本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛Certification Top 10 Lists Revisited
By Ed Tittel
When a story like this ran in 2003, it prompted more responses and controversy than we imagined. Although we try to be clear that the order of appearance in any given list indicates nothing about relative ranking or merit, that aspect of things provokes comment, as does the inclusion of some little-known credentials or the omission of better-known ones.
But given that there are more than 850 certifications and more than 200 certification programs in today's IT certification landscape, we hope to help our readers distinguish good ones from mediocre or bad ones, winners from losers and up-and-comers from programs in their declining phase. So remember, you can go out and analyze the marketplace for yourself and plow through the numerous interest, salary and popularity surveys to try to figure out this stuff for yourself. While you're at it, it's also important to pay attention to what's showing up in classified job ads and online postings to determine where the real action is.
As in the previous survey, we tried to develop a rough consensus about what's hot and where the action appears to be in today's highly fragmented IT job market. We can't dispute that these lists draw heavily on the author's knowledge, experience and observations, thus they must also reflect his preferences (and possibly even biases.) As in the previous collection of lists, each is labeled by category, along with a short discussion of what characteristics made credentials most suited for inclusion.
Inclusion and Order of Appearance
When applying criteria to the broad spectrum of IT certifications available, we want to be sure to explain how the selection process worked once we narrowed in on our list of contenders in any given category. Wherever we could, we were sure to factor in rankings and ratings regarding the appeal, popularity, employment potential and pay associated with specific credentials, along with information about the size and composition of the professionals who hold such credentials.
Thus, we'd also argue the presence or absence of some program in a category is significant - we attach no particular importance to the order in which items appear in these lists. In fact, we present the lists in alphabetical order in this version just to emphasize the arbitrary nature of an item's place in any given list.
Readers with strong opinions about what's missing and what should be included, or what's included and should have been left out, are invited to send an e-mail to editor@certmag.com.
Best Hands-On Programs
Some certifications don't just subject individuals to a battery of multiple-choice exams - they actually require test-takers to roll up their sleeves, walk into a test lab and tackle some carefully staged situations to see what they know, what they can do and how they perform when faced with real-world situations. These kinds of exams might be called "laboratory exams," "performance-based testing" or even "practicums." But whatever the name, such programs involve on-the-spot analysis and problem-solving skills while subjecting candidates to always clever and sometimes fiendish system, network and hardware situations. Just for grins, we include one program that involves no such staging but nevertheless requires substantial hands-on skills and experience to handle.
1. Certified Professional Information Technology Consultant (CPITC): This certification comes from the Professional Standards Institute, an organization that seeks to provide performance-based credentials to all kinds of professionals. The CPITC covers a wide spectrum of IT topics that uses comprehensive documentation and testing materials carefully crafted to assess real-world skills and knowledge.
2. Cisco Career Certifications (Associate, Professional and Specialist): Although the various Cisco certifications that rank below the CCIE don't include lab exams, many of them use simulations to include hands-on problem solving and to probe situational skills.
3. Cisco Certified Internet-work Expert (CCIE): With more than 30,000 CCIEs certified worldwide, this top-notch certification is built around a grueling, one-day laboratory exam that many experts rate as the most difficult of all IT cert exams around. Many CCIE candidates take this $1,250 lab exam two or three times before they pass. This probably explains why the CCIE continues to hold so much enduring value and status, and it explains why the CCIE appears at or near the top of so many lists of leading IT certifications.
4. Novell Certified Linux Engineer (CLE): Novell calls the CLE exam a practicum, which requires logging into a carefully constructed (virtual) set of networking components - SUSE Enterprise Linux servers, services and directories. Using normal tools and techniques to "see" what's going on, candidates must analyze, design, configure, troubleshoot and repair the various components they encounter during the exam. Successful exam takers label this exam as both demanding and intense, but they also say it reflects the true skill and knowledge of its takers.
5. Novell Certified Linux Professional (CLP): Like the CLE exam, the CLP exam also is a practicum that requires logging into a test network to test exam takers' abilities to install, configure, troubleshoot and manage Linux network environments. Those who've tackled this test describe the exam as wide-ranging and difficult but also a good measure of real-world skills and knowledge.
6. Oracle Database 10g Administrator Certified Master (OCM): This credential requires a grueling two-day practicum exam administered at Oracle University locations. This exam has proven to be demanding, comprehensive and difficult, and it is heavy on real-world questions and scenarios.
7. Oracle Database 10g Administrator Certified Professional (OCP): Since the introduction of the Oracle9i DBA program, Oracle requires candidates to complete an instructor-led, hands-on course that puts students to work dealing with real-world systems, problems and situations on a daily basis in addition to a standard multiple-choice exam.
8. Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE): The RHCE exams take a full day, including six hours of performance-based exams. In the exam laboratory, candidates must install, configure and troubleshoot Red Hat servers and related network protocols and services in a simulated enterprise environment.
9. Red Hat Certified Technician (RHCT): Although the RHCT sets its limits somewhat beneath those for the RHCE, it's still a demanding, hands-on, three-hour exam that includes one hour of troubleshooting and system maintenance coverage, along with two hours on installation and configuration.
10. Sniffer Certified Master: This is the top-of-the-line credential in the Network General Sniffer University certifications. And while this credential's exams aren't hands-on, per se, they require extensive and significant enough knowledge of real-world network behaviors, protocol capture and trace analysis and network forensics skills to qualify the program and the credential as "seriously hands-on." Sniffer Certified Master exams are available at Prometric and bring a new level of network internal skills and knowledge to the civilized world.
