Computer Certification: What Happened in 2004, Predictions for 2005
By Anne Martinez
Page 2 of 3 1 2 3
Cheaters Still Don't Prosper
People who invest time and money in certification in hope of a positive return are sometimes worried (and rightly so) that its value will be slashed if unscrupulous individuals can earn it without actually obtaining the related knowledge.
Cheating received a little less press this year than in years past, but that it's still an important issue for certification vendors. Anonymous "report the cheater" links have appeared on several certification vendor Web sites. You may have to dig a bit to find them, so here are several that may be of use to you:
- Microsoft provides an email address for reporting of cheaters and the Web sites that support them. It is tctips@microsoft.com.
- Cisco has a Web form. The CCIE program has its own separate reporting route.
- CompTIA's "security breach" email address is security@comptia.org
Most Active Certification Programs
Cisco Systems' certification program was one of the most active in 2004. Notable changes included:
The folks at CompTIA were hard at work as well, keeping existing certifications current and marketable. Both CompTIA Linux+, and CompTIA Server+ were completely revised, and an update to Network+ is well under way. These still provided excellent value as entry-level certifications.
Nortel was also quite busy, adding numerous new certification exams covering additional products, and offering certification candidates plenty of beta opportunities. Oracle came out with exams covering Oracle 10g.
Novell also continued its expansion into Linux certification releasing the CLP (Certified Linux Professional) practicum. The Certified Directory Engineer (CDE) program was retired.
Red Hat wasn't especially active, however, since the RHCE is so well respected it's worthwhile to note that they did add a new, even higher level designation: Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA). According to Red Hat, the RHCA is "a capstone certification to Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) and Red Hat Certified Technician (RHCT)."
Security certification seemed to hold fairly steady during 2004. One security certification vendor, the International Council of E-Commerce Consultants (EC-Council), added a slate of new designations, but the other vendors seem to have focused on administering the programs they created in the past few years. The new EC-Council certifications include: Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFI) Certification, Licensed Penetration Tester (LPT), and EC-Council Certified Security Analyst (ECSA).
