Oracle wins over Sun Microsystems

I had earlier written about the possibility of IBM taking over Sun Microsystems, but that was not to be! Finally Sun Microsystems has been taken over by Oracle Corporation on April 20th, 2009. Oracle Corporation has bought Sun Microsystems for a whopping $7.4 billion after an alternative buyout bid by IBM did not come to fruition.

Oracle now will be able to incorporate Oracle databases into the Solaris operating system. The acquisition of Sun Microsystems will transform the IT industry; it combines the best enterprise software and essential computing systems. Sun Chairman Scott McNealy said: “Oracle and Sun have been industry pioneers and close partners for more than 20 years. This combination is a natural evolution of our relationship and will be an industry-defining event.”

What will be the effect on Sun and Oracle certification tracks? Nothing will change anytime soon. Sun’s Java Certifications track and Oracle Database Administration Certifications are well-respected certification programs in IT industry and the change in ownership won’t change that. If at all demand for both these certifications will increase in the long term as synergies between these will create more applications and increase the user base.

ITIL - Gaining popularity by the day!

Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is the most widely accepted certification for IT Service Management in the world. ITIL is a set of theories and strategies for managing information technology infrastructure, development and operations. ITIL is considered as the best practice in IT Service Management, developed by OGC and supported by publications, qualifications and an international user group.

ITIL has been developed by Central Computer and Telecommunication Agency (CCTA), as a framework for efficient and financially reliable use of IT resources. ITIL provides best practices supported by quality services from a wide range of service providers, training agencies and professional qualifications.

ITIL consists of a series of modules giving guidance on the provision of quality IT services, and on the accommodation and environmental services needed to support IT. ITIL has been developed in recognition of organizations growing dependence on IT and represent best practices for IT Service Management.

There are five ITIL Service Modules: Service Strategy (SS), Service Design (SD), Service Transition (ST), Service Operation (SO) and Continual Service Improvement (CSI)

ITIL Certifications are managed by ITIL Certification Management Board (ICMB). There are three main levels on the ITIL Certification Path; Foundation, Practitioner and Manager Level. To pass exams on each level it is necessary to prepare through specialized ITIL courseware which are provided by a variety of vendors, both through instructors and online. For Practitioner and Master Level Certification, it is preferred that one possesses some work experience in the ITIL environment. Else it might be difficult to understand how ITIL processes work and succeeding in the final exams will be very hectic and difficult.

ITIL Foundation Certification is an entry level certification in ITIL.ITIL Foundation course is for those who want to gain basic understanding of the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL). It focuses on aligning IT Service, improving service quality and implementation of service level agreements. It is a prerequisite for Practitioner and Manager Certifications in IT Service Management. It combines a few lectures with individual and group assignments. ITIL Foundation prepares participants to sit for the 1 hour ITIL Foundations exam, which is independently assessed by EXIN, an accredited ITIL examination body. ITIL Foundation target audience consists of employees and managers at all levels who wants to enhance their skills in IT Service Management.

ITIL Practitioner Certification is an intermediate level certification presented by OGC and the exam is conducted by EXIN. The ITIL Practitioner Certification focuses on the candidate’s capability in understanding and applying of the definite processes within the IT Service Management. ITIL Foundation Certification in Service management is a must for ITIL Practitioner Certification alongside three to four years of experience in ITIL. Practitioner Certification is all about practice and specialty. There are three areas covered in Practitioner Certification which are:

a) Release and Control

b) Support and Restore

c) Agree and Define

It is necessary to deeply understand all aspects of the ITIL process before going for Manager Certification. Practitioner Certification focused on team leaders and specialists who want to enhance their knowledge into new specialty.

ITIL Manager Certification is the top level of certification in ITIL Certification path. ITIL Manager Certification is also called as Master’s Certification due to amount of practical experience required and the extensive range of material and difficulty which categorize the assessment. Rigorous courseware and extensive training is extremely recommended before appearing for this exam. It is also recommended that to attain Manager Certification, you must have several years of experience in the ITIL atmosphere. ITIL Manager Certification is for Managers, Project Leaders in IT Companies.

Top 10 Myths about IT Certification

No industry is safe from disbelief or proliferation of myths... Here are few myths regarding IT Certifications!

1.    Certifications are Vendor-Centric

There are people who believe that the purpose of a certification is to measure a person's understanding of some of the functionality of a vendor's product and hence are vendor-centric. In reality, the vendor who creates the product is best-qualified to teach an individual about product and develop certifications around this.

 

2.    Certification’s Life-Cycle is Short

Certificates are valid for limited time period, after which the individual needs to revise it or completely start again for the new certification series. It is true that vendors keep on modifying their certification offerings. This is a positive step because it keeps the certifications up-to-date with emerging technologies and practical situations. Technological developments do happen at a more rapid pace. Employers hire those with knowledge on the latest technology and hence there is merit in keeping abreast with new certifications.