Best Supporting Materials
Some select certifications enjoy nearly universal third-party support from practice test vendors and study guide and exam cram publishers, along with numerous Web sites, regular news reporting and exam intelligence and analyses in magazines. Others benefit from truly outstanding official training and study materials. A select few such as Cisco actually qualify on both counts. Our apologies in advance: We simply can't include pointers to all such resources and information - there's too much of this stuff to cover it here.
1. (ISC)2 CISSP: The best-known member in the intermediate-to-advanced information security certifications (and its related concentrations) is well-supported through officially sanctioned training and study materials along with terrific after-market support.
2. Adobe: With numerous certifications available for Adobe products, an active official training program, strong official Macromedia and Adobe presses, tons of after-market support and a proven eye for compelling design and interesting content, Adobe's materials are hard to beat.
3. Apple Computer: Long a pioneer of technology innovation and information sharing, Apple's certification programs get strong internal support that takes the form of instructor-led or online training, publications and plenty of online information. After-market support varies by topic, but the Apple Certified Technician for Pro Products program usually gets at least decent coverage.
4. Certified Wireless Network Professional (CWNP): With wireless networks now prevalent in organizations and companies worldwide, Planet3 Wireless' CWNP credentials continue to garner strong support and participation. A well-designed official curriculum (managed by the same organization that crafted the exams), a good official press through McGraw-Hill, and decent or better aftermarket support - which varies by topic, with CWNA, CWSP and Wireless# earning strong coverage - helps keep this wireless program in its leadership position.
5. Cisco: It has best-of-breed in-house training materials, an outstanding official press through Pearson and a great after-market presence that offers more choices for most certs than might seem possible. It doesn't get any better than this.
6. CompTIA: When it comes to the biggest and most popular CompTIA exams (A+, Network+ and Security+), CompTIA certs get the best after-market support of any certifications anywhere. CompTIA itself offers no official training, but its CompTIA Authorized Quality Curriculum (CAQC) program makes it easy for cert candidates to identify after-market materials that meet CompTIA requirements for coverage, comprehensiveness and quality.
7. Microsoft: While the Microsoft Official Curriculum (MOC), MS press books and other internal publications and information sources can be either goats or heroes (depending on the topic), nobody can dispute the claim that Microsoft gets some of the best support in the aftermarket across the board.
8. Novell: Great internal training materials, another strong official press from Wiley and occasional but ongoing after-market items make Novell a standard entry in this list. Nobody argues that NetWare's market share or its after-market offerings are as big as they were in the '90s, but they still register on our radar.
9. Oracle: Through Oracle University, the leading database vendor offers an amazing collection of official training with its own official press through McGraw-Hill, and it earns broad after-market support. Regular new Oracle versions mean frequent updates for training and certification materials - and it's not unusual to wait six months post-release for the aftermarket to catch up. But you always can find a good selection of after-market offerings on core Oracle certification topics. For more information, see
10. Sun Microsystems: Lots of publishers support Sun's Solaris and Java credentials, and the company fosters its own official training channel. These combine with strong after-market training and testing support to create a wide range of supporting materials, some of which are as good as anything available to IT professionals anywhere.
Best Specialty Certifications
Specialty certs are designed so that intermediate and senior-level IT professionals can zero in on narrow - but sometimes deep - subject areas, particularly for "hot technologies" in which the effort of implementing a full-blown, heavy-duty credential might take too long to meet industry and individual needs. As such, specialty certs usually apply directly to vendor-specific tools, technologies and platforms, and they often will include entry-level credentials as prerequisites.
1. Brocade Certified SAN Designer (BCSD): A widely recognized, well-paying specialization that reflects the growing importance of networked storage in most medium-sized businesses and larger outfits.
2. Cisco Specialist Certifications: Topics include routing and switching, IP communications, telephony, storage networking, VPN and security and wireless LAN topics.
3. CISSP Concentrations: Add-ons to the widely sought-after and high-paying CISSP certification cover security engineering, architecture and management.
4. HP Accredited Systems Engineer (ASE) and Master ASE: These offer numerous areas of specialization on server topics from clustered systems to storage management and beyond.
5. IBM DB2 Universal Database Certifications: A leading IBM database platform gets a noteworthy specialist certification program to support interested professionals.
6. ISACA's CISA: An extremely popular and well-recognized credential in the system audit arena.
7. Microsoft MCSA/MCSE Specializations: Specializations in security and messaging remain available in Windows Server 2003.
8. Nortel Certified Architect (NCA): A well-recognized, senior-level credential for those who work on Nortel switches, systems and networks.
9. Project Management Professional (PMP): An increasingly important soft skills certification for professionals from all walks of IT.
10. SAP Certified Technical Consultant: This is a rich, interesting and sometimes highly lucrative certification program.
Toughest Recertification Requirements
We rate the following credentials as tough because they require one or more of the following items of their holders to keep them current:
Regular renewals (one to three years for all certifications that expire or those that require renewal in no more than 18 months following new product releases for version-specific credentials).
Recertification exams or re-examination policies.
Clearly stated policies regarding continuing education, documented training or other types of certification maintenance.
