Citrix Adds Virtualization Focus to Certs

Citrix is expanding its top-level administrator certifications to focus more on virtualization. It's a step that makes sense for a company working hard to claw out its space in the virtualization market, and has some very intriguing products.

It's adding the specialization onto its flagship Citrix Certified Enterprise Engineer (CCEE) and Citrix Certified Integration Architect (CCIA) credentials, adding "for Virtualization" onto the title.

The certifications will be available starting in the Fall, according to Citrix. Current CCEE and CCIA holders have an upgrade path: CCEEs will need to pass the "A15 -- Engineering a Citrix Virtualization Solution" exam to add the virtualization moniker, while the higher-level CCIA will have to pass that exam and "A16 -- Architecting a Citrix Virtualization Solution."

The upgrade paths expire June 30, 2010; after that time, candidates need to begin from the beginning. CCEE is aimed at the engineers and high-level administrators implementing virtualization; the CCIA is targeted more at designers and architects.

The question is how valuable certification is these days. Some folks say the days of certification are passing; I disagree. Especially in the current environment, it never hurts to set yourself apart from the crowd with a credential. At the very least, I'm convinced it can move your resume from the dump pile in the HR manager's office to the "interview" pile. It demonstrates you have at least a baseline knowledge of the technology in question. And the CCEE and CCIA are much beyond that; it's not a Microsoft Certified Professional equivalent. If you work in a Citrix environment, consider adding the virtualization sub-specialty -- I have a feeling it could give you an edge.

Posted by Keith Ward on 06/18/2009 at 12:48 PM