Computer Center (ECC) recently achieved the third renewal of its HDI Support Center Certification. The EXPEC Computer Center first received this prestigious certification in 2003 and has subsequently achieved renewal in 2005, 2007, and 2009. The EXPEC Computer Center is the first support center organization in the world that HDI has recertified three consecutive times. Craig Baxter, HDI?s managing director, expressed his respect for this achievement stating, ?Achieving HDI Support Center Certification is proof of ECC?s dedication to quality operations, continuous improvement, strategic vision, a positive work environment, and high levels of customer service, and we are delighted to award this certification to the ECC Support Center.?

To achieve this prestigious designation, the ECC Support Center successfully underwent a thorough on-site audit to verify its compliance to the HDI Support Center Certification Standard. Paul Dooley, an HDI-certified auditor, conducted the site audit. He stated, ?It was a pleasure working with ECC on this audit. The organization?s management team is very focused on strategic leadership and quality support for the organization?s products and services, as well as providing a satisfying work environment for its people. The award of HDI Support Center Certification is well-deserved and represents the end result of much hard work and preparation.? Rick Joslin, executive director of training and certification, HDI stated, ?ECC clearly exemplifies excellence in all of the core areas on which the HDI Support Center Certification program focuses ? leadership, policy and strategy, people management, resources, process and procedure, people satisfaction, customer satisfaction, and performance results.?

First introduced in 2000, the HDI Support Center Certification program is based on the HDI Support Center Standard, an open industry standard that focuses specifically on IT service and technical support quality. Evaluation is based on a set of activities, each with four levels of maturity to evaluate the support center. In order to become an HDI Certified Support Center, a support center must achieve minimum scores as defined by the HDI International Certification Standards Committee.

Abdulaziz AbdulKarim, General Manager for EXPEC Computer Center, Saudi Aramco said, "This achievement and international recognition is an acknowledgement of ECC?s continuous process improvement initiatives, deployment of appropriate technologies and exposing our professionals to challenging development opportunities in programs that support Saudi Aramco?s Exploration & Producing (E&P) business line. Achieving this certification for the fourth consecutive time shows that we are able to deliver quality services in a cost-effective manner that has a positive impact on our E&P customers? productivity and efficiency."

For more information about the HDI Support Center Certification program, contact HDI at 800.248.5667, or visit www.thinkhdi.com .

About HDI

HDI is the world?s largest IT service and technical support membership association and the industry?s premier certification and training body. Guided by an international panel of industry experts and practitioners, HDI is the leading resource for help desk and support center emerging trends and best practices. HDI provides members with a vast repository of resources, networking opportunities, and the largest industry event, the HDI Annual Conference & Expo. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, CO, HDI offers training in multiple languages and countries. For more information, visit www.thinkhdi.com. HDI is part of UBM TechWeb.

About UBM TechWeb (http://www.ubmtechweb.com)
UBM TechWeb, the global leader in technology media and professional information, enables people and organizations to harness the transformative power of technology. Through its core businesses ? media solutions, marketing services, and professional information ? UBM TechWeb produces the most respected and consumed brands, applications, and services in the technology market. More than 14.5 million business and technology professionals (CIOs, IT and IT Support managers, Web and digital professionals, software and game developers, government decision makers, telecom providers and business executives) actively participate in UBM TechWeb?s communities. UBM TechWeb brands include: global face-to-face events such as Interop, Game Developers Conference (GDC), Web 2.0, Black Hat, and VoiceCon; large-scale online networks such as InformationWeek, Light Reading, and Gamasutra; research, training, and certification services, including HDI, Pyramid Research, and InformationWeek Analytics; and market-leading magazines such as InformationWeek and Wall Street & Technology. UBM TechWeb is part of UBM, a global provider of media and information services for professional B2B communities and markets.

About Saudi Aramco
Owned by the Saudi Arabian Government, Saudi Aramco is a fully-integrated, global petroleum enterprise, and a world leader in exploration and producing, refining, distribution, shipping and marketing. The company manages proven reserves of 260 billion barrels of oil and manages the fourth-largest gas reserves in the world, 253.8 trillion cubic feet. In addition to its headquarters in Dhahran Saudi Arabia, Saudi Aramco has affiliates, joint ventures and subsidiary offices in India, China, Japan, the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States. For more information, go to www.saudiaramco.com

Colorado Springs, Colo. ? June 11, 2010 ? HDI (http://www.thinkhdi.com), a global association for IT service and technical support professionals and the premier certification body for the industry, today announced two inaugural desktop support advisory groups: the HDI Desktop Support Advisory Board and the HDI Desktop Support Leadership Council.