1. Cisco Certifications: All Cisco certifications are time-stamped and must be renewed within two or three years. Senior credentials last two years, and junior ones last three.
2. CISSP: Certification holders must meet continuing professional education (CPE) requirements or retest every three years and pay annual dues to (ISC)2.
3. GIAC Security Certifications: Candidates must recertify every two years, which means reviewing online training materials and taking a "refresh" exam.
4. NARTE certifications: To keep certs current, holders must recertify every year.
5. Novell CLE: Probably the toughest around with yearly recertification required, including the demanding practicum exam.
6. Red Hat Certifications (RHCE, RHCT): Within one year of new major releases, holders must recertify as soon as the second major release becomes available.
7. Adobe/Macromedia Programs
8. IBM Platform- and Software-Specific Programs
9. Microsoft Programs
10. Oracle Programs
Items 7 to 10 aren't alphabetized with the rest of the list because they are linked to specific software or platform versions.
Best Vendor-Neutral Credentials
A vendor-neutral credential is one that owes no particular allegiance nor pays significantly more attention to offerings from one vendor than another. What makes such programs both interesting and refreshing is that many of them permit professionals to recognize, learn about and deal with the strengths and weaknesses so often found in specific products and platforms. That said, true neutrality is hard to find, market forces being what they are in IT. Vendor-neutral credentials tend to come from professional associations, consortia or industry-wide organizations that deliberately reach out to include and represent interests from government, research and academia, as well as from the commercial marketplace.
1. BICSI: The sponsoring organization acts as a credentialing organization for the telecommunications industry. It also offers other certifications such as the Registered Communications Distribution Designer (RCDD) along with several installer and technician credentials. Both BICSI and its credentials are highly valued for their broad applicability, workplace relevance, vendor neutrality and for assessing real-world knowledge and skills.
2. Brainbench: A skills assessment and training company, Brainbench does most of its business for employers, evaluating and assessing topical knowledge and skills to gauge current and prospective employee qualifications for numerous jobs. Brainbench does a nice job of presenting vendor-neutral concepts and basics in many of its testing instruments.
3. The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA): A leader in vendor-neutral certifications, CompTIA is a wide-ranging consortium that involves professionals, businesses and government players at all levels. It also includes significant academic and research institutions among its membership. CompTIA certifications seek to identify then satisfy broad industry knowledge and skill needs.
4. Help Desk Institute (HDI): HDI also has taken over the STI Knowledge curriculum and certifications, and it offers 11 different help desk-, field support-, customer support- and support center-related certifications (seven from STI, four from HDI).
5. Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA): ISACA manages the large and popular Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) program, along with the newer Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) program. Both the CISA and CISM get high marks for their fair and balanced approach to tools, technologies, policies, principles and practices.
6. Linux Professional Institute (LPI): This nonprofit organization works to advocate and assist users worldwide who want to work with Linux, as well as with related open source software. LPI's approach to technologies it covers is deliberately vendor-neutral, although it does include implementation and configuration specifics in some of its exams.
7. National Association of Communication Systems Engineers (NACSE): With nearly 30 certifications at several levels of difficulty, NACSE offers exams in data networking, Web design and development, telecommunications, programming topics and business skills under development. All these credentials are vendor-neutral certifications that were developed by working with both academic institutions and industry leaders.
8. National Association of Radio & Telecommunications Engineers (NARTE): NARTE offers technician- and engineer-level certifications on these topics: electromagnetic compatibility (interference), electrostatic discharge control, product safety and wireless systems installation. Its telecommunications credentials come in junior, senior and master levels, and NARTE also administers FCC commercial operator license exams at military locations worldwide. For more information, see www.narte.org.
9. Project Management Institute (PMI): PMI is recognized primarily for its Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. The PMP offers the kind of strong credential and broad acceptance that a powerful and ongoing alliance between academia and industry can build.
10. Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) certs: Although administered by separated organizations, the TIA's Convergence Technologies Professional (CTP) and its Certified in Convergent Network Technologies (CCNT) credentials both help individuals demonstrate competence in areas where voice, data and media converge into an emerging wave of networking.
Most Technically Advanced Programs
While some of the certifications in this list make outrageous demands on candidates in terms of the amount of materials and information they must absorb and master, others make fewer demands of this kind but instead impose significant experience or other work-related prerequisites. But all of them definitely require skills and knowledge that are both broad and deep, which means most of those who earn such credentials have at least a decade of experience within IT, if not more, before they attain them.
1. (ISC)2 Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP): By itself, the CISSP imposes a major technical burden on certification candidates across 10 major categories in its common body of knowledge. On top of that, the CISSP concentrations - including the Information Systems Security Architecture Professional (ISSAP), Management Professional (ISSMP) and Engineering Professional (ISSEP) - require CISSP-certified professionals to zero in much further in areas of security architecture and design, security management and national security-oriented engineering. Thus, they raise the technical bar even higher.
2. ASIS International: Once called the American Society for Industrial Security, ASIS International now covers the globe. This organization's Physical Security Professional (PSP), Certified Protection Professional (CPP) and Professional Certified Investigator (PCI) credentials levy hefty experience requirements on candidates, and they include copious, complex detailed subject matter. These are the most senior credentials available to those who specialize in physical security, general security strategy, and implementation or security-related investigations.
3. CCIE: A leader in many aspects of certification, the CCIE includes broad and deep content coverage, and it makes extreme demands on candidates' knowledge, analytical and troubleshooting skills.