 

3.    Certifications are not Real- World Oriented

This myth advocates that as all certifications are vendor-oriented, they do not prepare you for the real world. In the real world, every environment has technologies from multiple vendors i.e., No environment is only made up of Microsoft or UNIX or Linux. Since real world enterprises work on several platforms, technologies and integrated systems, it is important for engineers and scientists to understand about these systems in a short timeframe. Many certifications involve working on real industry problems and simulate the real world through simulations.

 

4.    No Oversight Body

All certifications are vendor-centric, so there is no one over-seeing the whole process of certifications. This is not true!  An association of leading IT companies; Microsoft, Sun, CompTIA, Novell, Linux, HP, IBM and exam provider Prometric formed a council named, Information Technology Certification Council (ITCC) to administer the certification process. ITCC tackle important issues facing the IT certification industry, including exam security, perception versus actual IT certification and training to test taker ratios.

 

5.     Degree vs. Certification vs. Experience

There will always be anxiety in the market over the value for degree versus the necessity of certification versus the need for experience. Certifications prove deep level of knowledge as well as has upper hand over other non-certified professionals.

 

6.     HR people are not in contact with Real World

HR executives are hiring non-certified professionals instead of certified professionals which “devalued” the certifications. This is not true as well - HR execs who seek proof of claims through certification are more in touch with reality than those who rely on allegation alone.

 

7.     Budget Cuts

Some companies have cut training funds, many have not. For training and certification, investments are required. Many employers today are reimbursing training and other types of training expenses. Reimbursements of training expenses attract employees and it is an effective way for employees to improve their skill sets.

 

8.     Certifications have been de-valued

This myth explores the possibility that certifications are de-valued because applicants cheat on exams. However, the incorporation of replication and other performance-based measures are strong measures against cheating, since it's nearly unfeasible to plagiarize in an emulated environment.

 

9.     Surplus of Certified People

This myth is around the fact that people are losing interest in certifications due to a surplus of certified IT Professionals available in IT industry. In fact nothing could be further from reality. There is incessant need for people who understand and navigate to latest technology. As the world around us changes and business environment changes as well, skill sets also need to change.

 

10.No One Knows Which Cert is Important

Irrespective of the number of certifications or the domains, getting reliably certified in your area of expertise is never a bad idea. Certification is a strong acknowledgement of initiative, knowledge and skill. It improves your knowledge and differentiates you from other non certified individuals.

Certification makes an individual a valuable employee. It also attaches credibility to one’s skill sets. Certification gives you a significant advantage in your career advancement. Is Certification a benefit? Answer is “definitely YES!”. It not only helps the professional who possesses it but the company and IT industry as well.

 Adapted from:  Addressing the Top 10 Myths about IT Certification

Certified Internet Web Professional - A vendor neutral certification

Certified Internet Web Professional is a vendor-neutral Internet Certification. This means that the program focuses on the skills needed to perform job roles rather than on usage of specific products. CIW tests for vital internet technology skills starting from basic web authoring and networking concepts to advanced study in security and web languages.

CIW is the world’s largest growing vendor-neutral Internet Certification. CIW sets a standard for various academic institutions and businesses worldwide in Web Technology. Here are some reviews of IT Professional regarding CIW Certification.

Stay current with IT skills and industry trends

"I had been working on security issues for several years but I needed to learn how the industry handled threats and vulnerabilities, so I turned to CIW once again for my certification needs. Now I work in an environment alongside developers and server administrators to help them protect our enterprise environment."
-Sean Thompson, Information Security Analyst

Be competitive in the IT job market

"I wanted to be competitive in the field of professional Web site design. Pursuing CIW certification gave me industry-recognized knowledge, skills and credibility to do that."
- David Eash, Internet Business Owner

Have what employers want

"… CIW certification lets me know that they have a good fundamental understanding of the skill set I'd need, as well as the tenacity to work through the curriculum and pass the necessary tests for certification."
-Michael Boyink, Principal, Boyink Interactive

CIW consists of multiple certification tracks that map to industry job roles. No matter what pathway(s) you pursue, you learn the latest Internet technologies and job skills. CIW Certifications are helpful to many professionals whether they are in marketing, design, public relations or office administration. CIW Certification is available in various IT job roles, starting from foundation level to specialization and up to advanced Master level certifications.

CIW Associate - CIW Associate if for those who possess foundational skills including basic skills of Internet technologies, network infrastructure, etc. It’s also a starting point for more advanced certifications. It is beneficial for those working in business development, technical recruiting, etc. There is only one exam that an applicant needs to qualify to be a CIW Associate.

CIW Associate Design Specialist- It is a new CIW Associate Design Specialist Certification for organizations that wants to provide vendor-neutral certification in web designing. An applicant learns the basics of Web design with XHTML coding, e-commerce models and client side languages. There are two exams that an applicant has to pass to be CIW Associate Design Specialist.

CIW Professional - This mid-level CIW job-role certification validates the certificate’s knowledge in foundational IT skills as well as more advanced skills in a job role of your choice. CIW Professional certifications are best suited to individuals who are now performing jobs or pursuing careers in mid-level technical positions. CIW Associate certification is required to qualify for any CIW Professional certification. There are various disciplines within CIW Professional: server administrator, internetworking professional, security professional, application developer, and database design specialist.

