Certification portfolio - Alphabet soup, a guide to certifications (Jan 06)

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1 Certification portfolio - Alphabet soup, a guide to certifications (Jan 06) As certifications have grown in importance, so has the number of programmes. And you could be forgiven for thinking you need a degree in cryptology to make sense of them. Barrie Charles provides a guide through the acronym maze. Interest in IT certification is on the rise as employers increasingly look for proof of skills and staff recognise the benefits of proving their ability. But not all qualifications are equal, with some highly valued and others little more than a confusing array of acronyms. You can be forgiven for being confused as there are hundreds of different qualifications available from dozens of awarding bodies, and they are changing all the time. But if proof of ability is going to be important when recruiting staff or developing existing employees, you need to get your mind around the subject. This article is designed to get you started by providing an overview of the current certification landscape. Of course different qualifications are designed for different jobs within the IT profession, so we have to be clear which skills we are talking about. To help the discussion, we ll use the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA), a model that is rapidly gaining ground among UK companies as a way of mapping competence. SFIA divides IT work into six categories, 17 subcategories and 78 skills, each of which can be carried out at up to seven different job levels. The aim is to provide a common reference model that can be used to identify skill sets in recruitment, career paths and training. The framework can also be used to position different qualifications, and on page 41 we show some of the major certifications by SFIA category. E-Skills UK, the IT sector skills council, is one of the bodies responsible for the recently updated model. SFIA is the framework against which you can start mapping provision, says Karen Price, chief executive. Version 3 has involved a substantial overhaul to the framework, done entirely by employers, and brought into it a very broad skill set. The vendor certifications shown are dominated by specific technical skills, but more general competences are at least as important. Every IT professional needs a really good education to gain a long-term skills set, says Price. Then a lot of the training is much more short-term and application-specific, and constantly needs updating. Education qualifications have typically been heavily influenced by government and awarded through schools, colleges and universities. Training has been dominated by the private sector, with vendor qualifications from companies such as Microsoft or Cisco, and a large IT training industry. In-between sit professional bodies like the British Computer Society (BCS) and industry consortia such as CompTIA. On the training side, the motivation behind supplier certification schemes has always been open to question. They are part of the vendor s overall objective, says Malcolm Sillars, head of professional products at the BCS, which is getting more product out there. I m not saying there s anything wrong with their qualifications, some of them are very good. But they are very much related to their product offering. Of course professional and other organisations have their own agendas, too. So, regardless of who the awarding body is, you need to be able to judge the value of each qualification. Firstly you need to understand whether the competencies covered meet your needs, looking at both the depth and breadth. Secondly you must judge how well those abilities are tested. In the past, some certifications gained a poor reputation with com-puter-driven multiple-choice questions

2 and a training industry devoted to exam-cramming rather than skills development. However, for the most part, the worst excesses have now been remedied. Microsoft is moving more towards simulation-based exams, says Bill Walker, commercial director at training firm Xpertise. That will give it more weight in the market because you re tested on something in a live environment rather than by multiple-guess. It will make it more realistic. Even multiple-choice-type exams are getting better, with a larger and more carefully crafted stock of questions. Also, look out for tests using real equipment under the watchful eye of an invigilator, oral examinations before a panel of experts, and the use of marked papers. Another consideration is who supervises the exams. Computer-based tests are typically managed by either Thomson Prometric or Pearson Vue at training company premises, while orals and written exams are usually managed by the awarding body. So, in summary, you need to understand what the qualification covers and how much you can trust that it demonstrates true ability. Let s look at some of the major certifications. Strategy and planning One of the most important roles in IT these days, even among those who have outsourced much of their technology provision, is the systems architect. For these people, the newest qualification on the block is Microsoft Certified Architect (see IT Training, October 2005). Although this programme comes from a vendor perspective, only 25% of the skill set tested is technical, with the rest covering important professional attributes, such as leadership, communication and process skills. Examination is primarily through the review of a recent project and a two-hour oral conducted by a skilled architect board. A non-proprietary alternative is the Certificate in Systems Architecture from the Information Systems Examinations Board (ISEB) of the BCS. This new qualification is open to more junior staff and can be taught through a three-day course. Another key role is that of information security manager. Here, Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), managed by (ISC)2 (International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium), is the best-known qualification worldwide. The syllabus is made up of 10 domains covering everything from security architecture to ethics. Candidates need three years experience and the exam is multiple-choice. A newer alternative is Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), from the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA), which focuses more on business and organisational issues, and is also tested using multiple-choice questions. Worth mentioning,too, are the qualifications from the International Council of E-Commerce Consultants, such as Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), Computer Hacking Forensic Advisor (CHFA) and Licensed Penetration Tester (LPT). Note that many of these skills are more appropriately listed under the service provision category. Another skill in the strategy and planning area is business risk management. Qualifications here are not IT specific and include M_o_R Practitioner. M_o_R stands for Management of Risk and uses a methodology developed by the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), with the certification scheme and training company accreditations managed by the APM Group. M_o_R Practitioner is examined via a three-hour case-study-based paper. Development Within the IT development category, diplomas in business analysis and systems analysis and design are