4. HP Master Accredited Systems Engineer (Master ASE): This credential earns the distinction of making a dizzying array of multiple HP/Compaq and third-party certifications prerequisites, along with a set of deeply technical certification options that range from clustered systems and SAN topics to Oracle on Windows.
5. Master Certified Novell Engineer (Master CNE): With a serious prerequisite (CNE), plus two required and two elective exams (with CompTIA's IT Project+ in the core group), the Novell Master CNE was the original entry in this category. It has stood the test of time - it's been around even longer than the CCIE - and remains both a challenging and valuable certification.
6. NACSE: This organization offers multiple certification ladders of three or more levels across numerous topics of interest to communications engineers and telecommunications professionals. The programs are both broad and deep, and the highest-level credentials are quite technically advanced.
7. NARTE: This organization offers several deeply technical certifications of interest to radio and telecommunications professionals and engineers. The credentials require broad and deep knowledge, and the highest-level certifications are quite technically advanced. For more information, see www.narte.org.
8. SANS GIAC Security Expert (GSE): No less than five intermediate-level GIAC certifications - each of which must be kept current to retain GSE status - constitute the prerequisites that GSE candidates must satisfy before they can tackle the GSE itself. Furthermore, candidates also must qualify for honors in at least one such certification then take the GSE exam and submit a written research project. The effort is immense, and it involves a huge amount of material along with significant costs (each SANS credential typically costs $2,000 to $3,000 to earn). Testing involves two full days of on-site exams plus an additional six hours of proctored, off-site testing, for a total of 23 hours. Only five people have earned this credential since it was introduced in 2003.
9. Senior Protocol Analysis Certifications: These include Network General's Sniffer Certification Program, and the NetPerformance NetAnalyst program. Protocol analysis requires deep and thorough knowledge of networking, protocols, messaging, services, security and more. All these credentials require years of experience, cover a huge amount of territory and require intense study and effort to pass.
10. Sun Certified Enterprise Architect for the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition: Another capstone certification, this one crowns Sun's prestigious Java certification program. Candidates must acquire at least two prerequisite certifications, then complete a multiple-choice exam, submit a completed and demanding design assignment, then take an essay exam about that project. The time involved can run to hundreds of hours, a steep learning curve must be climbed and finally, the amount of related material involved is enormous.
Best New Programs or Certs
Although not all the items in the following list are less than a year old, most are still relatively new to the IT certification scene. These new offerings represent innovative topics or subject focus, certify interesting, useful skills and knowledge or represent ways to involve IT professionals early in programs that require years of documented work experience.
1. (ISC)2 Associate Program: This program lets individuals who don't yet meet experience requirements pass the CISSP exam, then qualify when experience criteria are satisfied. It's a great way to keep young hotshots in the fold while they earn their five years of work-related experience.
2. Apple Certified Technician for Pro Products: See especially new offerings for DVD Studio Pro Certification and Xsan for Video Technical Certification, but you'll find lots of interesting and ever-changing certs.
3. Certified Wireless Analysis Professional (CWAP): It takes a long, hard look at what's moving through the airwaves from wireless networks to help address performance, troubleshooting and security concerns. It has great combination of topics and technical skills.
4. CompTIA RFID+: CompTIA's record with new certs is both hit (Security+) and miss (HTI+), but Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is attracting so much interest in so many places for so many kinds of jobs - from developers to implementers to administrators - that this one is hard not to bet on.
5. Dell Certified Storage Networking Professional (DCSNP) and Dell Certified Systems Expert:
6. EC-Council Certified Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFI): This is one of the first big, major player entries into an otherwise highly fragmented and regionalized computer forensics landscape. Those who are interested in criminal investigation or general computer forensics topics should find this cert very interesting.
7. Microsoft Certified Architect, IT Professional (MCITP), Professional Developer (MCPD), Technology Specialist (MCTS): Yes, with the immanent arrival of Vista and a new generation of desktops and servers headed our way, the Microsoft programs are getting a major facelift. Some elements are already available, and others will follow when and as new platforms ship.
8. MySQL cert program: MySQL is fast becoming a viable enterprise alternative for databases such as DB2, Oracle, etc., and its certifications are growing in popularity, as well. While not exactly new, they're starting to show up in major employer and professional cert surveys, so that's why we mention them here. Core and Professional level credentials both are available.
9. Sun Certified Developer for Java Web Services (SCDJWS): With Web services all the rage in development circles, Sun's SCDJWS is an attractive and popular certification.
10. Sun Certified Mobile Application Developer (SCMAD): Interesting technologies, cool APIs and hot subject matter conspire to draw developers like flies to this credential. Don't be surprised to see Microsoft follow suit in its new programs.
Best Entry-Level Certifications
People getting ready to take their first steps into IT certification need good places to start, particularly if they're interested in climbing a well-defined certification ladder. The certifications listed here still represent the most popular and widely chosen "starter credentials" for IT professionals. This is the only list whose entries remain unchanged from our original 2003 article.
1. Certified Wireless Network Administrator (CWNA)
2. Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)
3. CompTIA A+
4. CompTIA Network+
5. CompTIA Security+
6. LPI Level 1 (LPIC1)
7. Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP)
8. Red Hat Certified Technician (RHCT)
9. SANS GIAC Security Essentials Certification (GSEC)
10. Sun Certified Programmer for the Java 2 Platform (SCJP)更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net
By Ed Tittel
When a story like this ran in 2003, it prompted more responses and controversy than we imagined. Although we try to be clear that the order of appearance in any given list indicates nothing about relative ranking or merit, that aspect of things provokes comment, as does the inclusion of some little-known credentials or the omission of better-known ones.
