I have to admit, this really isn’t a new trend in the world of certifications. And to be fair you can’t really expect an exam and corresponding certification to roll out of the door the same day products go RTM.

My best example of this is the exact certification program that I mentioned earlier…  the CCEA/CCEE program.  The current CCEA is based on the Citrix Access Suite 4.0 which includes Access Gateway 4.2, Password Manager 4.1, Presentation Server 4.0, and Web Interface 4.2.  Seriously?  I don’t know about the rest of the components of this bunch but I can tell you that Presentation Server 4.0 will be end of life and end of support by the end of the calendar year 2009!  And it is STILL the most current engineer level certification that Citrix offers!

In defense of Citrix, they have announced and released almost all of the bits and pieces for the successor of the CCEA.. the CCEE program.  At the time of writing all but one exam are available for this certification with the final exam not scheduled to be released until the fourth quarter of 2009.  No big deal right?  Well…  except that nearly every single product that will be in the ‘final’ exam will already be at least one revision behind!

The final CCEE exam has been rumored to be similar to the final exam in the CCEA program where candidates will be expected to perform a series of tasks in addition to answering multiple choice questions.  It is rumored that the exam will cover the following products:  Provisioning Server 5.0, XenApp 5.0 for Windows Server 2008, XenDesktop 2.0, and XenServer 5.0.

The problem?  Today the current releases are:  Provisioning Server 5.1, XenApp 5.0 for Windows Server 2008, XenDesktop 3.0, and XenServer 5.5.  The test hasn’t even been relased and it is already rumored to be based on older technology.

So I pose the question again… Can Citrix certifications (or any vendor for that matter) keep up with product releases?

One good bit of news is that current CCEA and CCIA holders will be able to take fewer tests in order to upgrade their certifications.  To my knowledge this is the first time that Citrix has offered an upgrade path for their higher level certifications.  Current CCEA’s will only have to take one exam!  Current CCIA’s will have to take two exams but note that one of these two will also earn the CCEE!

Also of note is that Citrix has announced two tracks the more traditional track is now known as the Virtualization path while the newer networking products will be grouped into the Application Networking path.  Only the requirements for the Virtualization path have been released but look for the Application Networking path details to come out later in the year.

New CCEE candidates will have to take a minimum of five exams that encompass the XenApp, XenDesktop, and XenServer product lines.  Gone are the Access Gateway and Password Manager exams that were requirements for the previous version of the CCEA.  Not gone, however, is the practical simulation exam that will be the stumbling block for those wishing to breeze through the program.

Rumor has it that the simulation exam will contain somewhere around 20-30 simulation items and another 10-20 multiple choice questions.  Rumors are also circulating that the content will be based on three major technologies but will be much more balanced with a bulk of the exam focusing on XenApp.

For starters one must already hold a current VMware Certified Professional (VCP) certification on VI3.  This means attending the VI3 Install and Configure Class and passing the VMware Certified Professional exam.

Beyond that one must apply for and be accepted into the VCDX program.  Once that has been accomplished two exams will be necessary to prove the candidate’s knowledge levels.  Right now these two exams are:  VMware Enterprise Administrator Exam and VMware Design Exam.

After all of the classrooms, testing, and accepting the VCDX candidate will have to submit, present, and defend a VMware Infrastructure design to a panel of VCDX colleagues

Sounds like a long journey but I think in the end the VCDX will definitely come to signify the ultimate mastery of the VMware Virtual Infrastructure.

One of the biggest and most welcomed changes in my opinion is the introduction of distinct tracks within the certifications.  In the past if you were someone who focused solely on the Citrix networking products (Access Gateway, NetScaler, WANScaler) then you had to test on things like XenApp and Password Manager in order to achieve the higher level Citrix certifications.

The new tracks appear to be:

Application Virtualization  (XenApp, EdgeSight, Password Manager)
Desktop Virtualization  (XenDesktop, Provisioning Server)
Server Virtualization  (XenServer, Provisiong Server)
Application Networking  (Access Gateway, NetScaler, WANScaler)

Obviously there will be some overlapping technologies between tracks with common technology components like XenApp, Access Gateway, and Provisioning Server.

The breakdown into individual technology tracks also paves the way for two new certifications on what Citrix calls their Administrator level certification paths.  The Platinum series of certifications will allow candidates to select a core technology like XenApp 5 and add two electives to form a CCA for XenApp 5 Platinum Edition.  Beyond that Citrix will also offer a more concentrated certification on core technologies like XenApp 5 by offering a Citrix Certified Advanced Administrator or CCAA certification.

Finally it looks like the CCEA and CCIA are in for some changes as well although they haven’t been fully announced just yet.

If you have taken your fair share of Citrix exams you might want to head over to the Citrix Certification Manager www.citrixcertmanager.com and see where exactly you fall into some of the new certification paths.  You might be pleasantly suprised to find out that you are only a test or two away from some new certifications!