CIW Database Design Specialist – It validates knowledge of database design principals and theory, and their application to the most popular database platforms. The CIW v5 Database Design Specialist certification is ideal for all professionals who use or develop database applications.

Master CIW Designer - Master CIW Designer build and maintain websites using scripting languages, makes content and digital media, utilizes technologies for business-to-business, business-to-consumer and e-commerce web sites. It leads to a successful career in web designing and creative designing. There are three exams that an applicant needs to pass to be Master CIW Designer.

Master CIW Enterprise Developer Certification - It is for those developers who can build n-tier database, can develop enterprise wide web enabled applications and connectivity solutions for web applications using Java language. There are various job roles for Master CIW Designer such as Database Developers, Client-Server Developers, and Internet Application Developers etc.

Median Salary by Job - Certification: CIW Professional (United States)

CAREER TOOLS: Salary Calculator, Career Path Tool, Cost of Living Calculator, Meeting Miser

Source: Payscale

The Marriage of IBM and Sun Microsystems

The hot news in the IT industry today that is, IBM looking to acquire Sun Microsystems. In that may be a huge collaboration between the two technology majors, this can potentially hit Microsoft’s market hard. According to the source, if this merger/acquisition does go through, the combined companies can take over 40 % of the total server market revenue & 60% of market for servers based on UNIX operating systems.

IBM manufactures & sells computer hardware & software, and offers infrastructure services, hosting & consulting services ranging from supercomputing to nanotechnology. IBM is the largest manufacturer of servers in IT market, followed by HP, Dell and Sun Microsystems. Sun Microsystems are currently running losses. Last year, the stocks & share prices of Sun Microsystems have plummeted and continue to do so this year.

Numerous analysts are speculating about the possible profits for IBM post the acquisition of Sun Microsystems, which owns the right to Java programming language & MySQL open source database. According to the Wall Street Journal IBM has dropped its offer to $9 & $10 a share from their previous demand of $10 to $11 per share. If this major takeover happens, this will be one of the biggest in IBM’s history.

The possibilities are myriad. We can possibly see IBM computers with Solaris & other Sun Microsystems products and hence can give Microsoft, UNIX a run for their money. It will increase the demand of IBM and Sun Certifications in the IT industry.

Say No to Brain Dumps

In common parlance, transfer of important information from one person to another on a piece of paper is called a “brain dump”. In IT terminology, copying material from any set of data is referred as “brain dump”.

This is a well renowned term in IT certification industry today. Exactly copied exams or questions in certification exams is called brain dump. There are people who deliberately memorize all the questions which appear in the exams. After they are through with exam, they transfer the questions to other aspirants for a token amount.

Why brain dumps?
IT certification exams are very costly and are high stake exams, most often leading to coveted jobs in the industry. These exams are relatively difficult to crack as well. Approximately 60% of people who are preparing for certification exams, go for brain dumps, because they are relatively cheaper and sometime you can get them completely free on the Internet. These come significantly cheaper than the authorized study material in the form of books and online training courses.

In my opinion, brain dumps are very bad, both for the candidate as well as the industry. They are not useful, if you are aspiring to carve out a real career in IT. Using these dumps shows that you are not being honest towards your career. The questions given in brain dumps are not very helpful, because the pattern of certification exams keep on changing. Also the learning is practically zero. One must understand that only what we have really learnt well will help succeed in our career.

Say no to brain dumps!
Brain dumps devalue the certification itself and even the genuine certification holders loose out because of a few who clear exams just based on their rote learning from dumps.

From my personal experience, I have seen people who used brain dumps for preparation for certification exam and then were eventually stripped off their certification credentials. Oftentimes, the material specified in dumps is obsolete, inadequate & you can’t trust those questions.

People, who are selling brain dumps, don’t care about a student’s future and their career. Their only aim to make money. Students who are not serious about certification and don’t want to work hard, go for brain dumps. Only when they fail do they realize their folly!

Non-Disclosure Agreement

Brain dumps are a clear violation of the certification Non-Disclosure Agreement. Many certification vendors are using Non- disclosure Agreement (NDA) to prevent examinees to go for cheated material. It’s necessary for participant’s to sign the agreement before going for the exam.

Microsoft’s Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) and General Terms of Use (the "Exam Agreement") is made and entered into as of the electronic signature date below by and between Microsoft Corporation, ("Microsoft") and the examinee (the "Examinee").

Cisco also maintains a record of participants who sign the Non-disclosure Agreement (NDA). If you are found searching for brain dumps or going for them, you are committing a legal offence.

Bottom Line
The bottom line is that brain dumps hurt everyone, whether you are going for it or not. I suggest that you should not go for brain dumps, rather start studying as we all do in our schools. They are strictly illegal & waste.

There are certain other ways to prepare for certification. There are affordable alternatives such as e-learning, where an aspirant can get all necessary material for preparation. Try out websites such as HyperLessons.com for a very holistic way to prepare for IT Certification exams.