3 available from ISEB. These use the Business Systems Development curriculum and consist of 23 modules, each of which is examined separately by written paper. Certifications are also available for specific design methodologies, such as the Structured Systems Analysis & Design Method (SSADM) from ISEB or the Rational Unified Process from IBM. For network design, the most popular certifications are probably Cisco Certified Design Associate (CCDA) and Professional (CCDP). These are firmly focused on Cisco technology and are examined using computer-based tests. Programming and software development are also dominated by vendor certifications, with Microsoft Certified Application and Solution Developer (MCAD and MCSD) the most popular. These Microsoft technology-focused qualifications are examined through sets of computer-based exams. Microsoft has recently announced a complete redesign of its certification programme for the latest technology releases. New qualifications, which include Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD), come in various flavours and are more aligned with jobs than general skills. At the moment, one of the problems is that if you want to be a MCSD you have to take a shed load of exams, explains Walker from Xpertise. But the chances are you re not going to be doing all those things in your job role. So why not just specialise in the things that your job aligns to? Of course, other technology providers also offer their own certifications; for example, IBM Certified Solution Developer, Oracle Application Developer and Sun Certified Programmer for Java 2. Within the broad field of web-based development, the vendor-neutral Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW) qualifications from Prosoft Learning Corporation are worth a mention. This commercial provider offers a wide range of certifications, including Master CIW Designer and Master CIW Enterprise Developer. Exams use multiple-choice questions. Lastly in this section, proven ability in software testing is growing in importance, and the ISEB Foundation and Practitioner Certificates in Software Testing are probably the most popular. The Foundation examination is computer-based, while the Practitioner qualification is gained through a three-hour written paper. Business change Project management certification has seen major growth over the past few years, with Prince2 by far the most popular. Prince2 is a methodology that originated in government, but is now used widely across many sectors, especially within IT projects (see IT Training, October 2005). Certification is typically gained through instructor-led training, and both the Foundation and Practitioner exams can be sat as part of a five-day course. The Foundation test is multiple-choice and the Practitioner is a three-hour paper. Having the exams as an integral part of the course is one of the reasons why the number of Prince2 certified practitioners is so high. If you take the course, says Walker, you re obliged to take the exam, unlike a lot of other certifications where they are separate. Prince2 certification and the accreditation of training providers are managed by the APM Group on behalf of the OGC. As an alternative, the qualifications from the Association for Project Management (APM) address a broader curriculum and do not concentrate on a single method. Similar certifications from the Project Management Institute (PMI), a US-based organisation, tend to be more widely recognised internationally, especially by American-owned corporations. The focus of both these organisations is on general project management. For something that is designed specifically for IT projects, the ISEB Certificate in IS Project Management is worth considering.