But given that there are more than 850 certifications and more than 200 certification programs in today's IT certification landscape, we hope to help our readers distinguish good ones from mediocre or bad ones, winners from losers and up-and-comers from programs in their declining phase. So remember, you can go out and analyze the marketplace for yourself and plow through the numerous interest, salary and popularity surveys to try to figure out this stuff for yourself. While you're at it, it's also important to pay attention to what's showing up in classified job ads and online postings to determine where the real action is.
As in the previous survey, we tried to develop a rough consensus about what's hot and where the action appears to be in today's highly fragmented IT job market. We can't dispute that these lists draw heavily on the author's knowledge, experience and observations, thus they must also reflect his preferences (and possibly even biases.) As in the previous collection of lists, each is labeled by category, along with a short discussion of what characteristics made credentials most suited for inclusion.
Inclusion and Order of Appearance
When applying criteria to the broad spectrum of IT certifications available, we want to be sure to explain how the selection process worked once we narrowed in on our list of contenders in any given category. Wherever we could, we were sure to factor in rankings and ratings regarding the appeal, popularity, employment potential and pay associated with specific credentials, along with information about the size and composition of the professionals who hold such credentials.
Thus, we'd also argue the presence or absence of some program in a category is significant - we attach no particular importance to the order in which items appear in these lists. In fact, we present the lists in alphabetical order in this version just to emphasize the arbitrary nature of an item's place in any given list.
Readers with strong opinions about what's missing and what should be included, or what's included and should have been left out, are invited to send an e-mail to editor@certmag.com.
Best Hands-On Programs
Some certifications don't just subject individuals to a battery of multiple-choice exams - they actually require test-takers to roll up their sleeves, walk into a test lab and tackle some carefully staged situations to see what they know, what they can do and how they perform when faced with real-world situations. These kinds of exams might be called "laboratory exams," "performance-based testing" or even "practicums." But whatever the name, such programs involve on-the-spot analysis and problem-solving skills while subjecting candidates to always clever and sometimes fiendish system, network and hardware situations. Just for grins, we include one program that involves no such staging but nevertheless requires substantial hands-on skills and experience to handle.
1. Certified Professional Information Technology Consultant (CPITC): This certification comes from the Professional Standards Institute, an organization that seeks to provide performance-based credentials to all kinds of professionals. The CPITC covers a wide spectrum of IT topics that uses comprehensive documentation and testing materials carefully crafted to assess real-world skills and knowledge.
2. Cisco Career Certifications (Associate, Professional and Specialist): Although the various Cisco certifications that rank below the CCIE don't include lab exams, many of them use simulations to include hands-on problem solving and to probe situational skills.
3. Cisco Certified Internet-work Expert (CCIE): With more than 30,000 CCIEs certified worldwide, this top-notch certification is built around a grueling, one-day laboratory exam that many experts rate as the most difficult of all IT cert exams around. Many CCIE candidates take this $1,250 lab exam two or three times before they pass. This probably explains why the CCIE continues to hold so much enduring value and status, and it explains why the CCIE appears at or near the top of so many lists of leading IT certifications.
4. Novell Certified Linux Engineer (CLE): Novell calls the CLE exam a practicum, which requires logging into a carefully constructed (virtual) set of networking components - SUSE Enterprise Linux servers, services and directories. Using normal tools and techniques to "see" what's going on, candidates must analyze, design, configure, troubleshoot and repair the various components they encounter during the exam. Successful exam takers label this exam as both demanding and intense, but they also say it reflects the true skill and knowledge of its takers.
5. Novell Certified Linux Professional (CLP): Like the CLE exam, the CLP exam also is a practicum that requires logging into a test network to test exam takers' abilities to install, configure, troubleshoot and manage Linux network environments. Those who've tackled this test describe the exam as wide-ranging and difficult but also a good measure of real-world skills and knowledge.
6. Oracle Database 10g Administrator Certified Master (OCM): This credential requires a grueling two-day practicum exam administered at Oracle University locations. This exam has proven to be demanding, comprehensive and difficult, and it is heavy on real-world questions and scenarios.
7. Oracle Database 10g Administrator Certified Professional (OCP): Since the introduction of the Oracle9i DBA program, Oracle requires candidates to complete an instructor-led, hands-on course that puts students to work dealing with real-world systems, problems and situations on a daily basis in addition to a standard multiple-choice exam.
8. Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE): The RHCE exams take a full day, including six hours of performance-based exams. In the exam laboratory, candidates must install, configure and troubleshoot Red Hat servers and related network protocols and services in a simulated enterprise environment.
9. Red Hat Certified Technician (RHCT): Although the RHCT sets its limits somewhat beneath those for the RHCE, it's still a demanding, hands-on, three-hour exam that includes one hour of troubleshooting and system maintenance coverage, along with two hours on installation and configuration.
10. Sniffer Certified Master: This is the top-of-the-line credential in the Network General Sniffer University certifications. And while this credential's exams aren't hands-on, per se, they require extensive and significant enough knowledge of real-world network behaviors, protocol capture and trace analysis and network forensics skills to qualify the program and the credential as "seriously hands-on." Sniffer Certified Master exams are available at Prometric and bring a new level of network internal skills and knowledge to the civilized world.
