When evaluating someone to install their systems or develop software, organizations often wonder whether the prospective firm or individual is qualified to do the work. While not a universal solution, IT industry certifications are often a meaningful barometer.
Certification programs, both independent and vendor-specific, have come a long way. Back in the ’90s we often used to crack, "Hey, you have $1,500 too!" when seeing a certain vendor’s "Certified Partner" plaque on a colleague’s wall. This was because the requirements for the plaque were passing a couple of really easy tests and, well, a $1,500 fee.
Nowadays, however, the vast majority of vendors’ technical certifications consist of multiple reasonably difficult exams. Certifications from Cisco, VMware and even IBM can be difficult to earn.
Some vendors purposely make it easy to obtain certain certifications as a ploy to increase product sales. The best way to determine the value of a certification is to figure out its requirements. All vendors describe their certification processes and requirements on their websites. Levels within a certification program are also meaningful. Vendors use varying terms to differentiate their certification levels, but generally speaking there are basic, advanced and expert tiers.
Further, be sure to distinguish sales-based and technical certifications. Sales certifications allow an individual or organization to sell a product. Technical certifications confirm that the individual or organization has detailed knowledge of the functions and features of the product.
Vendor-independent certifications are generally thought to be more valuable. The most common of these are Project Management Professional, sponsored by the Project Management Institute (www.pmi.org), and The Open Group Architecture Framework, sponsored by The Open Group, a global consortium of IT industry organizations.
A PMP certification indicates that the possessing individual not only has passed a series of relatively difficult tests, but also has a significant amount of verifiable practical experience managing projects. Note that PMP is not limited to IT folks. It is, however, more widely applied in IT than in other industries.
The TOGAF certification indicates that the possessor is intimately familiar with The Open Group’s formal approach for guiding systems implementations. This approach has been fully vetted by The Open Group and is in its ninth iteration.
Of course, certifications in and of themselves don’t necessarily mean anything. Study guides and cheat sheets are widely available on the Internet for all of the popular certifications from major vendors. Practical experience cannot be discounted.
Generally speaking, though, the certification process is an investment. Individuals and organizations who make this investment are probably going to be more heavily committed than noncertified entities.