Desktop support responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the provisioning of hardware, software applications, operating systems, and network connectivity. The mission of the HDI Desktop Advisory Board is to provide HDI guidance in the development of industry standards, best practices, research, and professional development specific to the unique needs and responsibilities of the desktop support community. The HDI Desktop Support Leadership Council will review and provide feedback on initiatives presented by the Desktop Support Advisory Board.

Combined, these two groups represent six countries (Australia, Canada, India, the Philippines, Switzerland, and the United States) and eleven Fortune 500 companies, including Alcoa, Citigroup, FedEx, First Data Corp, Hewlett-Packard, MassMutual Financial Group, Mattel, Pepco Holdings, Texas Instruments, United Health Group, and Williams Companies.

Earl Begley, ITSM Implementation Project Manager for the University of Kentucky, has been selected to chair the HDI Desktop Advisory Board. Other board members include:

Ronald Ables, IT Support Center Manager, EPCO, Inc.
Earl Begley, ITSM Implementation Project Manager, University Of Kentucky
Thomas Blazek, Regional Infrastructure Delivery Services Manager, Alcoa Inc.
Frankie Bravo, Desktop Support Supervisor, Carnival Cruise Lines
Shannon Cepica, Managing Director, Texas Tech University
Eric Decker, Director, US Support and Operations, Merial
Rosanne Delaney, Senior Vice President, Mesirow Financial
Malcolm Fisher, Global Manager, IT Services, O-I
Mark Fitzgerald, Manager, User Services, Boise State University
Leo Forget, Delivery Director, Technisource
Gaurav Gupte, Manager, Global Operations and Support, SunGard
Jean-Christophe Guyot, Manager, Assets and Service Management, Philip Morris International
Lucia Jenkins, Director, IT Support Operations, Network Alliance
Scott Kessler, Director, Client Management Services, TechTeam Global, Inc.
Phillip Kimball, Service Management Manager, University of Utah Hospital
Brad Kramer, Customer Solution Architect, CA
Lawrence Lenzini, Senior Engagement Manager, CDC Global Services
Brantley Lott, Senior Information Systems Technician, EMS Technologies, Inc.
Vince Lyons, PC Services Manager, Corporate / Mid-Atlantic Regions, Ricoh Corporation of America
Kathleen Oden, Information Resource Support Specialist, Texas Department of Transportation
Chris Ohlandt, Director, Division of Customer Support / Center for Information Technology, National Institutes of Health
David Sharp, Director of Network Convergence, LiquidHub
Kristy Trice, Manager, End User Computing Services, L.L.Bean
Jason Tryon, Service Desk Delivery Manager, Hewlett-Packard
Eddie Vidal, Manager, Enterprise Services Support, University of Miami

Currently, HDI offers a Desktop Support Technician certification. The training course, available both online and in the classroom, focuses on key support center processes and concepts to improve overall support operations, as well as customer service and interpersonal skills that improve the customer?s experience. In addition, HDI members are provided with articles and resources to assist with the advancement of desktop support operations. Future HDI plans include the release of Desktop Support Manager certification and training.

About HDI
HDI is the world?s largest IT service and technical support membership association and the industry?s premier certification and training body. Guided by an international panel of industry experts and practitioners, HDI is the leading resource for help desk/support center emerging trends and best practices. HDI provides members with a vast repository of resources, networking opportunities, and the largest industry event, the HDI Annual Conference & Expo. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., USA, HDI offers training in multiple languages and countries. For more information, visit www.ThinkHDI.com or call +1 719.268.0174. HDI is part of UBM TechWeb.

About UBM TechWeb (http://www.ubmtechweb.com)
UBM TechWeb, the global leader in technology media and professional information, enables people and organizations to harness the transformative power of technology. Through its core businesses ? media solutions, marketing services, and professional information ? UBM TechWeb produces the most respected and consumed brands, applications, and services in the technology market. More than 14.5 million business and technology professionals (CIOs, IT and IT Support managers, Web and digital professionals, software and game developers, government decision makers, telecom providers and business executives) actively participate in UBM TechWeb?s communities. UBM TechWeb brands include: global face-to-face events such as Interop, Game Developers Conference (GDC), Web 2.0, Black Hat, and VoiceCon; large-scale online networks such as InformationWeek, Light Reading, and Gamasutra; research, training, and certification services, including HDI, Pyramid Research, and InformationWeek Analytics; and market-leading magazines such as InformationWeek and Wall Street & Technology. UBM TechWeb is part of UBM, a global provider of media and information services for professional B2B communities and markets.