Best Supporting Materials
Some select certifications enjoy nearly universal third-party support from practice test vendors and study guide and exam cram publishers, along with numerous Web sites, regular news reporting and exam intelligence and analyses in magazines. Others benefit from truly outstanding official training and study materials. A select few such as Cisco actually qualify on both counts. Our apologies in advance: We simply can't include pointers to all such resources and information - there's too much of this stuff to cover it here.
1. (ISC)2 CISSP: The best-known member in the intermediate-to-advanced information security certifications (and its related concentrations) is well-supported through officially sanctioned training and study materials along with terrific after-market support.
2. Adobe: With numerous certifications available for Adobe products, an active official training program, strong official Macromedia and Adobe presses, tons of after-market support and a proven eye for compelling design and interesting content, Adobe's materials are hard to beat.
3. Apple Computer: Long a pioneer of technology innovation and information sharing, Apple's certification programs get strong internal support that takes the form of instructor-led or online training, publications and plenty of online information. After-market support varies by topic, but the Apple Certified Technician for Pro Products program usually gets at least decent coverage.
4. Certified Wireless Network Professional (CWNP): With wireless networks now prevalent in organizations and companies worldwide, Planet3 Wireless' CWNP credentials continue to garner strong support and participation. A well-designed official curriculum (managed by the same organization that crafted the exams), a good official press through McGraw-Hill, and decent or better aftermarket support - which varies by topic, with CWNA, CWSP and Wireless# earning strong coverage - helps keep this wireless program in its leadership position.
5. Cisco: It has best-of-breed in-house training materials, an outstanding official press through Pearson and a great after-market presence that offers more choices for most certs than might seem possible. It doesn't get any better than this.
6. CompTIA: When it comes to the biggest and most popular CompTIA exams (A+, Network+ and Security+), CompTIA certs get the best after-market support of any certifications anywhere. CompTIA itself offers no official training, but its CompTIA Authorized Quality Curriculum (CAQC) program makes it easy for cert candidates to identify after-market materials that meet CompTIA requirements for coverage, comprehensiveness and quality.
7. Microsoft: While the Microsoft Official Curriculum (MOC), MS press books and other internal publications and information sources can be either goats or heroes (depending on the topic), nobody can dispute the claim that Microsoft gets some of the best support in the aftermarket across the board.
8. Novell: Great internal training materials, another strong official press from Wiley and occasional but ongoing after-market items make Novell a standard entry in this list. Nobody argues that NetWare's market share or its after-market offerings are as big as they were in the '90s, but they still register on our radar.
9. Oracle: Through Oracle University, the leading database vendor offers an amazing collection of official training with its own official press through McGraw-Hill, and it earns broad after-market support. Regular new Oracle versions mean frequent updates for training and certification materials - and it's not unusual to wait six months post-release for the aftermarket to catch up. But you always can find a good selection of after-market offerings on core Oracle certification topics. For more information, see
10. Sun Microsystems: Lots of publishers support Sun's Solaris and Java credentials, and the company fosters its own official training channel. These combine with strong after-market training and testing support to create a wide range of supporting materials, some of which are as good as anything available to IT professionals anywhere.
Best Specialty Certifications
Specialty certs are designed so that intermediate and senior-level IT professionals can zero in on narrow - but sometimes deep - subject areas, particularly for "hot technologies" in which the effort of implementing a full-blown, heavy-duty credential might take too long to meet industry and individual needs. As such, specialty certs usually apply directly to vendor-specific tools, technologies and platforms, and they often will include entry-level credentials as prerequisites.
1. Brocade Certified SAN Designer (BCSD): A widely recognized, well-paying specialization that reflects the growing importance of networked storage in most medium-sized businesses and larger outfits.
2. Cisco Specialist Certifications: Topics include routing and switching, IP communications, telephony, storage networking, VPN and security and wireless LAN topics.
3. CISSP Concentrations: Add-ons to the widely sought-after and high-paying CISSP certification cover security engineering, architecture and management.
4. HP Accredited Systems Engineer (ASE) and Master ASE: These offer numerous areas of specialization on server topics from clustered systems to storage management and beyond.
5. IBM DB2 Universal Database Certifications: A leading IBM database platform gets a noteworthy specialist certification program to support interested professionals.
6. ISACA's CISA: An extremely popular and well-recognized credential in the system audit arena.
7. Microsoft MCSA/MCSE Specializations: Specializations in security and messaging remain available in Windows Server 2003.
8. Nortel Certified Architect (NCA): A well-recognized, senior-level credential for those who work on Nortel switches, systems and networks.
9. Project Management Professional (PMP): An increasingly important soft skills certification for professionals from all walks of IT.
10. SAP Certified Technical Consultant: This is a rich, interesting and sometimes highly lucrative certification program.
Toughest Recertification Requirements
We rate the following credentials as tough because they require one or more of the following items of their holders to keep them current:
Regular renewals (one to three years for all certifications that expire or those that require renewal in no more than 18 months following new product releases for version-specific credentials).
Recertification exams or re-examination policies.
Clearly stated policies regarding continuing education, documented training or other types of certification maintenance.
1. Cisco Certifications: All Cisco certifications are time-stamped and must be renewed within two or three years. Senior credentials last two years, and junior ones last three.