4 Service provision Those working in IT operations, infrastructure and user support probably have access to the widest selection of possible certifications. Most of these are based on specific vendor technology. Microsoft certifications include Database Administrator (MCDBA), Desktop Support Technician (MCDST), Systems Administrator (MCSA) and Systems Engineer (MCSE). The new-style qualification is Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP), which is currently limited to Database Developer, Database Administrator and Business Intelligence Developer. The main Cisco qualifications include Certified Network Associate (CCNA), Network Professional (CCNP), Internetwork Professional (CCIP) and Security Professional (CCSP). Oracle offers two levels of qualification, Certified Associate (OCA) and Certified Professional (OCP), plus a range of certification tracks based on specific products such as Oracle Database 9i or 10g and Application Server 9i or 10g. Among the vast array of certifications available from the rest of the industry, popular qualifications include the Red Hat scheme for Linux and the Citrix programme covering their application access software. Novell certifications for administrators (CNA) and engineers (CNE) are also widely held. As far as non-vendor certifications go, the qualifications from CompTIA, a global IT trade consortium, are the most common, with 600,000 graduates worldwide. Their A+ certification, which provides proof of entry-level competence in computer technology, has been around for 12 years and is widely recognised. More recently, Network+, Security+ and several other vendor-neutral qualifications for mainly junior staff have been introduced. The exams use multiple-choice. Service management is another skill where certification is increasingly required. In the UK, standards are most frequently based on the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) originally produced by government, and qualifications are available from the BCS. The Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management uses a computer-based exam to demonstrate a basic understanding of the disciplines. Practitioner Certificates prove expertise in a particular discipline, such as service level, and require at least two years experience and pass marks in a case study-based test and an in-course assignment. To gain the Manager s Certificate you must have at least five year s experience and sit two three-hour papers. Lastly in this section it is worth mentioning the certification scheme of the Help Desk Institute (HDI). These recognise competence in the IT support and helpdesk function with qualifications ranging from Customer Support Specialist (CSS) through Help Desk Analyst (HDA) and Senior Analyst (HDSA) to Help Desk Manager (HDM). The focus of the scheme is on the non-technical skills required by those working in user support and examination is by computer-based tests at a Prometric centre. Training is available from HDI itself or other authorised training providers. Auxiliary skills IT training sits within this SFIA category and the most important non-vendor qualification is the Certified Trainer Assessment Programme (TAP) scheme run by The Training Foundation and backed by the Institute of IT Training (IITT). TAP consists of six certifications in training delivery, training design and development, facilitation, coaching, learning centre support and SmartHelp skills. Examination is by assessment during a course or at special assessment days. The organisation also runs the Certified e- Learning Professional (CELP) programme. Many major vendors also manage their own trainer certifications and the most well-known is probably the Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) scheme.

5 IT users SFIA is concerned with the skills of IT practitioners and so does not have a category covering the use of IT. However, we can t round off our coverage of the most popular certification schemes without including a quick summary of the most important user qualifications. Within Europe, the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) is probably the most popular with over one million registrations in the UK alone. The scheme is administered here by the BCS and consists of seven modules, which can be taken in any order over a period of three years. Examinations are computer-based and include an assessment of the candidate s performance in carrying out various tasks. The entry-level CLAiT qualification from the OCR awarding body is even more popular, with more than 2 million UK awards. OCR also offer CLAiT Plus and CLAiT Advanced certifications. More recently, the e- Citizen programme from the BCS is designed to provide a basic grounding in computers and the web for those who have not yet been touched by IT. From these computer novices through to the top IT experts we ve now mentioned over 70 separate certifications in this quick canter through the most important schemes. What s worse, we ve only covered maybe 5 or 10% of what s available. But if you re a bit breathless and perhaps still a little confused, take heart. Your responsibility probably doesn t cover every type of IT job at every level. When you next need to look at proof of ability for a particular role while recruitment or training, use this overview as a starting point. Use the web links to look at the most important schemes more closely. Examine the competences covered, the way skills are tested and how they match your needs. Gradually you will build up a picture of how ability will be demonstrated in your organisation. And as qualifications become essential for staff, professionalism will increase, leading to better IT delivery. Some major certifications by SFIA category Strategy and planning Microsoft Certified Architect EC-Council IT Security Professional certifications ISACA Certified Information Security Manager (ISC)2 Certified Information Systems Security Professional ISEB Certificate in Systems Architecture Management of Risk Foundation and Practitioner Development Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW) qualifications Cisco Certified Design Associate and Professional ISEB Business System Development Diplomas ISEB Certificates in Software Testing Microsoft Certified Application Developer Microsoft Certified Solution Developer Oracle Application Developer Business change APM Practitioner and Professional ISEB Certificate in IS Project Management Managing Successful Programmes Foundation and Practitioner PMI Project Management Professional Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner

6 Service provision Certified Novell Administrator and Engineer Cisco Certified Network Associate and Professional CompTIA A+, Network+ and Security+ Help Desk Institute (HDI) certifications IBM Certifications ISEB Certificates in IT Service Management Microsoft Certified Database Administrator Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer Oracle Certified Database Administrator Procurement and management support ISEB Certificate in Programme & Project Support Office Auxiliary skills Certified Trainer Assessment Programme (TAP) Microsoft Certified Trainer IT users e-citizen European Computer Driving Licence Microsoft Office Specialist OCR Certificates for IT Users (CLAiT) Further information APM APM Group BCS and ISEB Cisco Citrix CIW CompTIA EC-Council e-skills UK HDI IBM certification ISACA (ISC)2 Microsoft Novell OCR Oracle PMI SFIA Sun Pearson VUE Red Hat Training Foundation Thomson Prometric Haymarket Professional Publications Ltd