CompTIA Rolls Out Cloud Computing Certification

CompTIA and ITpreneurs have partnered to release a
new credential focused on cloud computing skills and best practices. The Cloud
Essentials exam will be available through CompTIA in December.

Cloud
computing certifications currently available focus on vendor-specific
technologies and architectures, but there has been demand from the industry for
an entry-level cloud computing credential that focuses on the fundamental
knowledge of cloud computing principles and concepts, said Rick Bauer, director
of research and development for skills certification at CompTIA.

“We’ve
gotten several requests, and we got them from a variety of sources. We’ve
talked to folks from Amazon and Microsoft and VMware, and these folks are
starting to study the hypervisor and get certified on VMware’s product line or
Hyper-V in the Microsoft stack. They’re finding that in the introductory material,
everybody assumes an elementary knowledge that may not be there,” Bauer said.

That’s
where the new Cloud Essentials credential comes in. Instead of providing a deep
technical device, the exam tests people on their basic knowledge of cloud
computing and what it means from business and technical perspectives, as well
as what’s moving to and governing the cloud. Someone who successfully completes
the exam will not only understand what the technical implications of cloud
computing is, but also will be able to converse with business units on what the
cloud computing model will mean for them.

CompTIA
and ITpreneurs, which jointly developed the credential, have tested the new
credential in several beta settings, and it plans to make the exam available in
early December.

“You’re
going to see this exam positioned as a common core of knowledge so that you can
go in a variety of different ways,” Bauer said.

Although
there are no pre-requisites to take the Cloud Essentials exam, Bauer said
anybody taking it should have at least six months of experience with IT.

“Hopefully
someone who knows this material and passes the certification exam is going to
be able to have coherent and intelligent discussion and the ability to
communicate with a variety of different players within the cloud ecosystem as
well as his or her own management,” Bauer said.

The
credential was designed to solve a problem that several businesses are
experiencing right now — that when IT and business units speak about cloud,
they’re talking passed each other and not communicating effectively. According
to Bauer, this will help IT people understand and communicate with business
units about the implications of cloud computing.

CompTIA
is also trying to inject some fun into the credential. It’s the first CompTIA
credential with a game associated with it. Check it out at http://www.cloudchallenge.com.