2. CISSP: Certification holders must meet continuing professional education (CPE) requirements or retest every three years and pay annual dues to (ISC)2.
3. GIAC Security Certifications: Candidates must recertify every two years, which means reviewing online training materials and taking a "refresh" exam.
4. NARTE certifications: To keep certs current, holders must recertify every year.
5. Novell CLE: Probably the toughest around with yearly recertification required, including the demanding practicum exam.
6. Red Hat Certifications (RHCE, RHCT): Within one year of new major releases, holders must recertify as soon as the second major release becomes available.
7. Adobe/Macromedia Programs
8. IBM Platform- and Software-Specific Programs
9. Microsoft Programs
10. Oracle Programs
Items 7 to 10 aren't alphabetized with the rest of the list because they are linked to specific software or platform versions.
Best Vendor-Neutral Credentials
A vendor-neutral credential is one that owes no particular allegiance nor pays significantly more attention to offerings from one vendor than another. What makes such programs both interesting and refreshing is that many of them permit professionals to recognize, learn about and deal with the strengths and weaknesses so often found in specific products and platforms. That said, true neutrality is hard to find, market forces being what they are in IT. Vendor-neutral credentials tend to come from professional associations, consortia or industry-wide organizations that deliberately reach out to include and represent interests from government, research and academia, as well as from the commercial marketplace.
1. BICSI: The sponsoring organization acts as a credentialing organization for the telecommunications industry. It also offers other certifications such as the Registered Communications Distribution Designer (RCDD) along with several installer and technician credentials. Both BICSI and its credentials are highly valued for their broad applicability, workplace relevance, vendor neutrality and for assessing real-world knowledge and skills.
2. Brainbench: A skills assessment and training company, Brainbench does most of its business for employers, evaluating and assessing topical knowledge and skills to gauge current and prospective employee qualifications for numerous jobs. Brainbench does a nice job of presenting vendor-neutral concepts and basics in many of its testing instruments.
3. The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA): A leader in vendor-neutral certifications, CompTIA is a wide-ranging consortium that involves professionals, businesses and government players at all levels. It also includes significant academic and research institutions among its membership. CompTIA certifications seek to identify then satisfy broad industry knowledge and skill needs.
4. Help Desk Institute (HDI): HDI also has taken over the STI Knowledge curriculum and certifications, and it offers 11 different help desk-, field support-, customer support- and support center-related certifications (seven from STI, four from HDI).
5. Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA): ISACA manages the large and popular Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) program, along with the newer Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) program. Both the CISA and CISM get high marks for their fair and balanced approach to tools, technologies, policies, principles and practices.
6. Linux Professional Institute (LPI): This nonprofit organization works to advocate and assist users worldwide who want to work with Linux, as well as with related open source software. LPI's approach to technologies it covers is deliberately vendor-neutral, although it does include implementation and configuration specifics in some of its exams.
7. National Association of Communication Systems Engineers (NACSE): With nearly 30 certifications at several levels of difficulty, NACSE offers exams in data networking, Web design and development, telecommunications, programming topics and business skills under development. All these credentials are vendor-neutral certifications that were developed by working with both academic institutions and industry leaders.
8. National Association of Radio & Telecommunications Engineers (NARTE): NARTE offers technician- and engineer-level certifications on these topics: electromagnetic compatibility (interference), electrostatic discharge control, product safety and wireless systems installation. Its telecommunications credentials come in junior, senior and master levels, and NARTE also administers FCC commercial operator license exams at military locations worldwide. For more information, see www.narte.org.
9. Project Management Institute (PMI): PMI is recognized primarily for its Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. The PMP offers the kind of strong credential and broad acceptance that a powerful and ongoing alliance between academia and industry can build.
10. Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) certs: Although administered by separated organizations, the TIA's Convergence Technologies Professional (CTP) and its Certified in Convergent Network Technologies (CCNT) credentials both help individuals demonstrate competence in areas where voice, data and media converge into an emerging wave of networking.
Most Technically Advanced Programs
While some of the certifications in this list make outrageous demands on candidates in terms of the amount of materials and information they must absorb and master, others make fewer demands of this kind but instead impose significant experience or other work-related prerequisites. But all of them definitely require skills and knowledge that are both broad and deep, which means most of those who earn such credentials have at least a decade of experience within IT, if not more, before they attain them.
1. (ISC)2 Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP): By itself, the CISSP imposes a major technical burden on certification candidates across 10 major categories in its common body of knowledge. On top of that, the CISSP concentrations - including the Information Systems Security Architecture Professional (ISSAP), Management Professional (ISSMP) and Engineering Professional (ISSEP) - require CISSP-certified professionals to zero in much further in areas of security architecture and design, security management and national security-oriented engineering. Thus, they raise the technical bar even higher.
2. ASIS International: Once called the American Society for Industrial Security, ASIS International now covers the globe. This organization's Physical Security Professional (PSP), Certified Protection Professional (CPP) and Professional Certified Investigator (PCI) credentials levy hefty experience requirements on candidates, and they include copious, complex detailed subject matter. These are the most senior credentials available to those who specialize in physical security, general security strategy, and implementation or security-related investigations.
3. CCIE: A leader in many aspects of certification, the CCIE includes broad and deep content coverage, and it makes extreme demands on candidates' knowledge, analytical and troubleshooting skills.
