Certification Watch Volume 4 #2

Things are hopping in the certification marketplace as the year 2001 gets underway. There are quite a few new certification exams to announce, plus a major program change from Cisco Systems.

Cisco Certification Changes

As of February 1, Cisco Systems has dropped the requirement that CCIEs attend a Networkers session as part of obtaining recertification. CCIEs must still pass a recertification exam every two years to retain active CCIE status. There are currently 5,297 active CCIEs worldwide.

The Career Certification program at Cisco has undergone much larger changes a combination of reshuffling and expansion. The CCNP and CCDP specializations will be discontinued, and Cisco Qualified Specialist designations will take their place. These new designations are open to anyone who has earned an Associate level designation from Cisco (CCNA or CCDA) and wishes to demonstrate more specific expertise. Current Specialist designations available are: Cisco Cable Communications, Cisco Security Specialist 1, Cisco SNA/IP Design Specialist, and Cisco SNA/IP Support Specialist. Each exam costs $100, and recertification is required every 2 years. Existing CCNP/CCDP specializations will remain valid for 2 years from the date they were earned.

Microsoft Exam News

Exam 70-228: Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition went live January 25. Passing it meets a core requirement for the MCDBA track. It also qualifies individuals for the MCP designation, and can be used as an elective on the MCSE track.

Exam 70-224: Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server went live February 9. This one qualifies you as an MCP, and can be used as an elective on the MCSE track. You can find a complete list of newly released and in-development Microsoft exams on Microsoft's certification pages.

Tivoli Certification Update

Tivoli consultants have a new certification option as of February 19th. Exam #579: Tivoli Workload Scheduler V7.0 Implementation leads to the designation of Tivoli Certified Consultant - Tivoli Workload Scheduler V7.0. The exam consists of 70 questions, and you are allowed 90 minutes to complete it. Passing score is 69%. The exam costs $150US in North America, $175US elsewhere.

In other Tivoli news, due to the sale of the Tivoli Service Desk product suite to Peregrine Systems, exams related that suite have been retired. These include: Exam #696 - Tivoli Problem Management V6.0 Implementation; Exam #697 - Tivoli Asset Management V6.0 Implementation; and Exam #698 - Tivoli Change Management V6.0 Implementation. If you are already certified on one of these, your certification will remain valid through December 31, 2001. The NetView IT Director Edition certification exam (#589) was retired Jan. 31, when the product was withdrawn from the market. Individuals holding related Tivoli designations will retain their certification through Jan. 31, 2003.