Colorado Springs, Colo. ? June 9, 2010
HDI? (http://www.ThinkHDI.com), the world's largest membership association for IT service and technical support professionals and the industry?s premier certification body, today issued a call for participation in the 2010 HDI Practices and Salary Survey (http://www.ThinkHDI.com/PSS2010).

HDI?s comprehensive survey researches IT support operations and gauges industry movement in areas such as incident management, software adoption, outsourcing trends, staff training, performance metrics, customer satisfaction ratings, and salaries. The incident management area of the survey tracks historical data on incident volume, resolution rates, and fully-burdened costs per type of support including chat, email, and phone. The support tools section tracks which software applications and other tools are readily adopted and how they are utilized. The survey also monitors current support center practices such as framework implementation, service level agreements, and outsourcing trends. Performance metrics collected allow industry benchmarking for both phone and e-mail processes. Lastly, the salary section tracks trends for all staff levels. This year, HDI has expanded efforts to include not just the United States and Canada, but Australia, India, and the United Kingdom as well.

?The HDI Practices and Salary Survey results in a report which is utilized by support managers worldwide to benchmark, share with senior leadership, and drive everyday business decisions,? says Jenny Rains, Research Analyst for HDI. ?All the data submitted during the survey process is kept completely anonymous, so support centers can feel comfortable contributing honest, accurate information.?

The resulting survey report allows IT service and technical support professionals to benchmark their centers? performance metrics, processes, and organizational maturity in relationship to the industry as a whole. In 2009, HDI collected and reported on survey data from more than 1,000 respondents representing countries worldwide. HDI?s report archives date back to 1998.

?This survey is the definitive resource for trending, in-depth statistical information, and compensation levels for support center managers worldwide,? says Cinda Daly, Director of Business Content for HDI. ?The time managers invest in participating this year will yield meaningful, industry-wide data that will help companies shape practices, gain the commitment of stakeholders to support initiatives, and move the organization forward.?

IT service and technical support managers can participate in this year?s survey online at http://www.ThinkHDI.com/PSS2010. The deadline for participation is July 23, 2010. All participants will receive a complimentary copy of the 2010 HDI Practices and Salary Survey Report. In addition, upon completion of the survey, participants can access a free download of the 2009 Practices and Salary Report.

Media and analysts may request a copy of the report from Allison Wroe of HDI at (719) 785-5355 or awroe@ThinkHDI.com.

About HDI
HDI is the world?s largest IT service and technical support membership association and the industry?s premier certification and training body. Guided by an international panel of industry experts and practitioners, HDI is the leading resource for help desk/support center emerging trends and best practices. HDI provides members with a vast repository of resources, networking opportunities and the largest industry event - the HDI Annual Conference and Expo. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., USA, HDI offers training in multiple languages and countries. For more information, visit http://www.ThinkHDI.com or call +1 719.268.0174. HDI is part of UBM TechWeb.

About UBM TechWeb (www.UBMTechWeb.com)
UBM TechWeb, the global leader in technology media and professional information, enables people and organizations to harness the transformative power of technology. Through its core businesses ? media solutions, marketing services, and professional information ? UBM TechWeb produces the most respected and consumed brands, applications, and services in the technology market. More than 14.5 million business and technology professionals (CIOs, IT and IT Support managers, Web and digital professionals, software and game developers, government decision makers, telecom providers and business executives) actively participate in UBM TechWeb?s communities. UBM TechWeb brands include: global face-to-face events such as Interop, Game Developers Conference (GDC), Web 2.0, Black Hat, and VoiceCon; large-scale online networks such as InformationWeek, Light Reading, and Gamasutra; research, training, and certification services, including HDI, Pyramid Research, and InformationWeek Analytics; and market-leading magazines such as InformationWeek and Wall Street & Technology. UBM TechWeb is part of UBM, a global provider of media and information services for professional B2B communities and markets.