4. HP Master Accredited Systems Engineer (Master ASE): This credential earns the distinction of making a dizzying array of multiple HP/Compaq and third-party certifications prerequisites, along with a set of deeply technical certification options that range from clustered systems and SAN topics to Oracle on Windows.
5. Master Certified Novell Engineer (Master CNE): With a serious prerequisite (CNE), plus two required and two elective exams (with CompTIA's IT Project+ in the core group), the Novell Master CNE was the original entry in this category. It has stood the test of time - it's been around even longer than the CCIE - and remains both a challenging and valuable certification.
6. NACSE: This organization offers multiple certification ladders of three or more levels across numerous topics of interest to communications engineers and telecommunications professionals. The programs are both broad and deep, and the highest-level credentials are quite technically advanced.
7. NARTE: This organization offers several deeply technical certifications of interest to radio and telecommunications professionals and engineers. The credentials require broad and deep knowledge, and the highest-level certifications are quite technically advanced. For more information, see www.narte.org.
8. SANS GIAC Security Expert (GSE): No less than five intermediate-level GIAC certifications - each of which must be kept current to retain GSE status - constitute the prerequisites that GSE candidates must satisfy before they can tackle the GSE itself. Furthermore, candidates also must qualify for honors in at least one such certification then take the GSE exam and submit a written research project. The effort is immense, and it involves a huge amount of material along with significant costs (each SANS credential typically costs $2,000 to $3,000 to earn). Testing involves two full days of on-site exams plus an additional six hours of proctored, off-site testing, for a total of 23 hours. Only five people have earned this credential since it was introduced in 2003.
9. Senior Protocol Analysis Certifications: These include Network General's Sniffer Certification Program, and the NetPerformance NetAnalyst program. Protocol analysis requires deep and thorough knowledge of networking, protocols, messaging, services, security and more. All these credentials require years of experience, cover a huge amount of territory and require intense study and effort to pass.
10. Sun Certified Enterprise Architect for the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition: Another capstone certification, this one crowns Sun's prestigious Java certification program. Candidates must acquire at least two prerequisite certifications, then complete a multiple-choice exam, submit a completed and demanding design assignment, then take an essay exam about that project. The time involved can run to hundreds of hours, a steep learning curve must be climbed and finally, the amount of related material involved is enormous.
Best New Programs or Certs
Although not all the items in the following list are less than a year old, most are still relatively new to the IT certification scene. These new offerings represent innovative topics or subject focus, certify interesting, useful skills and knowledge or represent ways to involve IT professionals early in programs that require years of documented work experience.
1. (ISC)2 Associate Program: This program lets individuals who don't yet meet experience requirements pass the CISSP exam, then qualify when experience criteria are satisfied. It's a great way to keep young hotshots in the fold while they earn their five years of work-related experience.
2. Apple Certified Technician for Pro Products: See especially new offerings for DVD Studio Pro Certification and Xsan for Video Technical Certification, but you'll find lots of interesting and ever-changing certs.
3. Certified Wireless Analysis Professional (CWAP): It takes a long, hard look at what's moving through the airwaves from wireless networks to help address performance, troubleshooting and security concerns. It has great combination of topics and technical skills.
4. CompTIA RFID+: CompTIA's record with new certs is both hit (Security+) and miss (HTI+), but Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is attracting so much interest in so many places for so many kinds of jobs - from developers to implementers to administrators - that this one is hard not to bet on.
5. Dell Certified Storage Networking Professional (DCSNP) and Dell Certified Systems Expert:
6. EC-Council Certified Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFI): This is one of the first big, major player entries into an otherwise highly fragmented and regionalized computer forensics landscape. Those who are interested in criminal investigation or general computer forensics topics should find this cert very interesting.
7. Microsoft Certified Architect, IT Professional (MCITP), Professional Developer (MCPD), Technology Specialist (MCTS): Yes, with the immanent arrival of Vista and a new generation of desktops and servers headed our way, the Microsoft programs are getting a major facelift. Some elements are already available, and others will follow when and as new platforms ship.
8. MySQL cert program: MySQL is fast becoming a viable enterprise alternative for databases such as DB2, Oracle, etc., and its certifications are growing in popularity, as well. While not exactly new, they're starting to show up in major employer and professional cert surveys, so that's why we mention them here. Core and Professional level credentials both are available.
9. Sun Certified Developer for Java Web Services (SCDJWS): With Web services all the rage in development circles, Sun's SCDJWS is an attractive and popular certification.
10. Sun Certified Mobile Application Developer (SCMAD): Interesting technologies, cool APIs and hot subject matter conspire to draw developers like flies to this credential. Don't be surprised to see Microsoft follow suit in its new programs.
Best Entry-Level Certifications
People getting ready to take their first steps into IT certification need good places to start, particularly if they're interested in climbing a well-defined certification ladder. The certifications listed here still represent the most popular and widely chosen "starter credentials" for IT professionals. This is the only list whose entries remain unchanged from our original 2003 article.
1. Certified Wireless Network Administrator (CWNA)
2. Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)
3. CompTIA A+
4. CompTIA Network+
5. CompTIA Security+
6. LPI Level 1 (LPIC1)
7. Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP)
8. Red Hat Certified Technician (RHCT)
9. SANS GIAC Security Essentials Certification (GSEC)
10. Sun Certified Programmer for the Java 2 Platform (SCJP)更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net