In April, VCE unveiled the VCE Certification Program, a brand-new technology curriculum to train IT professionals in designing, deploying and managing converged infrastructures. This groundbreaking approach was designed to help IT practitioners drive data center transformation for their organizations by validating real-world expertise in converged operations – breaking down the traditional silos of individual component training to develop the skills needed for converged infrastructure as a seamless, single environment.
I am happy to share that in just eight months, the VCE™ Certified Professional Program has seen tremendous success – with more than 4,000 certified converged infrastructure professi
onals.
New Certification Exam
Today, VCE is advancing the certification program even further, focusing on IT pros who manage the operations of their organization’s converged infrastructure. This new “Manage Track” includes three certifications:
- VCE Certified Converged Infrastructure Master Administration Engineer – Certifies highly advanced knowledge and skills in administering Vblock Systems
Exam expected in early 2015 - VCE Certified Converged Infrastructure Administration Engineer – Validates day-to-day skills in operating Vblock Systems for administration
Exam available now - VCE Certified Converged Infrastructure Associate – Confirms basic skills and knowledge associated with Vblock Systems
Exam available now
A VCE certification signifies that an individual’s skills are vetted, validated and reinforced through rigorous testing and role-based knowledge and experience. Through the new exams, VCE customers and partners can now demonstrate their converged infrastructure management expertise, which will help them deliver the full benefits of IT transformation.
To understand just how important this is in today’s IT organizations; consider how VCE’s customer, the University of San Diego, has successfully transformed its IT operations, as well as the skill sets of its people:
University of San Diego: IT Transformation and “Converged Operators”
For three years, we’ve been working with the University of San Diego to help transform their data center to better serve their students, faculty and staff. The university’s journey started with the Vblock System, which eliminated time-consuming and disruptive maintenance and upgrade cycles and provided an agile and efficient infrastructure foundation for critical applications and services.
They’ve seen terrific results, including:
- 50% reduction in implementation costs
- 75% reduction in time to roll out new systems
- 50%+ staff time is spent on innovation
- 100% perceived uptime
With the Vblock System in place, the university’s engineering resources were freed from the monotony of keeping the lights on to focus on new, innovative projects that drive strategic value for the organization. Now, the university’s engineers are not simply component specialists, but converged operators. But just like all great engineers, it takes training and experience to hone their skills and knowledge.
Mike Somerville, President of the VCE User Group and Chief Cloud Evangelist at the University of San Diego, challenges his IT team to become great engineers by gaining certifications from VCE, engaging with peers at the VCE User Group, and building experience through new projects.
Great engineers are not made overnight. They’re not made after four years at college or even after a couple of years on the job. It’s a lifelong pursuit. It takes years of training, experience, studying, creativity, mistakes, and troubleshooting, as well as engagement with peers, vendors and partners. Great engineers challenge themselves not by doing things the hard way, but by finding the simplest path to do their jobs better and faster.
This is why certifications and user groups are so important. All great engineers strive to innovate and advance technology, but they need to build a foundation of knowledge first, and then constantly refine and test their skills, train on new solutions and discuss best practices with peers. I believe that the VCE Certified Professional Program and the VCE User Group are perfect opportunities for IT professionals to further develop, validate and improve their skills so they can become great engineers.
— Mike Somerville, University of San Diego
With the right skills, training and technology in place, VCE converged infrastructure certifications help put IT professionals on the path to becoming great converged infrastructure professionals, providing data center transformation to enterprises around the world. We’re thrilled to see the success of the VCE Certified Professional Program and excited to hear how customers and partners such as the University of San Diego are using it to deliver true IT transformation within their organizations.
