Hewlett Packard is looking to help IT professionals designing and building cloud infrastructure with the introduction of new cloud certifications for integrators and systems architects who build cloud infrastructure and tailor it to meet business needs. The certifications build on HP's ExpertONE Converged Infrastructure certification program announced a year ago.
The HP Accredited Solutions Expert (ASE)
Cloud Architect certification, available now, is a designation for
professionals who can identify, position and tailor customer solutions based on
HP CloudSystem.
The HP ASE Cloud Integrator and HP Master ASE – Cloud
Integrator certifications, which will launch in the February/March 2012
timeframe, focus on the building, installation and integration of HP cloud
solutions. ASE Cloud Integrator focuses on IT-based solutions based on HP Cloud
Service Automation for Matrix and the provisioning of cloud services, whereas
the Master ASE – Cloud Integrator’s focus is on solutions built on CloudSystem and
HP Converged Infrastructure. HP announced the certifications
at HP Discover in Vienna, Austria.
“There are a number of things we’re doing
and announcing this week about how we close the competency gap that both
customers and partners frankly have in the cloud and cloud solutions space,”
said Rebeka Harvey, director of learning product management, certification and
learning at HP. “As customers look to really execute their cloud and converged
infrastructure strategy, they’re really running into a key critical challenge,
and that is they don’t have the critical skilled individuals on staff.”
Unfortunately, partners are also falling short on cloud infrastructure skills.
The new cloud certifications should help to fill that skills gap, she said.
Although there is a large technical element
to each of the three new cloud certifications, Harvey noted individuals that
gain the certifications also have to demonstrate their ability to match the
technology with business needs and apply the technical knowledge they gain to
different solutions. Accredited professionals will have to understand the
business and technical skills involved with cloud solutions.
HP is also introducing educational programs
through academic institutions and as self-study guides. HP Institute will
provide two- and four-year academic programs for the HP ExpertONE certification
curriculum, combining business acumen with understanding of HP and multi-vendor
technology solutions. The program will be delivered in a traditional semester
format.
HP Press is more self-directed approach.
The program will offer ExpertONE certifications courses through traditional and
online bookstores, and the HP Press marketplace.
The new courses and certifications were
designed to create a global community of cloud experts that understands what it
takes to make a cloud solution a reality, Harvey said.
“The partner demand is quite high for these
certifications. We’ve had people clamoring at our door ever since we launched
the Converged Infrastructure certifications last year,” she said.
Hewlett-Packard 
