Companion Certifications for MCSEs

OS Certifications
The OS certification category covers certifications that are similar to the MCSE. Network professionals with skills and knowledge appropriate to different OSs are in short supply, and the industry views professionals with these certifications as valuable commodities.

Novell certifications. Popular opinion regards this OS certification as the standard bearer for computer-related certifications. Novell developed its certification program to train systems engineers and network administrators in the skills necessary to configure and administer its NetWare OS. Novell provides a variety of certification levels that relate to different versions of its NetWare OS. These levels include Certified Novell Administrator (CNA), Certified Novell Engineer (CNE), and Master CNE (MCNE). The exams for each of these certifications are NetWare version-specific.

The CNA is the initial certification, requiring you to complete one examination. CNE status requires passing five or six additional exams, depending on the OS version. MCNE status requires you to obtain a CNE and pass a minimum of five additional certification exams. Novell also offers a Certified Internet Professional (CIP) designation, which pro- vides five tracks, and each track requires you to pass two to five certification exams. Novell's Certified Internet Architect (CIA) designation also requires an applicant to obtain a CNE, MCNE, or other specified certification before receiving this CIP designation.

IBM certifications. IBM provides several certifications related to its UNIX-based AIX OS. The company designed AIX to run on IBM S/390 or larger server hardware platforms. AIX/6000 is a workstation-based OS that IBM designed to run on its RISC System/ 6000. The certification program for this OS provides five different Certified Specialist tracks and one Advanced Technical Expert track. The number of exams IBM requires you to pass to achieve these certifications varies, although most specialist certifications require only one exam. The Advanced Technical Expert certification requires passing four exams.

Sun certifications. Sun Solaris is a proprietary UNIX-based OS for Sun's powerful workstations and servers. The company offers two levels of certification for the OS. Sun Certified Solaris Administrator (CSA) status requires you to pass two exams. Sun Certified Network Administrators (SCNA) must pass an additional certification exam. Certifications are version-specific.

SCO certifications. SCO offers two levels of certification, the Certified UNIX System Administrator (CUSA) and the Advanced System Engineer (ACE). CUSA is an entry-level certification. You must pass only one administration exam to complete the certification in either the SCO OpenServer Release 5 or UnixWare 7 program track. ACE is SCO's highest level of certification, and you must complete three exams in either the OpenServer Release 5 or UnixWare 7 program track.

HP certifications. HP is in the process of rolling out new certifications covering its UNIX-based OS. The company is developing a two-tiered program for certification of HP-UX System Administrators. The first tier deals with job-relevant skills that are fundamental to a UNIX system. The second tier requires higher-level skills that a candidate must demonstrate by mastering complex tasks and completing projects in special areas of expertise (e.g., high availability, operations, capacity planning, performance). HP's goal is to provide certification testing that reflects success in challenging, real-life scenarios, not simply success on a multiple-choice test.

Advanced Enterprise Networking Certifications
Certifications in the advanced enterprise networking category highlight internetworking products and vendor certifications for third-party management of large enterprise networks. Certifications in this category are narrowly focused and require a high level of competency in the related product.

Cisco certifications. Cisco Systems, known primarily for its high-end routers, has developed a very popular certification program. Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) status is a goal many professionals seek but few achieve. Passing the requisite 2-day, hands-on lab tests has proved to be a formidable task. Multiple attempts are common, and at a per-test cost of approximately $1000 (not including travel expenses), a failing grade brings the realization that this certification can be as costly as it is valuable.

Cisco suggests that you obtain its lower-level certifications before attempting the CCIE. These certifications include the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification (one exam) and the Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) certification (CCNA plus four exams). Cisco also provides a certification track relating to network design. Cisco Certified Design Associates (CCDA) must complete one certification exam. Cisco Certified Design Professionals (CCDP), besides obtaining CCDA status, must pass four additional exams. For more information about Cisco Certification, see Todd Lammle, "Beyond MCSE," page 67.

Nortel Networks certifications. With the acquisition of Bay Networks, Nortel appears to have adopted Bay Networks' certification program format. The program has three designations: Nortel Networks Certified Support Specialist (NNCSS), one exam; Nortel Networks Certified Support Expert (NNCSE), three exams; and Nortel Networks Certified Network Architect (NNCNA), no exams. The target audience for the Specialist designation consists of mid-level technical support, Help desk and field support personnel. The Expert designation is designed for mid- to senior-level managers in the technical support, Help desk, field support, and network management areas of expertise. The Network Architect certification is designed for senior networking consultants, architects, and design engineers and requires submission of a portfolio documenting network architecture experience.

HP certifications. HP offers certification for its UNIX OS and is also following Tivoli's lead by developing an enterprise network management application certification, OpenView Professional. HP plans to offer two levels of certification (IT Professional and Advanced IT Professional) for each of its three certification tracks: OpenView NT Server and Applications Management, OpenView Network Management certification for UNIX or Windows NT systems, and OpenView UNIX Server and Applications Management.

Tivoli certifications. Tivoli provides a suite of network management products appropriate for an enterprise networking environment. Its certification program provides three levels of certification. The Tivoli Certified Consultant certification requires successful completion of two exams. One exam covers Tivoli Framework implementation. The other exam's content varies depending on which of eight specializations the candidate selects. The Tivoli Certified Enterprise Consultant certification requires you to pass five certification exams. The Tivoli Certified Solutions Expert certification requires you to pass only the Tivoli IT Director exam.

Computer Associates certification. CA is in the process of redefining its certification program for Unicenter, the CA network management product. The company offers two certification exams for its Certified Unicenter Administrator (CUA) program and nine certification exams for its Certified Unicenter Engineer (CUE) program. CA is currently reevaluating the requirements associated with CUE certification.

Other Related Certifications
Certifications that complement your MCSE are not limited to network hardware, OSs, and network management software. The following certifications can also help you.

Project Management Institute certification. PMI provides an industry-recognized certification program for pro- ject managers. Qualifications for taking the Project Management Professional (PMP) exam include providing documented experience as a project manager. PMI requires a minimum of 4500 hours of experience for applicants holding a bachelor's degree and 7500 hours for all other applicants.

Oracle DBA certification. Oracle Corporation provides several certifications for its database applications, including Oracle 8.0 DBA certification. This certification track requires successful completion of four certification exams relating to database administration, performance tuning, backup and recovery, and network administration.

Lotus Notes certification. Lotus provides three levels of certification, Certified Lotus Specialist (CLS), Certified Lotus Professional (CLP), and Principal Certified Lotus Professional (PCLP). Specialists must pass one performance-based exam. CLP candidates must have obtained CLS status and pass a series of exams. These exams vary in nature and number with the type of CLP designation the candidate pursues. The designations include CLP Notes System Administrator, CLP Domino Messaging Administrator, and CLP cc:Mail System Administrator. The PCLP certification requires the candidate to possess CLP certification and pass an additional elective exam. PCLP is designed as the highest level of Lotus certification.

A Path to Follow
The choices listed in this article represent a small number of your certification options. Table 1, page 58, contains a more detailed list, providing URLs for Web-based information about certifications. Certification selection is a matter of personal choice. Look seriously at the time and money you must invest in the certification process. Determine which certifications best complement your career goals, and concentrate on certifications for products that will probably have a long life in the market.