How To Guy
Free Training, Exam for Converged Infrastructure
James Brown tackles the VCE certification.
Converged Infrastructure technology is increasing significantly. I had the opportunity to observe various new converged infrastructure vendors at VMWare's VMWorld 2014 conference this summer. It's obvious that the days of just architecting and implementing siloed datacenters will soon be history, as more and more businesses incorporate converged infrastructures. A chief reason it's coming is that it promises a better Return On Investment (ROI).
That's why I started to look for training. I found that that the training and certification process can be costly and time-consuming, but I also discovered a converged infrastructure certification that's free and effective.
The VCE Certified Converged Infrastructure Associate (VCE-CIA) Certification is free and open to all IT professionals. It teaches the basics of the VCE Vblock converged infrastructure environment, while earning a free entry-level certification at the same time. VCE is a converged infrastructure systems vendor that offers a range of converged products.
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Figure 1. The VCE Certification program overview.
The training consists of a four-hour online eLearning course that provides Vblock Systems Foundations training. Registration is required to take the VCE Vblock Systems Foundation Exam, but completion of the eLearning course isn't. The training, like the exam, is free.
I attended the eLearning course to determine 1) How pertinent the training was for the exam, and 2) Its usefulness for helping me learn converged infrastructure administration. I found that the training, which was informative and straightforward, met both of those goals.
I took the exam immediately after completing the training. The online test consists of 60 questions, and there's no time limit. It tested my knowledge of the product without resorting to trick questions. I finished in about 45 minutes; the training prepared me well enough that I only missed one question. I plan on taking the VCE Certified Converged Infrastructure Implementation Engineer (VCE-CIIE) Certification next, to become certified in implementing Vblock Systems.
Converged infrastructure is definitely gaining in acceptance and implementation. That means you'll need to become knowledgeable at some point soon about converged infrastructures. Now is the time to get up to speed, including getting certified on converged infrastructure technology. It's also a great time because it's currently free.
About the Author
James Brown, vExpert, VCP, MCSE, is a senior virtualization engineer and CEO of Virtuxperts and VMware Users Group Leader in Las Vegas, NV. James' area of expertise includes virtualization, infrastructure and Windows systems.