Canon U.S.A., Inc. announced today that it has significantly restructured its Association of Technical Service Professionals (ATSP) program offered to its dealers to better address the higher standard of technical and service support required by today's customer environments. Through the completion of a comprehensive program of performance standards, including elevated testing and certification requirements, Canon ATSP prepares dealer support technicians to resolve any customer hardware or software problem. "With the newly structured ATSP program, Canon dealer technicians will be the best in the industry in responding to the rapid changes in technology that impact their business," said James Sharp, director and general manager, Systems and Technical Support Division at Canon U.S.A., adding, "When a Canon customer sees the ATSP logo, they can be assured that the technician responding to their call has the highest industry standard of certification and manufacturer-backed training to effectively solve any problem." As part of the redesign of the program, Canon ATSP will now offer an additional, highest level of certification, known as "Platinum Level", which will designate a technician as "Master Systems and Technical Specialist." Individuals who attain Platinum Level certification are experts in hardware and system software within an area of specialization, including Canon black-and-white imaging, color imaging, and image filing systems products. Within these categories of products include Canon's award-winning imageRUNNER Series, CLC Series, and DR-Series.