Certification - August 2008 - (Page 36)

INSIDE CERTIFICATION A Glimpse Into IBM Professional Certification LAURA CALLEY AND KATE DAWSON The IBM line of offerings spans across all segments of the IT industry: hardware, software, consulting and IT services. The challenge for the IBM Professional Certification Program is to keep pace with the certification needs across the many professions within all of these segments of the IT industry. To make the challenge even more interesting in the fast-paced world of IT, business frequently is reevaluated and reorganized to meet the needs and demands of the rapidly growing IT marketplace. Business models, product lines, services and organizational structures all change to support business growth and customer demand. As a result, skills requirements continue to evolve at a rapid rate, requiring certification to keep pace. To meet the challenge, IBM provides 18 certification programs under the umbrella of the Professional Certification Program. Each area includes certifications that cross the various roles of IT, including users, administrators, developers, architects and technical and sales professionals. The programs include new certification offerings based on technology from the IBM Systems and Technology Group and long-established and popular DB2 certifications from the IBM Software Group. Laura Calley, the Power Systems certification program manager in the IBM Systems and Technology Group, was tasked to evaluate the certification portfolios of the former System i and System p, converge them where appropriate and create the new Power Systems certification program. Calley had experience in revamping certification programs. In 2007, she resized the portfolio of the System i certification exams. Certifications were evaluated, and exams were updated or retired. In addition, plans were put in place with IBM’s Academic Initiative to help college students earn certifications to facilitate them gaining employment in the IT field. Restructuring for Power To successfully restructure the new certification program for Power Systems, executives, brand managers and partner-channel management offered input. Test-delivery and tracking methods were evaluated and budgets scrutinized. All of the data was gathered and analyzed. When the analysis was complete, it was determined that, while the hardware was important, it was the operating system chosen by the customer that reflected the customer’s business and dictated how the hardware operates. Calley began plans to implement the new program by preparing new certifications reflective of the new Power6 generation of processors, with focus on the IBM i V6.1, AIX 6.1 and Linux operating systems. With the design of the new program, existing System i and System p certifications were identified for withdrawal. To develop the exams, the IBM Power Systems certification program used carefully screened subject matter experts from the customer, partner and IBM sales and technical communities. These IT professionals set the standard of each certification, clarifying the job role of the certification candidate, determining com- A New Power Requirement In January, IBM combined the System i and System p product lines, simplifying them and renaming them Power Systems. At the same time, IBM announced a shift in its sales process from a brand-specific focus, with sales professionals who concentrated on System i, System p and Storage, to a client-centric focus with sales teams focusing on the best solution for the client, regardless of brand. With all these changes and the emergence of Power Systems, a new certification program was needed. 6 CERTIFICATION MAGAZINE August 2008 http://www.ibm.com/us/

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Certification - August 2008

Certification - August 2008 Editor's Letter Contents Data Stream jVirtual Village Tech Careers Dear Techie Troubleshooting Academic Connection What We Like Look Ahead The China Boom United in IT: Tech Culture Breaks Down Barriers Abroad Interface Digital Home Technology Integrator: Specialized Skills for the Smart Home Inside Certification Ad Index Endtag

Certification - August 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.